Urban Design
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The Singapore Chronicles: Divergent Models
The city, we’re often told, is a model—something to be learned from, exported, improved. But what happens when models conflict? What if the city itself...
By Erick Villagomez -
UCS #65: King David contemplates the future of BC
See our Launch and Introduction about the launch of the © Urban Cartoon Syndicate and the announcement by CityHallWatch. *** Related Readings: BC...
By Urban Cartoon Syndicate -
The Singapore Chronicles: Designing for Urban Health
In the closing days of our field school, we sat around a modest table in a conference room overlooking the city skyline. It was our final debrief, and the...
By Erick Villagomez -
The Singapore Chronicles: Housing the Nation
Few cities in the contemporary world have made public housing as central to urban life as Singapore has. With over 80% of the population living in flats...
By Erick Villagomez -
The Singapore Chronicles: The Politics of Preservation
Singapore’s skyline is constantly in motion. Construction cranes and hoardings are as much part of the visual identity of the city as its heritage...
By Erick Villagomez -
New Exhibition Flush with Public Washroom Ideas
Modular toilets inspired by mushrooms? A place to go where you can also grab an espresso? Multicolour toilets that become landmarks in your neighbourhood...
By Cara Chellew and Car Martin -
The Slow Emergency
The crisis in Vancouver’s housing system isn’t explosive—it’s quiet, procedural, and often disguised as progress. Recently made public, the Broadway...
By Erick Villagomez -
Understanding the elusiveness of Smart Cities
As Canadian cities strive to navigate rapid urbanization, climate change, and digital disruption, “smart city” strategies have emerged as a popular, and...
By Zachary Spicer -
Entitled to Flip
In Vancouver today, rezoning doesn’t necessarily mean building. Increasingly, it means something else: securing entitlements — legal permissions that...
By Erick Villagomez -
The Trifecta of Control: Stealth. Speed. Complexity.
In the 1960s, planning decisions in Vancouver—like many North American cities—were made behind closed doors. Freeways bulldozed working-class...
By Erick Villagomez -
PODCAST: Spacing Radio 086, Lost Highways
In a snap election called ostensibly to decide which Ontario provincial party leader can take on Donald Trump, we sure have spent a lot of time talking...
By Spacing Radio -
PODCAST: Spacing Radio 084, Two housing carols
This time of year, with the temperature below freezing, it feels appropriate to talk about housing. So, we’re bringing you two conversations with...
By Spacing Radio