There are few urban advocates standing up for the vacant lot — an increasingly endangered species in many cities, as condos and other new developments spring up at a breakneck pace. In this post, Spacing Radio — in partnership with The STEPS Initiative — brings you an interview with Montreal-based artist Emily Rose Michaud. Emily is a founding member of the gardening collective Sprout Out Loud! (a.k.a. Le Pouvoir Aux Pousses!), which created the site-specific  project on a vacant lot in Montreal's Mile End. The city-owned green space is one of the last undeveloped spots in ...

Spacing Radio is very pleased to announce a partnership with The STEPS Initiative! STEPS (Sustainable Thinking and Expression on Public Space) is a national organization promoting the use of art to connect people with places, especially public spaces. STEPS is committed to enabling the use of art to challenge the ways in which public spaces are used, how citizens communicate on environmental issues, and the role of the artist in community development....

While some parks are jam-packed with kids, dog walkers and seniors practicing Tai Chi, others are deserted and neglected. Producer Mieke Anderson speaks to David Harvey about his recent study on improving parks. Also, Spacing Ottawa's Evan Thornton discusses his city's plans to turn back the clock to a time when car was king. And reporter Andrew Walsh addresses the pros and cons of the public bike network, BIXI, with Spacing Montreal's Alanah Heffez. Links to stuff from Spacing Radio 026: The Metcalf Foundation report, Fertile Ground for New Thinking: Improving ...

The votes have been counted and Toronto has a new mayor. But what now? We sit down with Alan Broadbent, chairman of the Maytree Foundation, for his take on what lies ahead. As residents of News Orleans can tell you, the importance of strong leadership becomes particularly apparent when disaster strikes. Five years after Hurricane Katrina, producer Mieke Anderson asks what role public spaces are playing in the city's rebuilding when she catches up with New Orleans-based journalist Jordan Flaherty. And we travel along with reporter Monika Warzecha to the Toronto Island in ...

Have you ever taken a nap in public? Or have you only ever dreamed of it? Z's by the C is a public napping project - created by Calgary-based artists Eric Moschopedis and Mia Rushton - that strives to legitimize taking a snooze in public. The project is a reaction to the increasing privatization of our public spaces, including the implementation of by-laws banning loitering and curtailing who, how, and when we are allowed to use our spaces. Since its inception in 2008, Moschopedis and Rushton have been encouraging people to nap in Zürich, New York ...