Ontario
Toronto's "Dysfunctional" Planning
With its planning department reporting to a deputy manager several steps removed from the mayor's office, Toronto's planning system is "just insane", writes Christopher Hume.
Why Toronto Will Never Be A Great City
Toronto Star architecture critic Christopher Hume writes that a recent controversy in the city over a proposed waterfront sports complex highlights why Toronto will never be a great city.
The Urban-Suburban Housing Conundrum
Marcelle Cerny describes her family's so-far-fruitless quest for an affordable, suburban-sized home in an urban area close to public transit and amenities.
Transportation Frustration in Toronto
Toronto transit activists are frustrated that funding for planned streetcars is being rerouted, and are preparing a "Save Transit City" campaign.
Student Planners Remake Toronto
Toronto's former chief planner Paul Bedford asked his students at Ryerson University to present 100-year plans to re-imagine Toronto.
Toronto "Squandering" Stadium Opportunity
So says Ken Greenberg, a noted urban designer who resigned from the project after the city began moving forward with a conventional stadium plan rather than an urban facility with a mix of uses.
Underpass Finds New Life As Park
The land underneath a Toronto highway overpass will be converted into a neighborhood park. Officials hope it will spark the revival of one of the city's underused waterfront neighborhoods.
Woonerfs Are Coming
"Woonerf" is a Dutch word for streets that mix cars and people, but with pedestrians as the dominant mode. Toronto planners are using the concept in their plans for the West Don Lands neighborhood.
Learning From Philadelphia's Transit System Improvements
The city of Toronto's public transit system has been plagued by dysfunctional service and rider complaints. Officials are looking to Philadelphia for lessons on improving their troubled system.
Collage of the Past and Present
Through a photo collage of historical and current pictures, artist Alden Cudanin documents the changes that have happened in Toronto Since the early 1900s.
Controversy Over Condos in Buffalo
A 12-story condominium proposed for Crystal Beach in Fort Erie, Ontario brought protesters out in droves, but despite the fact that objections outweighed approvals by 2-1, the city council approved the project.
Music Shapes the Landscape
Landscape designer Julie Moir Messervy collaborated with cellist Yo-Yo Ma to design a waterfront park in Toronto. Bach's First Suite for Unaccompanied Cello served as inspiration.
Dismissing 'Utilitarian' Building May Hurt Ottawa
Plans to quickly rebuild the historic Lansdowne Park in Ottawa instead of spending time on a design competition have spurred hot controversy in the city. Architecture critic Christopher Hume says the fast approach is bad for the project and the city.
Tax on Billboards in Toronto
Amidst sweeping new regulations, the Toronto City Council has also added a new tax on billboards that could bring in millions of dollars to city coffers.
Windsor + Detroit = BFF?
Windsor, Ontario is known as The Detroit of the North, and has been as hard hit as the Motor City by the fall of the auto industry. A group of artists and urbanists have come together to do something about it.
Toronto Street Furniture Program Blasted
The city of Toronto is rolling out a new street furniture program. Lisa Rochon calls the new additions to the city's sidewalks an "assault on civic life".
A Tale of Two Niagaras
Niagara Falls, NY and Niagara Falls, Ontario are a study in contrasts -- Ontario's a success story of good governance and planning, New York's the complete opposite. Rob Gurwitt has the story.
Toronto Planner Appointed to UK Commission on Architecture
Christopher Hume talks to Joe Berridge, a Toronto planner who has been appointed to Britain's Commission on Architecture and the Built Environment, about the power of urban design.
New EcoVillages: Not Just For Hippies
The Whole Village in Ontario, Canada is an environmentally sustainable co-op made up of architects, doctors and teachers instead of draft dodgers and dropouts.
The Fall of Windsor, Canada's Detroit
The Economist reports that the collapse of Detroit's auto industry has had a ripple effect up north, particularly in Windsor, Ontario.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
