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REID: Some interesting public furniture in Russia
I recently returned from a trip to several cities in Russia, and wanted to share some interesting public space furniture ideas I encountered. Many Russian cities have seen considerable investment in...
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A closer look at the City of Canada transit map
EDITOR’S NOTE: On Canada Day this year, Spacing’s creative director Matthew Blackett published a map of a fictional City of Canada in the Toronto Star. This is a follow-up post. You can buy a print of...
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LORINC: Doug Ford’s Barbarians are at the gate
I must confess to a grudging admiration for the speed and shrewdness with which Premier Doug Ford succeeded in knocking two and perhaps even three of the four legs out from beneath John Tory’s mayoral...
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The legal case against Ford’s assault on local democracy
There was a collective jaw drop when Premier Doug Ford announced, seemingly out of the blue, that Toronto’s wards would be decreased from 47 to 25. But the bigger shock was Mayor John Tory’s tepid...
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PODCAST: Spacing Radio 026, Interesting Times
In this episode, we speak with Cycle Toronto’s Liz Sutherland for a Vision Zero update, and what the new Ontario government means to cycling infrastructure in municipalities across the province. And...
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LORINC: Waterfront Toronto gets tough with Sidewalk Labs
In a striking move that marks a clear change in the relationship between Waterfront Toronto (WT) and Sidewalk Labs, officials with the tri-level agency this morning approved a new and more restrictive...
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Freedom abound: celebrating Emancipation Day in St. John’s Ward, 1845–1860
by Natasha Henry August 1, 1852 At sunrise, a large crowd gathered for an early church service at the British Methodist Episcopal Church on Sayer Street (later Chestnut). Church services were an...
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REID: The Unilever lands and public space
The Unilever Precinct (also sometimes called “East Harbour”) is a remarkable opportunity to create an entirely new business district in Toronto. As an almost completely blank slate, it offers a chance...
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The Rough House
With ‘Freespace’ the theme of the 2018 Venice Biennale, described by the curators as ‘a generosity of spirit and a sense of humanity at the core of architecture’s agenda, the Biennale’s focus is on...
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Sparks of Life at Carlton and Jarvis: Examining Equilibrium
With its high-rises and construction sites, Toronto can often feel overbearingly grey. That greyness is now being met with a blast of colour thanks to Spanish street artist Okuda San Miguel, whose new...
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LORINC: The Subway in the Room
Almost a year ago, the Toronto Star’s Jennifer Pagliaro published a story detailing, with her trademark meticulousness, how then chief planner and now mayoral candidate Jennifer Keesmaat had gone to...
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LORINC: Mammoliti is perfect example of why Toronto needs term limits
On the day after Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives passed a law stomping all over local democracy in Toronto, it’s worth pointing out a few key facts about the governance of this city. The first...
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Marcus Garvey’s place in Toronto’s history
For the past several years, 355 College Street has been home to Thymeless Bar, a reggae nightspot situated just steps from Kensington Market. What many people forget or don’t know is that for 57 years...
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LORINC: Uploading subway system a disaster-in-waiting
It can’t be said too often, or too loudly: Premier Doug Ford’s pledge to upload the subway system will become the Brexit of Toronto politics: a promise balanced on the most dubious of mandates, barely...
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LORINC: What about those mandate letters, Premier Ford?
Given the thin broth that was the Tories’ election platform, it’s hardly surprising that Premier Doug Ford’s first month in office has had the feeling of a twister zigging and zagging violently across...
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PODCAST: Spacing Radio 027, Healthy Buildings, Healthy Planet
We’re gearing up for the October 11th Green Building Festival! We talk to celebrated architect Vivian Manasc about what makes a truly “green” building. WSP’s senior facade specialist Scott Armstrong...
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LORINC: What does ‘effective representation’ look like at city hall?
Sometimes, good things happen for all the wrong reasons, and the hearing for the various challenges to the Tories’ bill to slash the size of Toronto council — held Friday in a packed courtroom at 361...
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Doug Ford’s snitch line and the cost of silence
There are certain events that simply demand a response, because to remain politely silent or inactive is to court great peril. The decision by Ontario premier Doug Ford’s government to establish a...
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TAXED OUT: Gallery exhibits examines tax impact on Toronto’s main streets
WHAT: TAXED OUT gallery exhibit WHEN: Opening night — Sept. 12th, WHERE: Urbanspace Gallery, 401 Richmond Street W, ground floor RSVP: Click through to Eventbrite to let us know if you’re coming...
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LORINC: The notwithstanding chaos of Doug Ford
Pardon my language, but what a fucking mess. Over the weekend, I was trying to develop a column examining why this municipal race – the seventh I’ve covered as an urban affairs writer – has, to borrow...
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