Urban Design
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LORINC: TOCore and Jennifer Keesmaat’s legacy
Since the City announced chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat’s departure last week, much of the commentary about her stint in that high profile gig has...
By John Lorinc -
The first Modern apartment complex in Toronto
The three towers of the City Park co-op apartments on Wood Street behind Maple Leaf Gardens don’t really stand out among the numerous high rises of...
By Chris Bateman -
Making places for Toronto’s Queer history
By Ed Jackson In June, 2016, U.S. President Barack Obama proclaimed the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar on Christopher Street in New York City, as an American...
By Spacing -
The oddities of the Dundas Street Extension
In December 1954, the railway tracks near Logan Avenue presented the final obstacle in one of Toronto’s first major post-war road building...
By Chris Bateman -
LORINC: Why the Libs’ planning mistakes are fuelling the GTA’s real estate madness
Until the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) released a new report showing that a shortage of supply wasn’t, in fact, the culprit in the speculative...
By John Lorinc -
THE ARTFUL CITY: An Interview with Sean Martindale
Interview by: Melanie Fasche Sean Martindale is a Canadian artist and designer currently based in Toronto. He holds a Master of Fine Art from OCAD...
By The Artful City -
Yonge Street Mall: The fun and failure of pedestrianizing Toronto’s iconic strip during the 1970s
On June 3, 1971, there was a party on downtown Yonge Street. Around 8pm, following the news that Ontario Premier Bill Davis had cancelled the Spadina...
By Daniel Ross -
Sex on Yonge: Examining the decade when Yonge Street was the city’s sin strip
“I take a walk down Yonge Street, where good times are bought and sold.” When folk music great Ian Tyson penned those lines in 1970, he knew his audience...
By Daniel Ross -
The Artful City: A Year in Review
By: Jeff Biggar and Ilana Altman The Artful City was formed in 2015 with a simple mission to investigate public art in Toronto and spark a dialogue about...
By The Artful City -
Building community through the use of public space in the sharing economy
What happens when fare collectors start to become wise to over-turnstile Bunz trade activity occurring at Ossington subway station? The station’s central...
By Sarah Yellin -
The demise of the first “air rights” project in Toronto
When Toronto’s first subway line opened in 1954, much of track north of Bloor Street was located in a shallow, open trench. The money-saving open cut...
By Chris Bateman -
THE ARTFUL CITY: A Tale of Two Seasons
By: Ilana Altman Toronto is a city of both climatic and cultural extremes. Hot long summer days are populated by more festivals than one can count; from...
By The Artful City