Toronto City Council voted to reduce property taxes by 50% for cultural hubs and creative spaces. This was led by Councillor Joe Cressy to make operating in Toronto more affordable. Councillor Cressy said that due to the high property values and the ever-increasing real estate market, creative industries were having …
Industry experts in the Netherlands share their expertise on what it takes to create attractive cultural spaces in our cities. The first idea discussed speaks about the more traditional Culture Houses, community culture hubs that include theatres, libraries, welfare facilities, and can also include incubator space for private businesses. This …
In the 1970s, about 77 million people in the United States commuted to work every day using public transit. In 2019, the number of working people reached 150 million, but commuting modes shifted from using public transit to driving. This shift reflects suburbanization patterns and the “depopulation of once-robust industrial …
As many people are now shifting their means of transportation to more environmentally friendly options, city planners are now faced with the heavy task of reshaping streets to accommodate other means of transportation to ensure ease and safety. However, there is little study on a universally accepted standard of measurements …
These futuristic pods in the United Arab Emirates could be the newest invention in tackling city traffic problems. Developed by uSky Transport, it is expected that a city-wide implementation of “sky pods” could support up to 10,000 per hour due to its high speed. With the pods suspended from a …
Dr. Raktim Mitra is an Associate Professor at the School of Urban and Regional Planning at the Toronto Metropolitan University, formerly known as Ryerson University. Dr. Ratkim Mitra is completing a study that seeks to answer whether the addition of cycling infrastructure enables more cycling. The study focused on comparing …
In the United States, between 1 to 2 millions animals are hit by drivers every year. This creates a safety problem for both animals and people in cars. In Trappers Point, Wyoming two wildlife overpasses were constructed and allowed for the safe crossing of animals. This 11 million dollar project …
Greening our cities provides many benefits; we can keep ourselves cool, reverse erosion, foster social interaction, and reduce stress and anxiety. Plants help cool cities through water evaporation that is accumulated in eaves, as well as by providing shade for urban environments. Community gardens provide an opportunity for locals to …
Parks are antiquated concepts and must evolve in order to adapt to present day challenges. Land expert, Dr. Mariam Garcia Garcia suggests the following for improving landscape design: (1) parks should leverage resources from their natural environment, chiefly those related to water and soil, (2) sustainability criteria should define the …
Throughout history, city planning has been conducted with the majority of the population in mind; male, cisgender, able-bodied, and white. Cities have overlooked the most marginalized members of society. Since WWII, communities have been built exclusively for cars, forgetting that streets are meant to move people using all methods of …