Urban Design
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THE ARTFUL CITY: Evolution of public art policy in Toronto
By: Jeff Biggar Public art has a storied past in Toronto’s History. The City of Toronto’s public art collection stems back to the late 19th century, with...
By The Artful City -
THE ARTFUL CITY: Interview with Barbara Astman
Barbara Astman is a Canadian artist who lives and works in Toronto and specializes in photography and new media. Her artworks are in both public and...
By The Artful City -
Cars are part of the mix in Kensington Market
One of the first areas I take people when they visit Toronto is usually Kensington Market – that dense grid of narrow streets stuffed with fruit and...
By Jake Tobin Garrett -
The Artful City
The Artful City is a bi-weekly blog series exploring the evolution of public art and its role in the transformation of Toronto, both the city fabric and...
By The Artful City -
5 subtle signs of lost rivers in Toronto
Like many North American cities, the street grid in downtown Toronto is (for the most part) rigidly geometric. Where there’s an unexpected deviation...
By Chris Bateman -
How the Eaton Centre nearly wrecked Old City Hall
Ever since Toronto city council moved over the street in 1965, Toronto hasn’t quite known what to do with Old City Hall. The exquisite heritage...
By Chris Bateman -
Awe in the city
The study of awe — the kind of jaw-dropping experience that makes you recalibrate your understanding of the world — originated with natural phenomena...
By Dylan Reid -
What Amsterdam taught a Torontonian about urbanism
Tulips, windmills, and all those salacious, smoke-filled thoughts aside, Amsterdam is internationally regarded as a haven for urbanism and as a hub for...
By Katerina Ryabets -
The TORONTO sign: How life imitates graphic design
To the delight of many, it was recently announced that the TORONTO sign in Nathan Phillips Square will remain in front of City Hall until its structural...
By Daniel Rotsztain -
GARDINER EAST: Using the rail corridor to crack the highway riddle
The Gardiner East Follies returns for yet another extended run at City Hall beginning on Tuesday morning, when city officials present three scenarios for...
By John Lorinc -
The mysterious case of the grave of Stella Vanzant
When little Stella Vanzant died of causes unknown some time in the early 1800s, her bereaved father interred the girl’s young body in a six by...
By Chris Bateman -
BACK TO SCHOOL: Why I use the city as a classroom
At this time of year, the signs abound. Colourful backpack displays have replaced the Slip-N-Slide demo at Walmart. And if you listened closely last week...
By Laurie Townshend