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Spacing

@spacing.bsky.social

Spacing.ca / Toronto urbanism uncovered in award-winning mag/web/books/podcasts. Spacing Radio podcasts: spacingradio.bsky.social
Spacing Vancouver: spacingvancouver.bsky.social Spacing Store: spacingstore.bsky.social

14.1K followers184 following370 posts

Spacing
@spacing.bsky.social

As Halloween approaches, Emily Macrae looks at the movie "Wicked: For Good?" through a transportation lens and finds it wanting. Some real-life travel initiatives are more exciting that its fantastical ones, she suggests. spacing.ca/toronto/2026...

spacing.caWicked transportation - Spacing TorontoRemember Wicked: For Good? This time last year the internet buzzed with analysis of the trailer before the second movie hit theatres. Now, as spooky season approaches, it’s worth re-examining the film...

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Mpact: Mobility, Community, Possibility
@mpactmobility.bsky.social

Thanks to Dylan Reid at @spacing.bsky.social for this piece about messiness and transit - is it ever a good idea? The piece draws on the closing plenary at #MpactTO26 and one of the sessions at the conference, Beyond Average: Designing Transit for All. spacing.ca/toronto/2026...

spacing.caMessy Transit? - Spacing TorontoIn the book I recently co-edited, Messy Cities: Why We Can’t Plan Everything, we didn’t get any contributions about public transit. The book explores the role of improvisation, randomness, and variety...
Spacing
@spacing.bsky.social

Olivia Chow could've run a campaign focused on standing up to Queen's Park — she didn't, and now we have to live with the potential consequences, writes senior editor John Lorinc. @johnlorinc.bsky.social #TOpoli spacing.ca/toronto/2026...

spacing.caELECTION 2026: A failure of political imagination - Spacing TorontoA week ago, I saw a widely shared photo of a pair of cyclist demonstrators planted in the middle of the now destroyed Bloor West bike lane, staring down a phalanx of cops, and my very first thought wa...

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How-Sen Chong
@how-sen.com

Thanks @spacing.bsky.social for publishing my op-ed: "The radio silence on our city’s biggest environmental priorities from half the major candidates for mayor is not normal, and should be ringing alarm bells. Whoever is elected will be leading our city through countless extreme weather events"

Spacing@spacing.bsky.social

spacing.ca/toronto/2026... While councillor candidates tout their green credentials, environmental issues have been overlooked in the mayoral race, specifically by Brad Bradford ,who has ignored all calls to answer TEA's survey about the climate crisis. #TOpoli

spacing.caElection 2026: Why are mayoral candidates ignoring the climate crisis? - Spacing TorontoAt the beginning of September, as Toronto’s municipal election began ramping up, the city was hit with another 100-year storm. It was the fourth such storm in the past 15 years. In parts of the city, ...
Spacing
@spacing.bsky.social

spacing.ca/toronto/2026... While councillor candidates tout their green credentials, environmental issues have been overlooked in the mayoral race, specifically by Brad Bradford ,who has ignored all calls to answer TEA's survey about the climate crisis. #TOpoli

spacing.caElection 2026: Why are mayoral candidates ignoring the climate crisis? - Spacing TorontoAt the beginning of September, as Toronto’s municipal election began ramping up, the city was hit with another 100-year storm. It was the fourth such storm in the past 15 years. In parts of the city, ...

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Dylan Reid
@dylanreid.bsky.social

In the "Fire" issue of @spacing.bsky.social, we had a great story about the incorporation of Indigenous fire practices into the controlled burns at High Park that maintain its oak savanna ecosystem, as Indigenous people once did. www.newyorker.com/science/elem...

newyorker.comHow Tree Rings Challenged the Myth of American WildernessBy studying fire scars in ancient wood, many scientists have become convinced that Indigenous people transformed North America long before Christopher Columbus arrived.
Spacing
@spacing.bsky.social

The division of powers means diplomacy is essential to a mayor's role, says Christopher Balkaran in the latest of his series on ways to approach and engage with the municipal election campaign. spacing.ca/toronto/2026...

spacing.caElection 2026: Who Has the Power to Deliver? - Spacing TorontoThis article is part of a series by Christopher Balkaran on ways to approach and engage with the municipal election campaign. This past week, the two leading mayoral candidates, Brad Bradford and Oliv...
Spacing
@spacing.bsky.social

Spacing magazine's Aiden Fung talked to documentary filmmaker @idfactoryfilms.bsky.social about his new movie, "Railfans," which profiles autistic children who love subways. Watch the short interview and find out about the movie's upcoming premiere! spacing.ca/toronto/2026...

spacing.caThe story behind the transit doc Railfan - Spacing TorontoAcross Toronto, millions of people rely on the TTC daily. Whether it’s for commuting to work or school, exploring the city, or visiting friends, subway trains are a vital part of urban life. For some ...

