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INDONESIA BUILDS A NEW CAPITAL Indonesia has a new capital city deep in the lush forests of Borneo. Nusantara will soon replace Jakarta, a city built by the Dutch in the 17th century that has grown into one of the largest metropolises in the world with a population of over 30 million people. The new capital could not be more different: it is planned as a forest city with 75 per cent of the land set aside to provide access for wildlife; buildings will be connected by walkways to encourage pedestrians; and there is a commitment to green energy and transport from the start. Nusantara's architects and planners, all of them Indonesian, have set out a dream of a global city to be built over the next two decades, growing to house a population of four million. President Joko Widodo has even announced plans to bid for the 2036 Olympics there. The ambition is a city that represents the diversity of Indonesia and balances economic development across the archipelago, which for decades has been concentrated on Java.That island is less than a tenth of the area of Indonesia but is home to 60 per cent of the population and the same share of the economy. This has come at a high cost. Jakarta is sinking more rapidly than any other city on the planet and suffers from regular floods. The city was until recently the largest without a metro system; now it has just one line connecting 13 stations. The vast sprawl of concrete and motorways is covered most days in a thick haze; it is regularly ranked as the world's most polluted city.But Indonesia the country is taking a $40-billion gamble on whether moving the capital will help alleviate the problems of Jakarta and provide other benefits such as balancing economic development. The site chosen for Nusantara is near the coast of Borneo, close to the provincial capital of East Kalimantan and in an area with rapid economic growth due to energy and mineral extraction. Purpose-built capitals have a poor record of achieving their ambitions; they often end up as soulless monuments to oppressive regimes. They are also both a symptom and a driver of bad government by leaders who become isolated from their people. Will the remoteness of Nusantara cut Indonesians off from the leaders at a time when their quality of democracy is in decline? As the world's largest Muslim country and the third largest democracy, it is a question that matters beyond its shores. Nusantara could become a model for Indonesia and the region; a carbon-neutral city built not as a monument to a dictator but as a capital that respects the environment and promotes new ways of urban living for the 21st century. Or if it lacks support from successive government and fails to attract the necessary investment it may become one of the many sad and empty capitals that dot the world, another utopian vision fallen flat.

In an era of frantic vertical urbanization known as “condoism,” Condoland explores the planning and design of Toronto's CityPlace, one of North America's largest residential development projects – and reveals what can happen when the real estate industry comes to dominate city planning.

From the sidewalk to City Hall, in the corporate boardroom, and around the kitchen table, The Heart of Toronto traces the power dynamics and projects that have transformed downtown Toronto.

Housing is increasingly unattainable in successful global cities, and Toronto is no exception -- in part because of zoning that protects “stable” residential neighborhoods with high property values. House Divided is a citizen's guide for changing the way housing can work in big cities. Using Toronto as a case study, this anthology unpacks the affordability crisis and offers innovative ideas for creating housing for all ages and demographic groups. With charts, maps, data, and policy prescriptions, House Divided poses tough questions about the issue that will make or break the global city of the future.

One hundred years ago, the City of Brantford advertised itself as the most important manufacturing centre in Canada. During the century that followed, its industrial economy boomed, faltered, and finally collapsed. By the end of the twentieth century, Brantford was known for unemployment, hard luck, and the infamy of having'the worst downtown in Canada.'For twenty years the downtown was in steep decline. Significant attempts at urban revival had failed until Wilfrid Laurier University decided to locate a campus in the heart of Brantford's crumbling city centre. Leo Groarke revisists the grandeur of the city's past, explores the economic downfall, and tells the story of the arrival of the university, its early struggles, its commitment to historic restoration, and its ultimate success as a catalyst for urban renewal. The compelling story he recounts will engage anyone interested in the plight of the North-American city core and the role that universities and colleges can play in re-establishing downtowns as vibrant centres of historical and contemporary importance.