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First: a little rant about Doug Ford’s island airport expansion plans, which have (at least for now) been grounded. Next, the book Saving Toronto: 10 City Builders Tell Us How is available now. It’s a collection of essays organized by themes like governance, transit, and housing. We asked public policy analyst Anne Golden and urban Continue reading "PODCAST: Spacing Radio 95, Saving Toronto" The…
On the morning of July 22, CBC Radio news reported on a suspicious fire that had occurred overnight at a commercial plaza near Eglinton Avenue East and Kennedy Road. Later that day, I viewed cable news footage of the fire scene and immediately recognized the location as Liberty Plaza, which I had photographed for my Continue reading "Exploring Liberty Plaza" The post Exploring Liberty Plaza…
Many of us want more sustainable, safe, affordable and accessible homes. Despite zoning and land use changes to allow multiplexes and small apartment buildings in more places, the reality is that such designs are not yet living up to their architectural potential. The reason, in part, is because the Ontario Building Code (OBC) makes it Continue reading "Bridging the gap between houses and…
Read part 1 of this conversation. Sabat Ismail (SI) met with Rachel Wang, Sylver Sterling, and Jess Nachman, creators and editors of the Journey Lines zine, to discuss the zine and its launch. The zine explores the art, experiences, and stories of queer trans black people of colour (QTBIPOC) cyclists in their own words. Rachel Continue reading "Zine gives space to unheard cycling voices (part 2)"…
I can’t remember a moment when split-screen politics was quite as pronounced as it is right now. Consider: On Friday, the federal Liberals put Doug Ford’s ridiculous island airport expansion nightmare up on blocks, thanks, in large measure to an outpouring of negative feedback — 87,000 responses to the public consultation, the vast majority of Continue reading "The power of positive thinking,…
Summer is the season to pause, to take a break, to refresh body and mind. It’s generally understood that not as much will get done (with the exception of construction), that people may be absent in the flesh or at least in the spirit. The most fortunate may escape to the countryside and a cottage, Continue reading "NEW ISSUE: Summer reading" The post NEW ISSUE: Summer reading appeared first on…
Sabat Ismail (SI) met with Rachel Wang, Sylver Sterling, and Jess Nachman, creators and editors of the Journey Lines zine, to discuss the zine and its launch. The zine explores the art, experiences, and stories of queer trans black people of colour (QTBIPOC) cyclists in their own words. Rachel Wang (RW) (she/her) is an environmental Continue reading "Zine gives space to unheard cycling voices…
The way spaces are designed influences how people socialize, build community, and go about their day-to-day lives, directly impacting how they commute, shop, and eat. That influence can manifest in unexpected ways, however, as the City of Mississauga is discovering through Ridgeway Plaza. Have you heard of the term “bed town”? It is used to Continue reading "Ridgeway Plaza marks Mississauga’s…
We are City Planners who have spent many years involved in the planning of Toronto’s downtown waterfront. We have also recently chosen to live there. We hope the Government of Canada will reject the Government of Ontario’s plan to expand Billy Bishop. Here’s why: Through their various governments and agencies, the people of Toronto have invested Continue reading "An open letter about jets at…
I’m old enough to remember when Brad Bradford’s pungent symbol of Toronto’s urban decay was the apparently misnamed Sankofa Square — according to him, a forlorn concrete trapezoid populated by addicts and the homeless, in which anxious parents hustle frightened children lest they witness acts of public depravity. Ah, the good old days. Now, we’ve Continue reading "LORINC: Brad Bradford continues…