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Ian Daffern
@idfactoryfilms.bsky.social

Thank you Aiden and Spacing Magazine for profiling our film! Coming to @workmanarts.bsky.social next Saturday, Oct 24!

Spacing@spacing.bsky.social

Watch the story behind "Railfans", the documentary, which premieres next weekend! A new video feature from Spacing, created by Aiden Fung, profiles the process behind this movie about autistic children who love subways. spacing.ca/toronto/2026...

spacing.caThe story behind the transit doc Railfan - Spacing TorontoAcross Toronto, millions of people rely on the TTC daily. Whether it’s for commuting to work or school, exploring the city, or visiting friends, subway trains are a vital part of urban life. For some ...
Spacing
@spacing.bsky.social

Watch the story behind "Railfans", the documentary, which premieres next weekend! A new video feature from Spacing, created by Aiden Fung, profiles the process behind this movie about autistic children who love subways. spacing.ca/toronto/2026...

spacing.caThe story behind the transit doc Railfan - Spacing TorontoAcross Toronto, millions of people rely on the TTC daily. Whether it’s for commuting to work or school, exploring the city, or visiting friends, subway trains are a vital part of urban life. For some ...
Spacing
@spacing.bsky.social

SPACING ELECTION NIGHT WATCH PARTY! WHAT: 2026 Election Night Watch Party WHEN: Monday, October 26th • 6-11pm WHERE: Pauper’s Pub (2nd floor), 539 Bloor St. W. (1 block east of Bathurst) COST: Free! But come drink booze & eat food! spacing.ca/toronto/2026...

spacing.caElection Night Watch Party! - Spacing TorontoWHAT: 2026 Election Night Watch Party WHEN: Monday, October 26th • 6-11pm WHERE: Pauper’s Pub (2nd floor), 539 Bloor St. W. (1 block east of Bathurst) COST: Free! But come drink booze & eat food! Sinc...

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Spacing Radio
@spacingradio.bsky.social

For your long-weekend, advanced voting, listening pleasure, we have a special panel episode breaking down important, interesting, or straight-up weird ward races in Toronto. @graphicmatt.com and @royinori.bsky.social join us to break it down: spacing.ca/toronto/2026...

spacing.caPODCAST: Spacing Radio 096, Toronto Election Council Races - Spacing TorontoTo prepare you for the Toronto municipal election happening now until October 26, we’ve prepared an expert panel on the council races that stand out across the city. Matt Elliott is a Toronto Star Col...
Spacing
@spacing.bsky.social

We have a special election panel episode for you on the @spacingradio.bsky.social feed, focusing on interesting and important council races. Can incumbents be unseated? Which wards are up for grabs? And why is Stephen Holyday? All of that and more right here: spacing.ca/toronto/2026...

spacing.caPODCAST: Spacing Radio 096, Toronto Election Council Races - Spacing TorontoTo prepare you for the Toronto municipal election happening now until October 26, we’ve prepared an expert panel on the council races that stand out across the city. Matt Elliott is a Toronto Star Col...

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Glyn Bowerman
@glynbowerman.bsky.social

We’ve got a special Toronto Election panel episode for you on @spacingradio.bsky.social, all about council races in various wards! @graphicmatt.com and @royinori.bsky.social help break it down for you: spacing.ca/toronto/2026...

spacing.caPODCAST: Spacing Radio 096, Toronto Election Council Races - Spacing TorontoTo prepare you for the Toronto municipal election happening now until October 26, we’ve prepared an expert panel on the council races that stand out across the city. Matt Elliott is a Toronto Star Col...
Spacing
@spacing.bsky.social

"Council should make beautiful, resilient parks central to Toronto’s identity and to residents’ daily lives." Natalie Brown introduces the Park People 2026 parks platform, based on input from 100s of Torontonians. spacing.ca/toronto/2026...

spacing.caElection 2026: For a joyful, resilient and connected Toronto, let’s start at the park - Spacing TorontoIs there somewhere to sit in your local park? Do people linger, or hurry through? Is there a safe, shaded way to get there? Do neighbours who disagree about most everything still nod hello by the spla...
Spacing
@spacing.bsky.social

How can we get more in-depth discussion of issues in mayoral debates? In his continuing series on engaging with the municipal election, Christopher Balkaran argues that what is missing from mayoral debates is the follow-up questions spacing.ca/toronto/2026...

spacing.caElection 2026: Can candidates debate in depth? - Spacing TorontoThis article is part of a series by Christopher Balkaran on ways to approach and engage with the municipal election campaign. Toronto faces a long list of challenges, and the televised September 22 ma...

