Infrastructure
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City Primer — Part 5: Why Municipal Politics Feels So Broken
A public hearing runs late into the evening. Dozens of residents take turns speaking. Some support the proposal. Others oppose it. City staff present...
By Erick Villagomez -
City Primer — Part 4: Why Cities Are Always Short of Money
Many residents assume cities operate financially in roughly the same way as provincial or federal governments. They don’t. Municipal governments are...
By Erick Villagomez -
City Primer — Part 3: Why Housing Dominates Municipal Politics
It’s possible to attend a Vancouver City Council meeting and come away with the impression that municipal government exists almost entirely to debate...
By Erick Villagomez -
City Primer — Part 1 – What Is Municipal Government?
EDITOR’S NOTE: Vancouver is in the midst of profound urban change. Housing costs, population growth, transportation investments, climate adaptation...
By Erick Villagomez -
New Over Old, but not Forgotten in Mexico City
In July 2026, I had the opportunity to visit Mexico City for the first time. The metro area of nearly 25 million people has a fascinating history that...
By Andrew Cuthbert -
Minority Rules, Revisited: Who Actually Votes with Whom?
Last April, shortly after Vancouver’s by-election, I turned the result into a game. It was admittedly a geeky one. Going into the by-election, ABC...
By Erick Villagomez -
Open Streets: How Often
Every Sunday, Avenida Paulista in São Paulo fills completely with people. Then, as the day winds down, the street exhales. A van creeps along the avenue...
By Yuval Fogelson -
Book Review – Black Public Joy: No Permit or Permission Required
Author: Jay Pitter (Penguin Random House, 2026) What is public space for? Most planners would answer with some combination of safety, accessibility...
By Erick Villagomez -
The City and its Futures
The future seems far, abstract, and fuzzy, yet sometimes it’s right there in front of us. A Sign of Things to Come Walk past a building marked for...
By Yuval Fogelson -
UCS #104: The Tourist Experience
See our Launch and Introduction about the launch of the © Urban Cartoon Syndicate and the announcement by CityHallWatch. *** Related Readings: ‘Utter...
By Urban Cartoon Syndicate -
The Pasts of the City
Walk through a neighbourhood with someone who grew up there, and the stories start. The diner that used to be on that corner. The whole block that looked...
By Yuval Fogelson -
UCS #102: The White Elephant
See our Launch and Introduction about the launch of the © Urban Cartoon Syndicate and the announcement by CityHallWatch. *** Related Readings: Vancouver...
By Urban Cartoon Syndicate