Spacing Radio

It's been a rough summer for everyone, but people have found ways to get outside and make the most of it. In this episode, we speak to 8 80 Cities' Managing Director Lanrick Bennett Jr. about the ActiveTO bike lanes and CafeTO patio spaces on Danforth Avenue in Toronto: a response to the need for alternative transportation routes and socially-distant business during COVID. And we talk to Park People's Adri Stark and Jake Tobin Garrett about their second annual Canadian Parks Report, and their national COVID-19 and Parks Survey. And we speak to author and musician Jonny Dovercourt about his new book Any Night of the Week: A D.I.Y. history of Toronto music 1957-2001, the unsung legacy of the city's music scene, and our disappearing venues.

We hear a lot about Open Data these days. Researchers demand it, governments continue to promise more of it, and everyday people use it to innovate and advocate for their communities. But what are we really talking about when we say "Open Data," and can it be harnessed to address urgent community needs like housing, public health, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic? Tracey Lauriault, associate professor at Carleton University, specializes in critical media and big data. She's been studying the theoretical framework around data and says Open Data without critical data thinking does not go deep enough. “Who's not being accounted for? Who's invisible in the conversation, and who's overly visible in the conversation, and then how do we start bridging that gap to be more equitable when it comes to data?” Listen to the podcast for more about Open Data and equity. In Winnipeg, a number of community-based organizations partnered to produce "Peg," a simple, searchable resource that allows people to cross reference

In this episode, Natasha Henry, president of the Ontario Black History Society, tells us about the importance of August 1st: Canada's Emancipation Day. And Edmonton City Councillor Andrew Knack tells us about a motion to cut a planned police budget increase by $11 million, and the establishment of a community-led safety and wellbeing task force to address systemic racism and the future of policing. Finally, photographer Vik Pahwa tells us about Spacing's new book "Remnants of Mid-Century Toronto," and shows us how to appreciate a sometimes unloved architectural style.

For our second season, we wanted to begin with a challenge that faces many cities, large and small, that has been given a higher sense of urgency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That challenge is the need for safe streets and active transportation routes for pedestrians and cyclists. To create these spaces, you need to be able to communicate the problem, and pinpoint where an intervention can provide the most benefit. That's where data comes in. In this episode, Walk Toronto co-founder Sean Marshall tells us how the advocacy group used things like Google Maps to crowd-source sidewalks too narrow to social distance, and help influence policy. Shabnem Afzal, road safety manager for Surrey, British Columbia, overseas that city's Vision Zero program — a global effort to reduce the amount of road injury and death to zero. She explains how data was used to generate support for a safe streets program and to identify problem areas. And Halifax City Councillor Waye Mason tells us about that city's mobility response,

The world is taking a hard look at their police forces, the violence they use, the deaths that result, and the systemic and anti-Black racism that even people like Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders admits exists within the service. In this episode, we speak to Cheryl Thompson, assistant professor at Ryerson University's School of Creative Industries and frequent Spacing contributor, about the way Black people are portrayed in Canadian culture, and the need for more citizen control over police. Deputy Mayor Michael Thompson tells us about the repercussions politicians face when trying to make changes to the police service. And author, lawyer and legal team lead at the Black Legal Action Centre (BLAC), Nana Yanful, discusses the failed attempt at city council to cut the police budget, and what needs to happen next.

There have been two full, virtual City Council meetings since the COVID-19 outbreak in Toronto. Those meeting saw near-unanimous votes about building affordable and social housing, expanding the active transportation network across the city, and preparing for a post-lockdown Toronto. In this episode, we speak to city councillors Gord Perks (Parkdale-High Park) and Kristyn Wong-Tam (Toronto Centre) about these crucial issues. And Spacing Senior Editor Todd Harrison brings us an audio exploration of what the city sounds like in a pandemic.

In a time of snitch lines, and shuttered park space, we dive into what we're prioritizing in this pandemic, and what, and especially who, is ignored. We talk to Spacing co-founder and Toronto Star columnist Shawn Micallef about what happens to the public realm, now we're in lockdown. Former Toronto Police Services Board Chair Alok Mukherjee, co-author of "Excessive Force: Toronto's fight to reform city policing," critiques the new, extraordinary policing measures we're seeing. And harm-reduction worker and Toronto Overdose Prevention Society co-organizer Zoë Dodd talks about what the City has done (or failed to) for people in the shelter system, substance users, and other vulnerable communities. Plus, Glyn goes on a brief rant about all the cities making space for pedestrians to social distance that aren't Toronto.