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Robert Zaichkowski
@rzaichkowski.bsky.social

Per @albertkoehl.bsky.social's latest article in @spacing.bsky.social, "If bike lanes were actually removed today, the premier would lose his scapegoat. How would he then explain worsening motor traffic congestion?" Well said! #BikeTO #TOpoli #ONpoli #VisionZero spacing.ca/toronto/2026...

spacing.caOP-ED: It’s not just about bike lanes - Spacing TorontoWhether it’s buck-a-beer, easier access to alcohol, or tunnelling under Highway 401, Doug Ford has proven himself to be a master of distraction, diverting attention from his government’s failures and ...

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Brent Toderian
@brenttoderian.bsky.social

READ: “If bike lanes were actually removed today, the premier would lose his scapegoat. How would he then explain worsening motor traffic congestion – an outcome that’s virtually assured given a growing population and his measures to induce driving by making it cheaper…” Via @spacing.bsky.social

spacing.caOP-ED: It’s not just about bike lanes - Spacing TorontoWhether it’s buck-a-beer, easier access to alcohol, or tunnelling under Highway 401, Doug Ford has proven himself to be a master of distraction, diverting attention from his government’s failures and ...

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Jamie Bradburn
@jbcurio.bsky.social

The new issue of @spacing.bsky.social is now out with two - count 'em, two! - pieces by yours truly. #TOHistory

Spacing@spacing.bsky.social

Have a look at the table of contents - the front section includes @jbcurio.bsky.social on the 50th anniversary of the CN Tower opening to the public, and @danfalk.bsky.social on the loss of the planetarium.

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Dan Falk
@danfalk.bsky.social

I’m delighted to have contributed to the new issue of @spacing.bsky.social! (And when I get back to TO, I look forward to seeing it!)

Spacing@spacing.bsky.social

Have a look at the table of contents - the front section includes @jbcurio.bsky.social on the 50th anniversary of the CN Tower opening to the public, and @danfalk.bsky.social on the loss of the planetarium.

Spacing
@spacing.bsky.social

Before it was the Bentway and condos, the space around the Gardiner Expressway west of Bathurst was a concrete plant (and before that, a harbour quay). Photographer Peter MacCallum shares his photos of that earlier industrial era. spacing.ca/toronto/2026...

spacing.caBefore the Bentway: CBM Bathurst, 1998 - Spacing TorontoThe bent of the Gardiner Expressway flanking the west side of Bathurst Street currently functions as the eastern entrance to the Bentway, but when I photographed it in 1998, it framed an open vista st...
Spacing
@spacing.bsky.social

EXCLUSIVE: Inside the contract to rip out Toronto’s bike lanes Spacing has obtained the RFP for the Ford government's bike lane removal, and it looks even worse than thought. spacing.ca/toronto/2026... #toronto #bikes #torontobike @cycletoronto.bsky.social

spacing.caEXCLUSIVE: Inside the contract to rip out Toronto's bike lanes - Spacing TorontoAfter the Ontario Court of Appeal (ONCA) shot down CycleTO’s legally innovative charter challenge that sought to stop Doug Ford’s attack on the city’s bike lanes, Queen’s Park wasted little time befor...
Spacing
@spacing.bsky.social

The Summer Reading issue of Spacing at Queen Books. Grab it while you can if you haven't yet - our new issue is coming out shortly.

