Exploring the ideas and innovations needed to create a sustainable transportation system.
Next up in the Passenger Seat is Matthew Blackett, publisher and creative director of Spacing magazine. We chatted about the current problems facing Toronto’s ever-changing urban landscape, and what can be done to move the city in a more sustainable direction.
Launched in 2003, Spacing pushes readers to think critically about their city, covering topics like public transit, community planning and sustainable development, and how these issues are connected.
This connection is evident in the streets of Toronto and in urban areas around the world, where communities are designed primarily for automobiles—ignoring pedestrians, cyclists and public transit. More often than not, zoning laws separate commercial, industrial and residential areas, and with a lack of accessible modes of alternative transportation, communities are becoming isolated and people are forced to commute by car.
In Toronto, industrial lands are being converted into condos with lack of commercial hubs to service these new and growing communities. In order for Toronto to become a 21st century city, Matthew believes Toronto should adopt a “complete streets model,” with communities built and operated will all users in mind.