In this episode, we try to gain some perspective on the Covid-19 virus from the safety of our own appartments. We talk to Toronto City Councillor Josh Matlow about his experience in self-isolation, as well as tips from working at home and the importance or wearing pants. Spacing senior editor John Lorinc talks about what this epidemic can teach us about a city's resilience, and where we need to improve. Historian Adam Bunch tells us about past pandemics, how we dealt with them, and how they helped forge Toronto into the city it is today. Finally, Zahra Ebrahim tells us about a growing resource for people dealing with life during Covid-19, how you can use it, and help populate it. You can find that resource here.

This is the third and final special French-language episodes of the Future Fix, or 'Face au Futur.' Des appareils portables comme les montres intelligentes qui suivent nos pas et notre fréquence cardiaque, des dossiers de santé numérisés, des suivis à distance pour les maladies chroniques; les initiatives en santé intelligente ne cessent de se multiplier. Pour avoir une idée plus claire de ce concept et de la forme que cela peut prendre, nous sommes entretenu avec Dida Berku la conseillère municipale de Côte-Saint-Luc. Elle nous explique en consiste le projet en santé intelligente « VillAGE », finaliste du défi des villes intelligentes d'Infrastructure Canada. Et, afin de de réfléchir plus en profondeur l'avenir de la santé, Jonathan Veale du département de Santé et de Bien-Être de Nouvelle-Écosse nous a accordé une entrevue. Il témoigne de la nécessité de mettre les technologies numériques au profit de l'inclusion sociale et de l'accessibilité pour permettre un avenir de la santé plus prospère. From port

In this series, we've talked a lot about what digital technology can do for communities. Now, we find out how that same technology is being used to create communities. We speak to Dan Alfano, manager of digital initiatives at the Edmonton Public Library, about adapting the libraries role as a community hub to teach new skills and provide opportunities to thrive in the digital age. And, Pinngauq Association Director Ryan Oliver tells us how connecting communities across Nunavut to digital skills, and a chance for everyone to share their stories, is actually a mental health service.

There are few things as dramatic as a disaster. With climate change leading to greater and more frequent disasters in every part of the country, how we deal with them has become the focus of many communities. For some people, the key to forecasting, mitigating, and potentially even preventing disaster lies in good data. In this episode, Civic Tech Fredericton's Bernie Connors tells us how the River Watch app helps people in New Brunswick track annual flooding. And Josh Bowen, manager of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology’s Centre for Applied Disaster and Emergency Management in Edmonton, explains how we "live and die by data."

In this episode, we talk about public space issues of the past, present, and future. Spacing Publisher Matthew Blackett tells us how the magazine itself sprung out of conversations about the  public realm in the early 2000s. Longtime Toronto City Hall journalist and news editor at Canadaland Jonathan Goldsbie takes us through some of the activism around billboards, corporatizing street furniture, and surveillance cameras. And researcher, activist, and Spacing contributor Cara Chellew talks about revitalizing the Toronto Public Space Committee, what's on the agenda now, and how to get involved in issues that affect the public realm.

A major component of "smart" cities is finding new ways to harvest data, and integrate it into ongoing urban planning. Obviously, embedding sensors throughout the public realm creates multiple privacy concerns. This is something David Fewer, director of the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic at the University of Ottawa, advises municipalities on, regularly. But, data is power, and Newmarket Ontario's Director of Innovation and Strategic Initiatives Susan Chase explains how Soofa benches throughout that town have helped government, businesses, and local events make the most of information how people move about the public realm.

