The Innovators Issue, October 2019

Will genre-busting architect Junya Ishigami revolutionize his profession? Is Sidewalk Toronto a model for smart neighbourhoods everywhere? Check out Azure’s October issue – a deep and incisive look at today’s most innovative problem solvers, civic projects and idea accelerators – for the answers to these questions and more.

Covering a big chunk of Canada’s largest city, Alphabet-backed Sidewalk Toronto offers a utopian vision of what a 21st-century neighbourhood can be. But at what cost? In its October issue, Azure explores both the promise and potential pitfalls of the world’s most ambitious smart-city venture. In New York City, meanwhile, A/D/O by Mini’s groundbreaking idea accelerator, Urban-X, is beginning to see the results of its unique start-up support, turning out one real-world innovation after another. And from his base in Tokyo to this summer’s Serpentine Pavilion in England, Junya Ishigami continues to challenge the relationship between architects and nature, inspiring a re-evaluation of how buildings can and should enhance “the whole of the Earth.”

Plus: How two London practices transformed a cramped Victorian terrace house into a light-drenched modern abode / The top design trends for 2020 / A new baseball stadium lights up Mexico City’s skyline / The ruins of a historic fort become a canalside oasis in Cape Town