Born and raised in Etobicoke, Sheraz is an urban planner trying to make sense of Toronto, its people and its place in the world.

Last chance to see After Utopia: an Exhibition Expressing the Beauty of a Neighbourhood

After Utopia is on at the Urbanspace Gallery at 401 Richmond Street W until Saturday, November 19. The gallery is open from 9:00am... Read More

Recycling and shared space — A walk through an apartment dweller’s experience

“Recycling? Yeah we tried it for a while, but it just was too… complicated.” It’s a commonly-heard phrase in apartment complexes where... Read More

If a tree falls in Etobicoke, does anyone notice? (Yes)

Last week I was walking to the convenience store up the street when I came across the tree above. It was the remains of a huge willow... Read More

Undergrad commuter chronicles — a University of Toronto student’s movement through the city

It’s crunch time for thousands of Toronto’s students. A good proportion of these students are also commuters — students... Read More

Reading Toronto on the drive from the airport: Toronto’s accidental city gate

Recently, my father and I dropped my mother off at Pearson airport. As we were saying our goodbyes, I thought about what my mother... Read More

Quick comparisons between Toronto’s and Chicago’s street grids

Chicago is often referred to as Toronto’s closest sibling. Built in similar times, with similar sizes and populations, there are... Read More

A Torontonian abroad: German tourism, first impressions and Canada’s Wonderland

I became familiar with a certain reality of tourism a month ago on a full-fledged ‘euro trip’. The reality was, it would impossible to... Read More

Toronto-itis: How I dealt with that uneasy feeling returning home to an adolescent city

I had traveled in Europe for a month, taking in the sights and rubbing elbows with fellow city-enthusiasts (also known as tourists)... Read More

EVENT: Listen to Toronto at Labspace Studio’s “The Noise Project”

WHAT: The Noise Project by Labspace Studio WHERE: 99 Gallery (99 Sudbury Street, in the West Queen West Triangle) WHEN: Friday, July... Read More

Etobicoke stories: the DIY shortcut to Eatonville Library

My tower neighbourhood was built with modernist ideals of green space, low density and novelty. In the ‘50s, Toronto planners and... Read More