This episode we take you behind-the-scenes. First, we go to Toronto City Hall where Mayor David Miller has packed his bags to make way for Mayor Rob Ford. Spacing publisher Matthew Blackett and contributor John Lorinc spoke to Miller on one of his last days on the job. Then we stay up into the wee hours with Edward Birnbaum and Maia Filar. The mission? To explore the late-night restaurant scene that caters to cab drivers. And finally, streetcars are an iconic part of the Toronto streetscape, but ever wonder who is tasked ...

In this episode of Spacing Radio we explore the topic of elimination - eliminating jogs, reducing unsustainable quick fixes, and phasing out cash fares. Spacing contributor Andrew Walsh tours Toronto's newly re-aligned Queen & Dufferin intersection with Councillor Gord Perks to find out how 'jogs' play into a city's street grid. Spacing Atlantic's Veronica Simmonds takes us to Dalhousie University for a discussion on sustainable growth featuring David Donnelly and Bruce Lourie. And, Spacing's Luca de Franco looks into the future of the Presto electronic fare-card system ...

Spacing Radio is back for Season Four and we’re jumping right into Toronto’s election debate! This election has been zany, to say the least. We go to Toronto Star columnist Christopher Hume for his take on why candidates have strayed so far off topic. And leading up to voting day, reporter Daniel Guillemette is on the campaign trail looking at how the front-runners are using our public spaces. Also in this episode, all the election talk about the so-called "war on the car" got producer Mieke Anderson thinking about the traffic lights ...

Today we're hearing stories about Toronto's Junction neighbourhood and its former stock yards. We're shining the spotlight on interviews Spacing producer Mieke Anderson recorded for [murmur] when the digital storytelling and place-making project collaborated with the Junction Arts Festival to celebrate the area's centennial. In this episode of SUMMER SHORTS we introduce you to James Christie and Ian Wheal. Back in the 1950's, James Christie was just a boy. He grew up around the corner from the abattoir, often helping out at his family's restaurant that catered to slaughterhouse employees. Meanwhile, Ian ...

Many people agree that Toronto's John Street corridor has the potential to be a great "connecting spine" for the area. How best to go about achieving this is now up for debate as the City and Entertainment District BIA prepare to supposedly transform the district with their Master Plan. Spacing's senior editor, Dylan Reid, recently weighed in on the discussion. From Reid's perspective, the City would be shying away from truly transforming the strip by not opting to turn it into a shared street where cars, bikes and pedestrians share the ...

If you live in and around Toronto, or have ever visited the city, you've most likely passed by Etobicoke's Richview Cemetery. Most likely in a car and traveling at a high velocity. Awkwardly situated amidst the onramps at the intersection of Highways 401 and 427, the Richview Cemetery is not your average resting place for the dead. Reporter Andrew Walsh explores this historic geographic oddity. Links to stuff from Spacing Radio's Summer Shorts 016: A brief history of the village of Richview photo by Sean Galbraith

George Smitherman loves to walk. Earlier this week, in fact, he walked along Eglinton — all the way across Toronto. Spacing's Todd Harrison caught up with him yesterday in Leaside, and they walked and talked until just west of Victoria Park. Todd asked how Smitherman’s vision for Toronto applied to walkability, and what he as mayor would do to improve walking conditions in suburban communities. Smitherman, however, does not see walking as an issue-in-itself. Integration is his buzzword, and as such, he thinks of walking primarily as a means to connect people ...

Finding a quiet space within our cities can be a challenge. One might even wonder if such a spot exists. London-based artist Simon Elvins decided to find out more about these overlooked urban spaces by mapping them in his project Silent London. Spacing producer Mieke Anderson caught up with Simon at one of his favorite quiet spots in the UK's capital, which turned out not to be so quiet. Links to stuff from Spacing Radio's Summer Shorts 012: Arkinet Blog: Silent London article Simon Elvins' homepage

Nothing like closed doors, locked gates and sky-high cement walls to keep us out of some of our city's most interesting public spaces. Doors Open — a celebration held annually in cities around the globe — is all about letting us into these spaces, both public and private (and everywhere in between). Spacing reporter Andrew Walsh checked out two events that last weekend of May. In this SUMMER SHORT we get a sneak peak into the Toronto Transit Commission's Greenwood Maintenance Shop and then tag along on a ...

What do Toronto’s older buildings tell us about the intentions of the city’s earlier planners? Historian, author and University of Toronto professor Richard White takes Spacing Radio reporter Sarah Bridge to Grange Park to reflects on how past planning decisions about its surrounding buildings, and plans for the city as a whole, have affected how Toronto works and feels today. Watch for an article by Richard White in the upcoming summer 2010 issue of Spacing magazine on the history of Toronto’s jog eliminations — a crucial but often unheralded element of city planning and revitalization. Links ...