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City Primer — Part 6: Why Civic Literacy Matters
Most people do not spend much time thinking about municipal government. They think about finding housing, getting to work, walking their children to...
By Erick Villagomez -
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 2 – How Cities Actually Make Decisions
Many residents encounter municipal government for the first time when a controversial proposal appears in their neighbourhood. A rezoning sign goes up on...
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 -
UCS #97 – Water Water Everywhere…
See our Launch and Introduction about the launch of the © Urban Cartoon Syndicate and the announcement by CityHallWatch. *** Related Readings: Drought and...
By Urban Cartoon Syndicate -
Community Centres…and The Costs We Don’t See
On a weekday afternoon, a community centre in Vancouver hums in a way that rarely makes it into policy announcements. A seniors’ exercise class wraps up...
By Erick Villagomez -
Rising High, Falling Short: Introduction
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” — Albert Einstein Across cities like Vancouver and beyond...
By Erick Villagomez -
Inequality, Gender, Intersectionality, Gentrification, and the City: An interview with Leslie Kern
Cities are political and economic centers of power. This comes with its fair share of challenges like poverty and inequality. Spacing Vancouver...
By Erick Villagomez -
Your 15-minute city is not my 15-minute city
Carlos Moreno’s “15-minute city” has been promoted by many city mayors around the world – perhaps most famously Parisian mayor Anne Hidalgo. In...
By Robert Turner -
VIDEO: Why does the Vancouver Plan matter to you?
On July 22, 2022, Vancouver City Council approved the Vancouver Plan, a citywide land use strategy to create a more livable, affordable and sustainable...
By Yuri Artibise -
Where does the cargo bike go at night?
“What’s that!?” I interrupted our meeting mid-sentence to point down the street. My colleague turned to look out the window, but it was...
By Andrew Cuthbert