EDITOR’S NOTE: Spacing Votes — our dedicated 2010 election blog — will feature regular posts form our contributors that examine campaign promises and platforms that focus on Toronto’s urban landscape. Here’s our round-up of posts from the last seven days. • Spacing votes takes a closer look at deputy mayor, Joe Pantalone and his transportation platform. A proponent of Transit City, “Mayor Joe” is separating himself from the other candidates in his mission to continue David Miller’s transit plan. Also backing LRT, Pantalone is suggesting Transit City II if put in the mayor’s seat in October. • It’s always an interesting ride with Rob Ford. After accusations of verbally (and possibly physically) assaulting some athletes as a high school coach, Ford has come under fire once again. With ample contradictory facts and arguments, Mike Radoslav takes a closer look at how the debacle sheds light on Ford’s character—for better or worse. It begs the question: Aggressive on the sports field, aggressive at city hall?

EDITOR'S NOTE: Spacing Votes — our dedicated 2010 election blog — will feature regular posts form our contributors that examine campaign promises and platforms that focus on Toronto's urban landscape. Here's our first round-up of posts from the last seven days. • As somewhat of a lackluster race as far as debate and platforms are concerned, Nabeel Ahmed takes a closer look at the media's role. As some of the candidates continue to coast as the elections are still three months out, Ahmed looks to the media to continue in critiquing the platforms (or lack thereof) and track records of the mayoral hopefuls. • As the new Jarvis bike lane construction gets underway today, cycling is going to be a key point of discussion in the looming election. With more than half of Torontonians identifying themselves as cyclists, bike lanes and bike parking issues need to be addressed, argues Mike Radoslav.

It always starts with a Starbucks. It swiftly lands on the neighbourhood doorstep and things start to change. Gentrification. Up-and-coming. Modernization. The landscape changes; not necessarily all Wal-Mart bad, but it changes. Cabbagetown, the hodgepodge hub of mom-and-pop stores and home to both the city's rich and poor, is quietly undergoing some change. The city's historical streetscapes lined with Victorian architecture, struggling artists, panhandlers and an array of independent businesses has undergone a slight renewal in recent years with its continued gentrification married with incoming franchise businesses. With the neighbourhood's first gentrification in the early '70s, many of Cabbagetown's independent storeowners are now eyeing retirement. And with prosperity flowing into the area, franchise restaurants are staking their ground. With a massive, architecturally-challenged three-storey TD Canada Trust being erected at the central hub of Parliament and Carlton streets (it's to be opened in May), the change is ostensible.