This is the second of three special French-language episodes of Future Fix, or "Face au Futur." Quand on pense à la mobilité dans le cadre des villes intelligentes, il nous arrive souvent de penser aux villes futuristes qui ont marqué notre imaginaire avec leurs voitures volantes ou les hyperloops. Pourtant, la mobilité intelligente est déjà présente dans nos quotidiens de manière plus organique et concrète. Dans cet épisode, nous nous sommes intéressés au projet de Tramway de la ville de Québec et avons voulu comprendre comment la mobilité intelligente s’intègre dans ces nouveaux projets de mobilité présents au Québec et à travers le pays. Le maire de Québec a annoncé en 2018 que le projet projet de renouvellement du transport en commun serait mis en place et prendrait la forme d’un Tramway. Etienne Grandmont, le porte parole et directeur général de Accès Transports Viables nous a permis de comprendre davantage le contexte qui entoure la création du Tramway, et tout ce qui concerne les enjeux de transports

This episode was a live panel discussion, moderated by our host in London, Ontario. The "Heritage Matters in Conversation" event was put on by the Ontario Heritage Trust, to explore how to rethink, revitalize, and renew approaches to heritage in the province. Guests included Alissa Golden, heritage project specialist with the City of Hamilton; Steve Cordes, executive director of Youth Opportunities Unlimited in London; Morag Kloeze, brewmaster at Mudtown station Brewery and Restaurant in Owen Sound; and Doran Ritchie, infrastructure and resources manager for the Saugeen Ojibway First Nation.

Many people across Canada live without reliable access to food. At the same time, much of the food we do have goes to waste — 2.2 million tonnes, according to advocates. We need to change the way we produce food, as well as change the linear economy that leads to so much waste, and leaves many people without this basic necessity for life. Barbara Swartzenruber, executive director of Guelph's Smart Cities Office, tells us about "Our Food Future," a Smart City Challenge-winning proposal to create a circular food economy, reduce waste, and connect local people and businesses with the ingredients they need. And Thomas Rohner in Iqaluit speaks with Steven Lonsdale of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association who explains how new technology has been integrated into traditional Inuk hunting practices, and helped the people there navigate the changing landscape caused by climate change.

It's been a while since we delved into the always amusing world of Toronto transit. There have been major proposals from the province, major decisions made at council, and the TTC are going into arbitration with Metrolinx. With so much to unpack, we assembled an expert panel to take us through the major transit news: columnist Matt Elliott, Toronto Star transit reporter Ben Spurr, and York University geography professor and Spacing urban affairs columnist Tricia Wood. Believe it or not, it was a lot of fun!

This is one of three special French-language episode of Future Fix, or "Face au Futur." Dans cet épisode, nous avons voulu réfléchir à la façon dont le monde académique pourrait s'insérer dans le concept de ville intelligente. Le nouveau Campus MIL de l'Université de Montréal, inauguré en septembre 2019, correspond bien à l'idée que l'on pourrait se faire d'un établissement universitaire intégré dans un contexte de ville intelligente. Geneviève O'Meara, la porte-parole de l'Université de Montréal, explique comment le Campus MIL, en se réappropriant une friche industrielle, a su utiliser l'espace de façon inclusive et responsable. Les projets éphémères, les installations technologiques, la mise en place de pistes cyclables et de passerelles sécuritaires ont, entre autres, valu à ce campus l'obtention de la certification LEED. Pourtant, Sasha Dyck, un résident de Parc-Extension, prend la venue du Campus MIL à quelques 500 mètres de chez lui avec plus de réserve. Alors que l'on parle d'innovation et de progrè

Access to reliable internet has become an essential service, necessary for local businesses, education, and even healthcare. But there's a connectivity gap which has left over half of rural communities without this level of service. While higher levels of government have been making some moves to expand service beyond major urban centres, it's been slow going. Some communities are taking on the problem themselves. In this episode, Mayor Larry Oakden paints us a picture of Hamiota, Manitoba, and the co-operative solution the surrounding municipalities there came up with to bring everyone online. And Gary Wilson, Indigenous engagement and outreach lead for Connected Communities B.C. talks about consulting with Coastal First Nations communities in British Columbia to find modern broadband solutions that compliment their way of life.

It's easy to be excited by the promise of new technology, and bold, transformative "smart city" projects. Often that promise is made by companies who offer to pull municipalities into the future, at a speed that leaves local government and leadership behind. But Pamela Robinson, director of Ryerson's School of Urban and Regional Planning, and Future Cities Canada Fellow, says local government still has a role to play in smart city projects. And Jonathan Dewar, executive director of the First Nations Informations Governance Centre, says there's a price to pay when marginalized communities don't have access to the data being collected about them, or any say in how it's gathered.