November 16th, 2010
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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:
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November 2nd, 2010
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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 order to find out what it's like to live there once the weather turns cold and the tourists stop visiting.
Links to stuff from Spacing Radio 025:
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October 19th, 2010
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As election day nears in Toronto, we hunt down mayoral candidates Joe Pantalone and Rob Ford. And our reporter Daniel Guillemette discovers that neither one is doing much campaigning in our public spaces these days. We also talk to Councillor Joe Mihevc - who recently put his support behind George Smitherman (we featured Smitherman last episode) - about what the next mayor needs to do on his first day on the job.
And we take you to the American Rust Belt. Contributor Edward Birnbaum recently visited Buffalo and Detroit to find out how the exodus of residents from the region is affecting those sticking around, including the increasing popularity of architectural salvaging.
Links to stuff from Spacing Radio 024:
photo by Stan Wiechers
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October 5th, 2010
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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 that control our movement. And reporter Andrew Walsh rarely knows when his streetcar will be arriving and sets out to investigate the technologies designed to reduce his frustration.
And we want to hear from you! Host David Michael Lamb will be at Spacing magazine's release party Wed. Oct. 6th asking: "What do you think is the first thing the new mayor should do on Day One in office?" We’ll be featuring your responses in an upcoming episode. (If you can’t make it out, we invite you to answer the question on the blog).
Links to stuff from Spacing Radio 023:
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August 19th, 2010
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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 Wheal worked at the stock yards in the 1960s as a young man and remembers his shifts vividly.
Note: This SUMMER SHORTS episode brings us to the end of our summer series. Full-length programs of Spacing Radio will return in the fall with the launch of Season 4. Stay tuned!
Links to stuff from Spacing Radio's Summer Shorts 019:
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August 11th, 2010
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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 roadway.
In search of some clarification from those directly involved in the project, producer Mieke Anderson met up with Harold Madi (an urban designer with The Planning Partnership) and Stephen Schijns (the manager of Infrastructure Planning for the City of Toronto). Currently, the City seems to prefer a narrowed street or extended sidewalk alternative, but elements of the shared street and pedestrian mall models appear to be catching on.
Links to stuff from Spacing Radio's Summer Shorts 018:
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August 5th, 2010
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You know when you're exploring a city for the first time and you turn a corner only to stumble upon something completely unexpected?
This is what happened to Spacing producer Mieke Anderson on a recent trip to London, England. Initially, it was only a faint sound barely within earshot. Then suddenly she was face-to-face with the St Mary-le-Bow Church and consumed by the ringing of its famous bells. Wandering the streets of London you'll still hear people say that you're only a true Londoner or Cockney if you're born within the sound of the Bow bells.
Links to stuff from Spacing Radio's Summer Shorts 017:
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August 3rd, 2010
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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:
photo by Sean Galbraith
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July 29th, 2010
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Think of your favorite board game. Maybe it's chess? Or Clue? Or Hungry Hungry Hippos? Now imagine it brought to life. No more fighting over who gets to be the battleship or the dog - in the case of Monopoly - because you and your friends are the pieces. And it's your city's public spaces that form the board.
Gentrification: The Game! - created by the artist collective Atmosphere Industries - recently took over Toronto's Kensington Market as part of Pedestrian Sundays. For this SUMMER SHORT, reporter Andrew Walsh brings us the sounds of the game, while producer Mieke Anderson catches up with one of the game's creators, David Fono, to talk about the importance of public play-time and tackling the subject of gentrification.
Note: Atmosphere Industries invites anyone interested in exploring making big/public-space games of their own to get in touch!
Links to stuff from Spacing Radio's Summer Shorts 015:
photo by Kevin Steele
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July 22nd, 2010
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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 to “higher-order” forms of transit. “The walkability’s got to get you somewhere,” he says.
He sees the individual health benefits of walking, but has yet to investigate how walkability initiatives can impact people’s abilities to better traverse their own neighbourhoods.
The interview also included discussions about road cuts and the new pavement degradation fee, urban design, bike lanes, public transit, trash, and trees.
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