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Spacing’s new issue and release party

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The new issue of Spacing will be out on newsstands August 25th. If you’re a subscriber you’ll be receiving it in the mail around this date.

As you can see by the above cover image, the issue’s cover section focuses on Toronto’s suburbs. The city faces its greatest challenges and opportunities in these areas. Spacing senior editor Dylan Reid presents compelling examples of how the suburbs can evolve instead of trying to be reinvented. Spacing’s other senior editor, Shawn Micallef, examines the walkable community of Dorset Park in Scarborough. Our writers explore such things as plans for a downtown Mississauga, environmentalists in Markham, urban farming in subdivisions, the makeover of downtown North York, Burlington’s successful waterfront, and how youth are being engaged to shape the future of their suburban communities.

If you want to grab an issue in a store, you can look up a location near you or you can make the editors very happy and subscribe to the magazine.

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RELEASE PARTY DETAILS:

DATE: Tuesday, August 25, 2009
LOCATION: Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen Street West
COST: $10, includes a magazine. $5 for subscribers
TIME: 7:30pm to 1am
RSVP: Please visit our Facebook listing to rsvp

As with each issue, Spacing throws a release party to bring together the editors, writers, readers and subscribers of the magazine. The night includes games, door prizes, good conversation, and good tunes to dance along to late into the night.

The revenue generated at Spacing’s release parties helps keep the number of ads within the magazine to a minimal amount. Your attendance at our parties helps keep the magazine afloat.

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8 comments

  1. Never purchased a Spacing magazine, but this does look interesting – especially since I grew up and live in the EVIL SUBURBS (DUH-DUH-DUUUUH!!!)

    Seriously though, after work I’ll probably catch the train at Yorkdale and make my way down. Don’t get out enough, and it would be nice to meet some new people. Especially some with similar interests into urban and transportation planning 🙂

    PS: Any chicks gonna be there? Perferrably single ;):P

    PPS: Subdivisions is not only the best Rush song, but their best music video too

  3. During my annual trips back to Toronto, I always marvel at the newly minted suburbs when driving up the 400, 27, 11 or almost any other major roadway. There is something very different visually about Toronto suburbs compared to ones I know in the US, namely that the homes are packed much closer together. Is it just the shockingly treeless landscaping that is creating this impression in my mind or are Toronto suburbs truly denser?

    Obviously it is unfair to compare Toronto suburbs to the northeast US where cities are much older and, generally speaking, not expanding at the same rate as Toronto. But are our suburbs exhibiting higher density than those in say, Atlanta, Houston, Phoenix or Tampa?

    I have a theory that there is a higher tolerance for density in Canadian suburbia due to a wide range of differences between us and the typical suburban American — we are more urban than we think, influenced by European and Asian immigration and associated tolerances of density, whereas Americans have more money, more usable land, and that quintessential American desire for individualism and open space.

    After all, if our condo apartments are smaller in terms of SF than comparable American condos (try comparing a 1 or 2 bedroom new condo in Toronto vs New York), why not our lot size in the suburbs too?

    Anyone else have similar thoughts?

  4. Ooohhh, Yorkdale Station…lucky guy.

  5. I had a look at the locations where Spacing is sold and was amazed at how few GTA locations outside of Toronto sell the magazine. (Only one in Richmond Hill and one in Ajax. Nothing in Mississauga, Brampton, Markham, Vaughan, Oshawa, Oakville, etc.) Is this a conscious decision of the publishers and, if so, why would they assume that people living in the suburbs are not interested in urban issues?

    Is a market of 3 million people is easily overlooked?

    (To those who are tempted: Please save us the tired, trite comments about suburbanites as they will only serve to demonstrate the ignorance of those making the comments.)

  6. We don’t control which stores sell Spacing — that’s up to our distributor. Its also up to readers to request it. No store likes to turn down sales.

    It should be said that the Cdn magazine distro market has little competition so a few big guys dominate. Our distributor is not exactly a heavyweight and have to deal directly with their competition who have sole-source distro deals with the larger chains.

    In most places outside the city of Toronto, its only Chapters. But a few of those stores are starting to request us. With this issue, we suspect we’ll find a few more homes to sell us in more suburban locations.

  7. Just subscribed to Spacing and hoping to make it down.

    Oh, and Ben, I’m a single chick. But I don’t like Rush. So the odds are 50/50 at this point.