Open-Source Tool
The Old Toronto map tool helps you explore the city through historical photos
The Old Toronto map tool helps you explore the city through old photos
3 Mar
Sidewalk Talk
15 Innovations That Shaped the City
N-1-1: The Rise (and Surprise) of Three-Digit City Services
The evolution of 911, 311, and other local numbers into digital services promises to make cities far more responsive.
12 Dec
15 Innovations That Shaped the City
Street Grids: A City’s Indelible Footprint
Far from a static layout, the grid creates the conditions for new travel modes, adaptable infrastructure, and sustainable growth.
12 Dec
15 Innovations That Shaped the City
Steam Engines: Giving Cities Industrial Might
Steam power brought industry, electricity, and opportunity into cities, but it also paved the way for fossil fuels to damage the planet.
10 Oct
15 Innovations That Shaped the City
Electric Lighting: Dawn of Urban Nightlife
Edison's incandescent bulb gave rise to profound new possibilities for work and play in cities.
9 Sep
15 Innovations That Shaped the City
Zoning: The Legal and Social Codes of Urban Planning
What began as a policy innovation to help organize cities has contributed to segregation and severe housing shortages.
9 Sep
15 Innovations That Shaped the City
Shipping Containers: A Big Box Full of Contradictions
Containerization transformed everything from the urban labor force to suburban shopping.
9 Sep
Urban history series
15 Innovations That Shaped the City
A Sidewalk Talk series that explores some of the major advances in urban technology, design, and policy across history — from Roman sewers to real-time transit.
9 Sep
15 Innovations That Shaped the City
Traffic Signals: Catalyst of Car-Driven Cities
Traffic lights did make city intersections safer for cars, but they came at the expense of pedestrian freedom.
9 Sep
15 Innovations That Shaped the City
Elevators: How Cities Rose to the Occasion
Elevators proved to be a primary engine of urban density over the last century, boosting economies of scale for big cities and redefining urban life.
9 Sep