EDITOR'S NOTE: Spacing contributing editor Christopher DeWolf is now based in Hong Kong and will make occasional posts about his unique public space experiences abroad. Chris was also the driving force behind Spacing Montreal until he left Canada.  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM -- Coffee is a big part of the social life of Saigon, a city that somehow manages to be both languid and relentlessly energetic in nearly equal measure. Hundreds of cafés and coffee stands ...

Cross-posted from Spacing Montreal  CALGARY -- I'm in Calgary at the moment, en route to Hong Kong, where I will be doing a master's degree for the next couple of years. This is a fast-growing, fast-changing city, and there are a couple of interesting changes that I noticed while I was here. One of them is the introduction of two new scramble crossings in the Eau Claire neighbourhood of the city's downtown area. Often associated with Tokyo's famous Shibuya Crossing, scramble crossings are in fact a North American invention, originating in Kansas City and Vancouver in the ...

Cross-posted from Spacing Montreal  Not too long ago I picked up a copy of an interesting little zine, Savfaire, from the counter of a Mile End boutique. Now, with the launch of its second issue, featuring a cover illustration by Jack Dylan, I'm even more intrigued. Based in Vancouver, but loaded with contributions from Toronto and Montreal, Savfaire has turned its attention to the neighbourhoods of those three cities, travelling all the way from Park Ex to Mount Pleasant via NDG, Rexdale and Gastown, among others. A couple other highlights include a ...

MONTREAL -- French Panic, a local blogger who may or may not be my neighbour, recently spent some time in Toronto. She came back with some pertinent observations about the way that each city's character manifests itself in bus and subway transfers. Yes, transfers. Read on: Now, I know it's dull to compare Toronto and Montreal. They are very different from each other, and shouldn't be compared. But. These transfers say all sorts of interesting things. The Montreal transfer is devoid of all information, save for a set of arrows ...

EDITOR'S NOTE: Spacing occasionally includes posts from our friend Christopher DeWolf in Montréal. If you're a fan of our rival city up the 401, you'll be able to read more its public space issues quite soon. Details to follow. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Every year, I head down to Just for Laughs. Not for the comedy, but for the festival site, which takes over the entire Latin Quarter and makes brilliant use of its meandering laneways and hidden corners. For two weeks in July, the Latin ...

It used to be that Toronto and Montreal weren't so different. La Ville reine had spiffy red streetcars; la métropole had cheery yellow and olive-green ones. But that changed in 1959, when Montreal, ever so fashion-conscious, scrapped the last of its trams. Now, nearly half a century after they disappeared, it would seem that the people who run this town are determined to bring streetcars back to its streets. Yesterday, La Presse reported that City Hall will announce the construction of a new tramway line linking downtown, Griffintown, Old Montreal and the Latin Quarter as part ...

It has started to fade from memory, but I swear my sleep schedule is still screwed up. Two weeks ago, Montreal hosted its fourth annual Nuit Blanche, an all-night festival dedicated to arts and culture. Inspired by the original Nuit Blanche in Paris, Montreal has added its own wintry twist, combining it with the Montreal High Lights Festival, a week-long celebration of food, light and dance that seems like nothing more than an excuse to go out and party in the middle of winter. The best way to start Nuit Blanche is to head to the festival site, in ...