Top Architecture Journalists in Canada (2025)

Christopher Hume (The Hub, Canada) dissects the interplay between architecture, policy, and societal well-being. With 40+ years documenting Canadian cities, his work informs national debates on housing, transit, and public space equity.

Key Coverage Areas

• Urban Infrastructure: Analyzes how libraries, transit systems, and parks reflect societal priorities (e.g., September 2024 piece on Toronto’s streetcar crisis).
• Heritage Conservation: Advocates for adaptive reuse over demolition, as seen in March 2024’s viral critique of “soulless condos.”
• Housing Policy: Exposes gaps between developer incentives and community needs, influencing 2023 federal affordable housing grants.

Achievements

• 2008 National Newspaper Award for investigative columns on waterfront corruption
• 2014 RAIC President’s Award for elevating architectural discourse
• Cited in 12 municipal urban design guidelines across Ontario

Pitching Insights

• Do: Lead with data-rich case studies showing design’s impact on social outcomes (e.g., hospitalizations reduced via green space).
• Avoid: Starchitect profiles or luxury development launches lacking affordability components.

David Theodore stands at the forefront of architectural discourse as Canada Research Chair at McGill University and correspondent for Canadian Architect. His work intersects three core domains:

• Adaptive Reuse: Championing creative conversions of obsolete commercial spaces into community health hubs
• Computational History: Developing AI tools to analyze spatial inequities in 20th-century institutional designs
• Climate-Resilient Design: Advising municipalities on flood-resistant archival storage solutions

Pitching Priorities

• Seek: Case studies of blockchain applications in heritage preservation
• Avoid: Single-family home design trends or celebrity architect profiles

“The most compelling architectural stories emerge where material constraints meet human ingenuity.”

Theodore’s groundbreaking research has been recognized through the Pierre Burton Award and Venice Biennale curation. Current projects explore Arctic data center designs informed by Inuit ice architecture.

For PR professionals seeking to engage Canada’s preeminent architecture writer, understanding Mays’ dual lens – historical erudition and mental health advocacy – proves crucial. Currently contributing to The Globe and Mail’s urban design vertical, his work dissects buildings as psychological artifacts.

Pitching Priorities

• Heritage Conservation Tech: He prioritizes stories about laser scanning in preservation, as seen in his 2013 feature on Notre-Dame’s digital twin
• Material Science Innovations: Pitches about carbon-negative concrete or self-healing facades align with his tech-meets-tradition focus
• Southern Architecture Studies: Comparative analyses of Louisiana’s shotgun houses vs. Toronto’s narrow homes often sparked his interest

Achievements Snapshot

“Festive architecture that defies mediocrity” – Mays’ iconic description of Libeskind’s ROM crystal, quoted in 15+ academic papers on museum design

Avoid pitching commercial real estate trends or celebrity architect profiles. Mays’ readers expect deep dives into architecture’s societal imprint, not market analyses. His award-winning career blended journalistic rigor with literary flair – successful pitches mirror this duality with data-driven storytelling.

As architecture editor at Figure 1 Publishing, Jen documents how buildings shape national consciousness. Her 2021 book Canadian Architecture: Evolving a Cultural Identity remains the definitive survey of contemporary design practices.

Key Coverage Areas

• Regional Material Innovation: Profiles architects using mass timber, recycled concrete, and indigenous building methods
• Public Space Democratization: Analyzes plazas, libraries, and transit hubs fostering community interaction
• Climate-Responsive Design: Examines structures addressing extreme weather through passive systems

Achievement Highlights

"Jen's work makes architectural theory accessible without sacrificing technical rigor" - RAIC Awards Committee

Pitching Preferences

• Prefers projects with 12+ months occupancy data
• Requires BIM models for complex structures
• Seeks case studies with Indigenous collaboration metrics

As the Toronto Star’s premier urban affairs columnist, Micallef dissects how cities shape human interaction. His beat spans:

• Architectural Anthropology: Examining how building designs influence social behaviors
• Transit as Culture: Analyzing public transportation systems as social equalizers

Pitching Insights

• Localize Global Trends: Micallef prioritizes stories showing international urban concepts adapted to Canadian contexts
• Historical Echoes: Successful pitches connect contemporary issues to historical precedents