KOWLOON CITY Monday, September 26, 2005 - Christopher DeWolf Sidestreet in Kowloon City. Hong Kong, July 2005. Christopher DeWolf. Thai supermarket in Kowloon City. Hong Kong, July 2005. Christopher DeWolf. Furniture store on a Kowloon City sidestreet. Hong Kong, July 2005. Christopher DeWolf. Head to the archives for last month's posts.   BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY Friday, September 23, 2005 - Christopher DeWolf Dusk on Johnston Street in Wan Chai. Hong Kong, August 2005. Christopher DeWolf. A new column of mine is up on Maisonneuve's website. Big cities and bright lights -- aren't they supposed to go together? It’s no coincidence that some of the most iconic and beloved images of the city date from the middle of the twentieth century, when illumination was warmly embraced by the world’s metropoles. Every city with dreams of making it big boasted a Great White Way, the best and brightest part of town to which crowds flocked, looking for excitement. Ever since electricity was invented in the late nineteenth century, light has been used to define urban space and create a sense of place. Stern white light projected against the facade of a church or city hall instills a sense of power and gravitas; the blinking neon and all-consuming illumination of a busy main street, by contrast, shouts, “You are here!” with giddy enthusiasm. from Light and the City: Illuminating Urban Life. Bright lights on Argyle Street, Mongkok. Hong Kong, July 2005. Christopher DeWolf. Head to the archives for last month's posts. TODAY IS CAR FREE DAY Thursday, September 22, 2005 - Christopher DeWolf Inside an MTR subway car. Hong Kong, July 2005. Christopher DeWolf. In more than 1,500 cities around the world today, people are enjoying -- and learning about -- the advantages of car freedom. Here in Montreal, Car Free Day has been celebrated since 2003 by closing a portion of downtown to vehicular traffic. It's just a token gesture, but it nevertheless makes a huge difference. On September 22 of last year, air quality readings showed that the levels of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide within the carfree perimeter were 90 and 100 percent lower, respectively, than those at a nearby intersection that was still open to traffic. So head downtown to breathe the clean air yourself! From 9:30am to 3:30pm, Ste-Catherine and its sidestreets will be closed between McGill College and St-Urbain. (The area around Place des Arts will be closed until the evening, when there will be a free outdoor concert.) A small section of Griffintown will be closed as well in collaboration with the Quartier ephemère art project. In both locations, numerous activities and installations will take place throughout the day. For more information on Montreal's carfree activities, head to the Agence métropolitain de transport's website. If you live somewhere else, click here for information on worldwide Car Free Day events. On a related note, Montrealers can head down to TELUQ/UQAM's lovely rooftop terrasse tonight for a special Car Free Day outdoor screening of Alfred Nerenberg's Escape to Canada, a new documentary that explores Canada's newfound appeal to Americans who find themselves on a certain side of the political spectrum. Proceeds will go towards Projet Montréal, an upstart political party that calls for reinvestment in public transit. "Escape to Canada," $10 Thursday, September 22, 2005, 8pm TELUQ/UQAM, 4750 Henri-Julien, Montreal Head to the archives for last month's posts. URBANPHOTO RENAISSANCE Tuesday, September 20, 2005 - Christopher DeWolf Laundry drying in one of Shek Kip Mei's housing projects. Hong Kong, July 2005. Christopher DeWolf. Well, it's no secret where I was most of the summer: Hong Kong. I've finally gotten my act together and cobbled together, resized and properly organized the many hundreds of photos taken. This week, check back every day for two new Hong Kong photos from my first week there. Eventually, you'll be able to peruse all of the Hong Kong photos in a new, easy-to-use gallery. Which brings me to some big (albeit subtle) changes here at Urbanphoto. You might have noticed that you're now able to post comments -- just click on any one of the thumbnailed photos above or below. It will now be easier to browse through (and search for) photos posted here on the main page; check out the Photo archives link to the left. But here's the biggest change of all: soon, all of my Hong Kong, Macau, Vancouver and Montreal photos will find a home in new galleries powered by the open-source Gallery software. You'll be able to view them more easily and search for specific photos. The featured photoessays will be reserved for guest photographers. With more frequent updates and a more comprehensive collection of photos, you'll have more reason to visit Urbanphoto everyday! And don't hesitate to share your thoughts with me: email me, post a comment or check out the discussion forum. Tout takes a break on Sai Yeung Choi Street, Mongkok. Hong Kong, July 2005. Christopher DeWolf. Evening crowds Sai Yeung Choi Street, closed to cars part-time. Hong Kong, July 2005. Christopher DeWolf. Head to the archives for last month's posts.   MONTREALERS AT WORK Monday, September 19, 2005 - Christopher DeWolf Peeling vegetables. Montreal, June 2005. Christopher DeWolf. Montreal photographers take note: Maisonneuve is holding a photo competition. The theme, in conjuction with CBC Montreal's "Montreal Matters" initiative, is work -- specifically, Montrealers at work. So scour the depths of your computer folders or sift through those old shoeboxes full of prints, because the deadline for entries is October 7th. Twenty winning photos will be selected and displayed at Blizzarts for two weeks, with a vernissage on the evening of October 20th. See you there. Maisonneuve "The Art of Living" Vernissage Thursday, October 20, 2005 Blizzarts, 3956A St-Laurent, Montreal Handing out The Gazette on Ste-Catherine Street. Montreal, March 2005. Christopher DeWolf. Head to the archives for last month's posts. STREETS, SOUL AND SEGUN DENT Monday, September 19, 2005 - Christopher DeWolf In the subway. Toronto, May 2005. Segun Dent. Segun Dent, student, amateur photographer and freestyle rapper extraordinaire, has launched a new website, Streets and Soul. Through hundreds of photos, we see Segun's unique vision of Montreal, Toronto, Chicago and Milwaukee, one that is at times clear and straightforward and at others haphazard. His richly saturated, amber-hued night photos are a special treat. Head to the archives for last month's posts.   KIDS Tuesday, September 13, 2005 - Christopher DeWolf Evening badminton in Barra. Macau, August 2005. Christopher DeWolf. Playing in front of a church. Macau, August 2005. Christopher DeWolf. Head to the archives for last month's posts.   READING IN MACAU Saturday, September 10, 2005 - Christopher DeWolf See doh owner reading a paper. Macau, August 2005. Christopher DeWolf. Mainland tourists find their way. Macau, August 2005. Christopher DeWolf. Head to the archives for last month's posts.   SACRED PLACES Friday, September 9, 2005 - Christopher DeWolf Ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral. Macau, August 2005. Christopher DeWolf. Football and the A-Ma Temple. Macau, August 2005. Christopher DeWolf. Head to the archives for last month's posts.   SPOTTED Wednesday, September 7, 2005 - Christopher DeWolf Women in matching uniforms. Macau, August 2005. Christopher DeWolf. Head to the archives for last month's posts.   HELLO FROM MACAU Monday, September 5, 2005 - Christopher DeWolf Cyclist in a narrow street. Macau, August 2005. Christopher DeWolf. On the bus, Barra district. Macau, August 2005. Christopher DeWolf. Urbanphoto is back after a long summer trip! This week, be sure to check back every two days for new photos from Macau, a former Portuguese colony of just 500,000 inhabitants. An hour from Hong Kong by high-speed ferry, and adjacent to the Chinese city of Zhuhai, Macau is a world apart from its neighbours in culture, architecture and atmosphere. Woman outside a temple. Macau, August 2005. Elaine Tam. Head to the archives for last month's posts.