Urban Design
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LORINC: The public space embarrassment that is College Park
When College Park (pictured above) formally re-opened, in 2019, the City of Toronto put out a rather breathless press release on what had been achieved in...
By John Lorinc -
They Brought Back the Don
In the coming weeks, Waterfront Toronto crews will remove the final plug in the new Lower Don, thereby allowing the river to finally flow naturally...
By John Lorinc -
PODCAST: Spacing Radio 079, Is Toronto strangled by rules?
Toronto is often accused of being over-regulated. It’s a fair criticism. For example, photographer and urbanist commentator Dan Seljak tells us how...
By Spacing Radio -
LORINC: The Gordian Knot that is Toronto Island
In a city that loves to make, but not execute, plans and then overthink, but not solve, problems, there’s surely no better illustration of this...
By John Lorinc -
LORINC: The public space miracle of the moveable chair (redux)
In 1979, when the renowned American sociologist William (Holly) Whyte published The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces — which is, let’s face it, a...
By John Lorinc -
Op-Ed: Can green infrastructure thrive in high-density urban development?
Carolyn Whitzman is a senior research associate with the Canadian Urban Institute and Roy Brooke is the Executive Director of the Natural Assets...
By Guest Columnists -
Book launch of expanded and updated edition of Stroll: Psychogeographic Walking Tours of Toronto
Spacing’s senior editor and co-founder Shawn Micallef has expanded and updated his 2010 book Stroll: Psychogeographic Walking Tours of Toronto. The...
By Spacing -
LORINC: It’s time to talk about the Committee of Adjustment
The building pictured above — a three storey walk-up with five units — is located at the end of the block where I live. I’ve always thought of it as...
By John Lorinc -
Youth Design Jam for Downsview
Over a weekend in late March, teams of high school students gathered a conference centre in Toronto’s new Canary District for Design Jam, where they were...
By Nathan Abraha -
PODCAST: Spacing Radio 076, Time’s running out for accessible Ontario
In 2005, Ontario passed the Accessibility of Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), which made accessibility for all public establishments a legal...
By Spacing Radio -
OP-ED: Rethinking the role of Toronto’s Chief Planner
When Toronto last searched for a new Chief Planner, in 2017, we encouraged the City to look at planning, and planners, through the lens of human rights...
By Alan Broadbent and Elizabeth McIsaac -
How We Can Make Toronto More Pleasant, 1971-Style
Publications periodically like asking local leaders and celebrities for their advice on how they would improve their city. One good example was a feature...
By Jamie Bradburn