Skip to content

Canadian Urbanism Uncovered

Spacing Saturday

Read more articles by

Spacing Saturday highlights posts from across Spacing’s blog network in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Atlantic region.


As debate continues about the future of Lansdowne Park, Marie-Judith Jean-Marie presents a photo history of the site over the last centure. Comparing its evolution with how other places have changed paints a picture of an area that has been allowed to wither away in decline.

Spacing’s Ian Capstick looks at the state of this year’s municipal election and wonders what will have to happen for the race to really get started. Claiming that the race thus far has lacked a narrative, Captsick speculates what will happen as the intentions of more incumbents becomes clear.

From the Rock, Andrew Harvey writes about the cycling culture in Canada’s eastern most city: St John’s. In a city, where cycling is currently a character building endeavour, the city hall is pushing forward with a scaled back, yet still promising bike lane infrastructure plan.

In light of the Downtown Halifax Business Commission’s new campaign to get people telling stories of their experiences downtown, Rachel Carolin Derrah writes an excellent piece discussing just what kind of collective story the city is telling about the needs of its downtown for the future.

Citizens targeted by a CP Rail security blitz on a well trafficked informal rail crossing between the Mile End and Petite Patrie neighbourhoods are fighting back with a protest and petition. While the petition is calling for a formalized level crossing in the area, many are content with the status quo, minus the $150 fines.

In the year 2000 the Quebec Government tasked the municipalities of Greater Montreal to create a coherent land-use strategy for the region, a project that sat in stalemate throughout the decade. In a new bill passed recently,  the Province has sought compromise by lowering expectations and extending the deadline further. Alanah Heffez discusses the troubles and promises of the new move.

John Lorinc used his column this week to explore a different aspect of the transit question. Focusing on the issue of Car Sharing, Lorinc criticizes Toronto’s sluggish progress thus far. He also illustrates the improvements that candidates should be promising to bring Toronto in line with other North American cities and recognize car sharing as the cost-effective transportation solution that it is.

Spacing editor Shawn Micallef launched a new feature this week profiling the work of students from his third year class at the Ontario College of Art and Design. By posting the work on Spacing, Micallef hopes that Spacing readers will challenge the student’s and put their ideas to the test.

Recommended