Book Review – Roads Were Not Built For Cars
Author: Carlton Reid (Island Press, 2015) There has been a lot of discussion recently around getting more cyclists on the roads, be it for health, environmental reasons, or relieving traffic...
View ArticleSmall is Beautiful #2: The Findlay Meeting
Dartmouth – On Tuesday night at Halifax’s Community Facilities Master Plan (CFMP) consultation, in front of around 100 concerned residents, Dartmouth councillor Gloria McCluskey said unequivocally that...
View ArticleBook Review – Busby: Architecture’s New Edges
Centuries from now, when historians look back to the beginning of the Anthropocene, a time when we realized that human beings had become the dominant influence on living systems, we will be...
View ArticleLORINC: Harper’s failure of target marketed politics
As the federal election stumbles towards a weary conclusion, it may not be an overstatement to say this contest will long be remembered for the way in which an entirely fake controversy, over an item...
View ArticleELECTION: What does each party say about city issues?
As voting day rapidly approaches for the 2015 federal election, Spacing has been tracking the buzzwords for some urban concepts on the four federal parties’ websites to see who’s talking about what....
View ArticleBook Review: A Line in the Andes/Una Linea En Los Andes
Editor: Felipe Correa & Ramiro Almeida (Applied Research + Design Publishing, 2013) “What country is that?” is a common question I get as people stare blankly at the yellow, blue and red soccer...
View ArticleMessage to Trudeau: Voters spoke loud and clear for cities
A month before the election, Calgary’s hugely popular mayor Naheed Nenshi told a reporter: “Whoever gets transit right, whoever figures out how to improve the quality of life for people who live in...
View ArticleCritical Elements to Make Pedestrian Streets Work
We currently dedicate an excessive amount of street public space for the movement and storage of automobiles. We can bring dignity to our streets where people live, work and play by reclaiming it for...
View ArticleEvent: Re-Imagining Urban Form and Policy Symposium, Call for Abstracts
Re-Imagining Urban Form and Policy in a Global Economy – The (Im)possibility of Design March 10-12, 2016 | University of British Columbia, Vancouver View the conference website This is a call for...
View ArticleUrban forestry and the greening of Canadian cities
Call it the second wave of urban greening: hot on the heels of urban farming, urban forestry is emerging as the new frontier of sustainable urban planning and land use. Canada’s urban forest exists in...
View ArticleOverhaul or demolish 24 Sussex?
Much has recently been discussed about the restoration or demolition and replacement of 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa. Like many old buildings, this house has asbestos, leaky windows, and a terrifying...
View ArticleStadium Dreams at Shannon Park
Dartmouth – Halifax’s reoccurring attempt to build a stadium is set to reappear at Regional Council this afternoon. A staff report recommending that the municipality study the potential of purchasing a...
View ArticleWhose Renaissance? Saint John’s future
SAINT JOHN – Down a deceptively desolate lane lies Port City Royal, a restaurant reminiscent of a salon, which has become a magnet for creative types and foodies in Saint John, N.B. Patrons are drawn...
View ArticleBook Review: Start-Up City
Author: Gabe Klein (Island Press, 2015) When I was in my second year of University I wrote a blog post that got a lot of (very rare) traction. I pitted the new ride-sharing program Car2Go against...
View ArticleFredericton – The New Roundabout and the Crosswalk to Nowhere
FREDERICTON – When the City of Fredericton opened the new roundabout, there was a lot of local media coverage. It was the first two-lane roundabout in the city, it was along the highway. Would...
View ArticleHow to have better conversations about Paris
This article was co-written with Beyhan Farhadi Immediately following the Paris attacks a deep divide emerged. On one side, there were messages of solidarity, hashtag mobilization, and temporary...
View ArticleShaping Portland Street: Downtown Dartmouth’s Draft Design Manual
Dartmouth – What started as a response to the lack of guidance about what height was appropriate in Downtown Dartmouth has evolved into a full plan update and the creation of a Design Manual. The...
View ArticleBook Review – 100 Diagrams That Changed the World
It all begins with a diagram. In architecture, it is the grand design of the floor plan; in mathematics, it is the graphic representation of an algebraic or geometric relationship; in physics,...
View ArticleEvents Guide: Walking the Debris Field: A Natural History
HALIFAX – The Narratives in Space and Time Society (NiS+TS) is having a public art walking event this Sunday (December 6) starting at noon. This marks 98 years since the Halifax Explosion. The event is...
View ArticleA Plea for Clear and Reasonable Rules for Cyclists
HALIFAX – Every morning I put on my helmet, get on my bike, and enter a world of legal anarchy. Trying to follow the rules is sometimes scarier than some of the riskier things I got dared to do in high...
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