This year’s capstone issue, the Urban Issue, has a theme of Fractured City. The Uniter’s editorial team chose this theme after much discussion, and while at first read this may echo more divides and destruction, it can also point to spaces of hope, or areas that may simply be under construction and in need of more work.

Some news stories point to divides that are surprisingly obvious, while others can be more insidious. Last fall’s failed vote to reopen Portage and Main was followed by a well-circulated infographic displaying the geographic disparity between those who voted to open the intersection, and those who chose to maintain the status quo.

This was one of many instances of the various “bubbles” Winnipeggers live in – alongside others who might think, work, act and vote similar to them – and the literal intersections where these bubbles bump up against each other. The intersection looks a lot different from a car window than from street level, but in many ways, it’s a sort of metaphor for the city as a whole.

In this special issue, we take a look at a few of the lines along which the city and its citizens experience a fracture or divide. But we’re also examining ways to bridge these gaps, the work individuals or organizations are doing in their specific areas to bring people together. There’s a lot of work to be done, and this issue is just a start. Let’s keep going together.

– Anastasia Chipelski

Published in Volume 73, Number 24 of The Uniter (April 4, 2019)