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Spacing
@spacing.bsky.social

As well as the Public History category, Spacing also profiled the Allan Gardens Palm House Restoration, nominated in the Heritage Toronto awards Built Heritage category. Read Alex Kharabian's feature, "Spreading the Warmth" spacing.ca/toronto/2026...

spacing.caSpreading the warmth - Spacing TorontoIn the free conservatory at Allan Gardens park in downtown Toronto, the glass houses hold warm air, vibrant plant life, moving water, and a quiet that feels unusual in the downtown core. After I spent...
Spacing
@spacing.bsky.social

In the Books category of the Heritage Toronto 2006 awards, Spacing published an excerpt from Cheryl Thompson's nominated book "The Blackface Atlantic": spacing.ca/toronto/2024...

spacing.caExcerpt: Canada and the Blackface Atlantic: Performing Conflict in Blackface - Spacing TorontoExcerpted with permission from Canada and the Blackface Atlantic, published in April 2025 by Wilfrid Laurier Press. Thompson, a Toronto Metropolitan University associate professor in Performance and a...
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Glyn Bowerman
@glynbowerman.bsky.social

On the latest episode of The Overhead, our @spacingradio.bsky.social / @bshnode.bsky.social special series, we talk about the physical and systemic barriers to housing people living with disability face in Canada: spacing.ca/national/202...

spacing.caThe Overhead: Accessible Housing - Spacing NationalTHIS EPISODE: Accessible Housing In this episode, we talk about the physical and systemic barriers facing people living with a disability who are trying to access housing in Canada. University of Brit...

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Glendon Mellow
@flyingtrilobite.com

Welcome to the #TOphoto Feed! Photography of Toronto, Canada. Currently an open Feed: use hashtag #TOPhoto for your work to appear. 🦝 No AI 🦝 SFW, please 🦝 Use Alt text 📸 Let's see your best photos 📸 Tap the 3 dots at top-right to Like and Pin the Feed 📸 bsky.app/profile/flyi...

Spacing
@spacing.bsky.social

In his continuing series on on ways to approach and engage with the municipal election, Christopher Balkaran advises to look behind the framing of a candidate's platform to find the underlying assumptions spacing.ca/toronto/2026...

spacing.caElection 2026: How to Read a Candidate’s Platform - Spacing TorontoThis article is part of a series by Christopher Balkaran on ways to approach and engage with the municipal election campaign. Political campaigns must compress complex problems into phrases we quickly...

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Shawn Micallef
@shawnmicallef.bsky.social

Revisiting this @spacing.bsky.social 09 piece. Glory days of early twitter & I was posting my travels in London, leaving descriptions & GPS maps (twitter as public notebook. still think that here, if more guarded). Friend in London got it in his head to see if he cld find me. And wrote he about it:

spacing.caTwitter Stalking Shawn through London - Spacing TorontoI spent five days last week wandering the streets and interiors of London, day and night (never before 11am though). In my essay in the spring/summer issue of Spacing I discussed this method of wander...
Spacing
@spacing.bsky.social

If we want to adapt to a changing climate, it is time to start throwing parties, write Natalie Brown and Kate Mulligan, because communities that are more connected are more resilient. spacing.ca/toronto/2026...

spacing.caOP-ED: Fighting global warming with joy - Spacing TorontoThis month, more than 1,000 people from across Canada are coming to Toronto to talk about climate adaptation. The timing is good. Toronto has just come through another summer of heat, flooding, and wi...

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John Lorinc
@johnlorinc.bsky.social

#topoli Today on @spacing.bsky.social , a welcome break from the news cycle: Leora Bromberg on the rich intersection of Toronto’s laneways and the print shops that made their homes there. spacing.ca/toronto/2026... cc: @coachhousebooks.bsky.social

spacing.caIntersections of print culture in Toronto's laneways - Spacing TorontoThe handprinted broadside below was one of my first and most memorable encounters with the works of Glenn Goluska (1947-2011), celebrated today as one of Canada’s most influential fine press printers....
Spacing
@spacing.bsky.social

Peter MacCallum discovered a trove of images of Yonge Street on a November evening, 1965, by press photographer Nick Loek, capturing the nightlife mix of neon glamour, vitality, and sleaze on this busy strip at the time. spacing.ca/toronto/2026...

spacing.caYonge Street, Evening, November 6, 1965 - Spacing TorontoA few of weeks ago, while searching the Toronto Telegram online archive for aerial photos of the historic industrial waterfront, I came across a remarkable series of about 40 images from 1965 by Teleg...

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John Lorinc
@johnlorinc.bsky.social

Today on @spacing.bsky.social: former Ontario cabinet minister Eleanor McMahon on the need to extricate bike lanes from Doug Ford’s culture war. spacing.ca/toronto/2026...

spacing.caElection 2026: Culture wars are warping cycling policy - Spacing TorontoIn 2014, I did something I never imagined I would do — especially after years spent as a political staffer watching campaigns from the inside. I put my name on a ballot. The invitation came from Kathl...