Spacing
Spacing is a Toronto-based independent Canadian media company publishing a quarterly print magazine, a six-city blog network covering Canadian urbanism, two podcasts, books, and merchandise, serving urban planners, civic-minded residents, and organizations targeting engaged urban audiences.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Spacing does
Spacing is a privately held, Toronto-based independent Canadian media company that publishes a quarterly print magazine and operates a multi-platform editorial network focused on urbanism, public space, transit, cycling, housing, and city planning. Founded in 2008 (with firmographic data indicating 2003) and led by founders Dylan Reid and Matthew Blackett, the publication maintains dedicated city editions for Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton, and Atlantic Canada, with regional editors supporting each market. The editorial portfolio is accessed primarily through free-to-read web articles, with additional reach via two podcast series (Spacing Radio and The Overhead, the latter dedicated to housing affordability), published urbanism books, the Spacing Films sub-brand, and an Urban Cartoon Syndicate produced in collaboration with CityHallWatch. Operational technology is a WordPress-based multi-site blog network with podcast hosting integration and an e-commerce storefront at spacingstore.ca.
The business model is a hybrid of advertising, subscriptions, and ancillary commerce. Revenue is generated primarily through print and web advertising using an exclusive one-ad-per-page placement model designed to maximize visibility for advertisers targeting urban professionals. Subscription revenue comes from the quarterly print magazine, which reports over 30,000 in readership and an unusually high subscriber-retention signal, with nearly 70% of subscribers collecting back issues. Secondary revenue streams include sales of urbanism-related books, branded merchandise through the Spacing Store, and content distributed via podcasts. Distribution is multi-channel: direct advertising sales ([email protected]), subscriber mailings for the print quarterly, free access to digital content across six regional sites, podcast platforms, and the e-commerce storefront. Customer-facing segments include urban planners and architects, civic-minded urban residents, urban-focused organizations seeking to reach engaged urban audiences, and academic and policy researchers using the publication for Canadian-specific urban analysis. The organization is small, with 1-10 employees, and remains privately held with no disclosed funding events, parent company, or revenue figures.
Spacing firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Spacing
- Legal name
- Spacing
- Website
- https://spacing.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Spacing is a Toronto-based independent Canadian media company publishing a quarterly print magazine, a six-city blog network covering Canadian urbanism, two podcasts, books, and merchandise, serving urban planners, civic-minded residents, and organizations targeting engaged urban audiences.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Spacing industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Urbanism Media and Publishing
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (513120), Other Publishers (51319), Book Publishers (51313)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Publishing Networks & Multi-Author Publications (MPACAIAG)
Keywords
Where Spacing is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Spacing business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Print Magazine Advertising: Display advertising in the quarterly print magazine, with exclusive ad placement (one ad per page) to ensure visibility. Targets urban professionals and civic-minded readers who are engaged decision-makers.
- Web Advertising: Digital advertising on the blog network which attracts up to 20,000 visitors daily. Ensures exclusive ad placement per page for maximum impact.
- Magazine Subscriptions: Quarterly print magazine with over 30,000 readership and 70% subscriber collection rate indicating high engagement and retention.
- Books and Merchandise: Sale of urban planning books and merchandise through spacingstore.ca online store.
- Podcast Content: Audio content including Spacing Radio and The Overhead series on housing policy, distributed through podcast platforms to engage audiences on urban issues.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Print magazine with over 30,000 readership |
| Other | Monthly | Web advertising on blog network |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Spacing product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Spacing is a Canadian urbanism media company that publishes a quarterly print magazine covering topics such as transit, cycling, housing, architecture, and public space, supported by a multi-city blog network across major Canadian metros. It also produces podcast series on city life, publishes urbanism books, and sells branded merchandise through its online store.
