Politics
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The Trifecta of Control: Stealth. Speed. Complexity.
In the 1960s, planning decisions in Vancouver—like many North American cities—were made behind closed doors. Freeways bulldozed working-class...
By Erick Villagomez -
What Brasilia’s “Bike Reporter” can teach Toronto cycling advocates
As a young man, Afonso Ventania raced bikes competitively, but retired at 26 and decided to go into journalism. He spent several years covering sports and...
By John Lorinc -
One more housing bill and no new homes
How many bills does it take to build the homes Ontario says it needs? The recently re-elected Doug Ford government would have you believe it takes...
By Michel Nayrouz -
UCS #54: King Eby
See our Launch and Introduction about the launch of the © Urban Cartoon Syndicate and the announcement by CityHallWatch. *** Related Readings:
By Urban Cartoon Syndicate -
Reversing the Ford government’s biking backlash
At a time when Washington has launched a scorched earth attack on virtually all federal climate policies, the Ford government’s hyper-partisan...
By John Lorinc -
A gondola or a bridge to the Island?
There was a burst of side-taking last week after the ever-green topic of improving access to Toronto’s pre-eminent public space bobbed, again, to...
By John Lorinc -
Et Tu, Uytae?
In just one month, well-known YouTube personality Uytae Lee released three high-profile videos addressing the creation of new downtowns, taxes, and...
By Erick Villagomez -
When Local Planning Becomes Provincial Command: On Bill 13, Bill 15, and the End of Urban Democracy
In British Columbia, democracy is being redefined—not through elections or referendums, but through legislation with quiet names and sweeping...
By Erick Villagomez -
The Coriolis Effect, Part III: Reclaiming the Planner’s Toolkit
Parts I and Part II of The Coriolis Effect explored how market-aligned tools like the pro forma have subtly—but powerfully—steered urban planning in...
By Erick Villagomez -
The Coriolis Effect, Part II: Beyond the Spreadsheet
The Coriolis Effect, Part I went through a long gestation period as I humbly asked various people within the discipline for constructive feedback. I was...
By Erick Villagomez -
The Coriolis Effect, Part I: Planning by Spreadsheet
Just because there’s a number on it, it doesn’t mean that the number was arrived at properly…people gather statistics. People choose...
By Erick Villagomez -
Judge puts Ford back in his lane
Ontario superior court justice Paul Schabas this week granted an interim (“interlocutory”) injunction preventing Queen’s Park from...
By John Lorinc