126 episodes

Spacing Radio is the voice of Spacing, Canada's leading publication on urbanism.

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    • News

Spacing Radio is the voice of Spacing, Canada's leading publication on urbanism.

    The Future Fix: Dipping Into Water Data

    The Future Fix: Dipping Into Water Data

    We all know access to clean water is vital. We also know that water quality and access is jeopardized by things like pollution and drought. On the other hand, the growing frequency of powerful downpours causes stormwater issues. All that to say, the state of the water we rely on for so many thing is in constant flux. What we need is good, local data, about the bodies of water that sustain us.

    That's where Mary Kruk, water data specialist with DataStream, and Steph Neufeld, watershed manager with Edmonton's water utility EPCOR, can help. With DataStream, Kruk helps compile water data from all over the country, and make it available and easily accessible to everyone who needs it. In Edmonton, Neufeld is using that data to inform the City about it's many important watersheds.

    • 22 min
    The Future Fix: Vivre en Ville à Victoriaville

    The Future Fix: Vivre en Ville à Victoriaville

    Dans cet épisode, nous sommes allés dans les coulisses de la planification urbaine de Victoriaville. Nous nous sommes intéressés à la manière dont les municipalités comme Victoriaville s’y prennent pour mettre en branle des projets urbanistiques en tenant compte à la fois des paramètres environnementaux, économiques et sociaux. 

    Les entretiens avec Jean-François Morissette, Directeur des Services de la gestion du territoire et du développement durable, et Valérie Ebacher, urbaniste chez Vivre en Ville, soulignent l'importance des collaborations interdisciplinaires. Grâce à ces échanges, nous comprenons mieux la nécessité croissante d’inclure dans les projets urbains une diversité de compétences afin de relever les défis municipaux complexes auxquels les villes sont confrontées, notamment dans le contexte pressant des changements climatiques.

    • 33 min
    Episode 76: Time's Running out for Accessible Ontario

    Episode 76: Time's Running out for Accessible Ontario

    In 2005, Ontario passed the Accessibility of Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), which made accessibility for all public establishments a legal requirement by 2025. That goal won't be met, unfortunately.

    To tell us about the progress that was made because of the legislation, and what still needs to happen, we speak to AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky.

    And, as part of our 20th anniversary celebrations, we talk to Jeremy Hopkin, who has colourized a panoramic photo series of Toronto in the mid 1800s. We ask him about the project, and what these photos tell us about early Toronto life.

    • 38 min
    Episode 75: What Does Change Cost?

    Episode 75: What Does Change Cost?

    With the Toronto budget about to be voted on shortly, we talk to crisis worker and homelessness advocate Diana Chan McNally about what the City needs to invest to help refugees and other unhoused people, whey the federal government needs to step up, and why the police don't need another big budget increase.

    And, as part of the Spacing 20th Anniversary celebration, we talk to historian and author Adam Bunch, who recently won the 2023 Governor General's History Award for Popular Media, and who wrote our blog's most-read story, which he treats us to.

    • 38 min
    Episode 74: 20 Years of Spacing

    Episode 74: 20 Years of Spacing

    Spacing is celebrating it's 20th Anniversary.

    To celebrate, we talk to publisher Matthew Blackett and senior editor Dylan Reid about how the magazine came together, the latest issue and anniversary book The Big Book of Spacing, and our special exhibit at the Urbanspace Gallery.

    And, at the same time the magazine began, David Miller had just become mayor of Toronto on a platform of change and urbanist principles. We ask him about Spacing's impact at City Hall, and how urban thinking has changed in the city in two decades.

    • 51 min
    The Future Fix: Preventing Extreme Heat Disaster

    The Future Fix: Preventing Extreme Heat Disaster

    With climate change leading to more frequent and more extreme climate events, predicting the next disaster and planning for it is essential. In many areas of the country, that means using data to anticipate extreme heat events, and give communities time to prepare.

    Dr. Ryan Reynolds is the researcher behind Resilience Mapping Canada. Reynolds uses data and other tools to help communities prepare for climate events, extreme heat, flooding, and more. In determining who is most vulnerable in extreme heat, Reynolds says:

    "This includes the elderly (in B.C. we decided that was about 60 plus) that were most vulnerable... Another one is adults who live alone. They're not necessarily being checked in on on a regular basis, so if they are having problems they might not be able to get assistance with that particular issue... Small children, particularly if they're accidentally left in vehicles... Health factors: there are particular health and mental health conditions that are exacerbated by extreme heat."

     Barbara Roden is mayor Village of Ashcroft, British Columbia. Ashcroft is actually a designated desert, so the community must be especially prepared for extreme heat events. To that end, they developed the Heat Alert Response Plan. For a small town, this presents challenges, but the village is embracing it. As Roden says:

    "People like the fact that we're taking these steps, we are prepared. They just like to see their local government anticipating these things and being proactive, rather than reactive."

    Listen to the episode to hear more about planning for extreme heat.

    • 32 min

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