Urban Design
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The Language of Uplift
In 2023, the Vancouver City Council recently adopted a motion titled “Uplifting the Downtown Eastside and Building Inclusive Communities that Work for All...
By Erick Villagomez -
The Big Brutal Breakfast
Architecture and Design Film Festival 2025 hits Toronto, Nov. 12-15, Mumbai, Jan. 8-11, Chicago, Feb. 18-21. It features The Big Brutal Quiz, a...
By Derek DeLand -
The Costs We Don’t See
Vancouver’s proposed 2026 Budget arrives with a promise that feels, at first glance, like a reprieve: a 0% property tax increase in a year when almost...
By Erick Villagomez -
Nostalgia about neighbourhood retail is not a strategy
I have lived for many years less than 30 metres from what was once one of Toronto’s storied corner stores — a green grocer known locally as...
By John Lorinc -
Notes from Nice and London
In 1864, Fydor Dostoevsky wrote his seminal Notes from Underground, a novella exploring existentialism and alienation in a large city – in his case...
By Sean Ruthen -
Week of Learning with Bruntletts
It was a cool late afternoon in October when I met up with Melissa and Chris Bruntlett at Trees Café on Granville Street. The rain held off as we settled...
By mollybarkowsky -
PODCAST: Spacing Radio 90, Bless this urban mess
Change in cities is often slow, when using official channels. There is a desire to achieve the perfect plan, one that balances everyone’s needs an...
By Spacing Radio -
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 -
The Future Fix: Generation Restoration
THIS EPISODE: Why Toronto is a Role Model for Urban Ecology The City of Toronto has been named a “role model city” by the United Nations...
By Spacing Radio -
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 -
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