Product overview
Spacing is a Canadian urbanism media company offering a multi-platform portfolio consisting of Spacing Magazine (a quarterly print and online publication), the Spacing Blog/Website network (covering Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, Montreal, Edmonton, and Atlantic Canada editions), the Spacing Radio Podcast (including The Overhead series on housing), published books on urban planning, and merchandise through the Spacing Store. The publication focuses on critical analysis, solutions, and celebration of Canadian cities across topics including architecture, transit, biking, parks, urban design, housing, and politics.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Spacing Magazine Quarterly print magazine covering Canadian urbanism topics including transit, cycling, housing, architecture, and public space, distributed to subscribers and through newsstand channels.
- Spacing Blog Network
- Spacing Radio
- The Overhead
- Spacing Books
- Spacing Store
Quantifiable outcome
- Readership of over 30,000 per quarterly issue with 70% subscriber collection rate
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Spacing
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Spacing technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Spacing partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Spacing competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CityLab (Bloomberg): CityLab is a major digital urbanism publication covering cities, housing, transit, and design with strong Canadian and global coverage, comparable to Spacing's editorial focus on urban policy and city building.
- Monocle: Monocle is a quarterly print magazine with strong urbanism, cities, and policy coverage plus podcasts and a retail store — directly comparable to Spacing's multi-platform structure and high-end niche positioning.
- Curbed: Curbed is a digital publication dedicated to cities, housing, transit, and urban design — directly overlapping Spacing's editorial coverage of public space, housing, and city building.
- Dwell: Dwell is an architecture and design magazine covering modern housing, urban design, and city living with print and digital editions, comparable to Spacing's focus on architecture, urban design, and Canadian cities.
- The Tyee: The Tyee is an independent Canadian online publication covering politics, cities, environment, and culture with a Pacific Northwest base — directly overlapping Spacing's Vancouver/Canadian urban coverage and independent media model.
- Toronto Life: Toronto Life is a Toronto-focused city magazine covering politics, real estate, culture, and urban life, sharing Spacing's primary geography and advertiser base of urban professionals and civic-minded readers.
- Maisonneuve: Maisonneuve is a Canadian quarterly magazine focused on arts, culture, and ideas with critical journalism — closely aligned with Spacing's quarterly print cadence and editorial mix of culture, politics, and ideas in Canadian context.
Emerging players
- 99% Invisible: 99% Invisible is a leading podcast on design and architecture, including urban planning, infrastructure, and public space — directly comparable to Spacing's Spacing Radio and The Overhead podcast offerings.
Broad incumbents
- The Atlantic: The Atlantic is a major established magazine with deep urbanism, housing, and city coverage, comparable to Spacing's editorial mix of culture, politics, and urban analysis at much broader scale and reach.
Regional players
- Vancouver Magazine: Vancouver Magazine is a city-focused regional magazine covering Vancouver's culture, politics, food, and urban life — directly comparable to Spacing's Vancouver city edition in audience and advertiser base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Spacing social profiles
Digital presenceSpacing financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Spacing leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Spacing funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Spacing M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Spacing
What does Spacing do?
Spacing is a Canadian urbanism media company that publishes a quarterly print magazine covering topics such as transit, cycling, housing, architecture, and public space, supported by a multi-city blog network across major Canadian metros. It also produces podcast series on city life, publishes urbanism books, and sells branded merchandise through its online store.
Is Spacing a public or private company?
Spacing is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Spacing founded?
Spacing was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Spacing based?
Spacing is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Spacing make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Print Magazine Advertising is the primary driver. The others are web Advertising, magazine Subscriptions, books and Merchandise and podcast Content.
Who are Spacing's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CityLab (Bloomberg), Monocle, Curbed, Dwell, The Tyee, Toronto Life and Maisonneuve. 99% Invisible is listed as an emerging player. The Atlantic is listed as a broad incumbent. Vancouver Magazine is listed as a regional player.
Does Spacing have an API?
No public API is recorded for Spacing.
What industry is Spacing in?
Spacing's product category is Urbanism Media and Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAEAN, Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines, with a secondary code of MPACAIAG, Publishing Networks & Multi-Author Publications. Its NAICS code is 513120 and its SIC code is 2721.