Municipalities and urban development

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This paper looks at how much revenue could be raised from a sales tax in the City of Toronto or in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). It provides an example of an enhancement to the sales tax credit to mitigate the impact on low-income households and estimates the distributional impact. 
The Trailer Overdose Prevention Site (TOPS, as its usually called, or Area 62) in Vancouver. Photo by Travis Lupick.
Illustration by Tim Scarth / Photos of Montreal by the author
Ten years ago the political geographer David Harvey wrote, “The freedom to make and remake our cities and ourselves is…one of the most precious yet most neglected of our human rights.” With roots in 1960s civil rights struggles, Henri Levebvre's concept of a "right to the city" was revitalized by Harvey and others in the heat of the 2008 financial crisis and Occupy Wall Street.
The right to the city comes out of critical theory, a branch of intellectual thought originating in the early 20th century at the University of Frankfurt. The Frankfurt School consisted of a group of radical scholars who theorized about the rise of mass popular culture and its effect on society.
Transportation is essential for getting almost everything we need in our daily lives yet many people in Winnipeg’s inner city struggle to access affordable and convenient transportation options. This year’s Report documents the voices of those who struggle with transportation barriers and puts forward practical policy solutions to achieve  transportation equity.
We’re now 10 years on from the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression. Or, as our national mythology puts it, 10 years since Canada breathed a deep sigh of relief as the crisis mostly grazed our economy and financial system.
In Part 2 of our feature on the state of the economy 10 years after the crisis, the Monitor heads to the bank. With radical ideas for reforming finance's retail, mortgage and investing functions from John Anderson, Michal Rozworski, Kevin Young and Alper Yagci, Roxanne Dubois and Brett Scott. Here's a sample of what you'll find inside this issue:
A year after announcing a 25-cent a trip fare increase, mayoral candidate Brian Bowman has promised to create a low-income transit pass if he is re-elected mayor on October 24th.  This is great news because waning government support at the provincial level through a funding freeze and the fare increase has led to poor service, unaffordable fares and declining ridership.[1]
Key Findings from the Transportation Townhall meeting