Alana Wilcox - uTOpia: Towards a New Toronto

UTOPIA

JASON MCBRIDE
ALANA WILCOX
EDITORS

Copyright 2005, the authors

First edition

This epub edition published in 2010. Electronic ISBN 978 1 77056 235 6.

Published with the assistance of the Canada Council for the Arts
and the Ontario Arts Council. We also acknowledge the financial
support of the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Book
Publishing Tax Credit Program and the Government of Canada
through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

UTOpia: towards a new Toronto / editors: Jason McBride and
Alana Wilcox.

ISBN 1-55245-156-9

1. Toronto (Ont.). 2. Toronto (Ont.)--Social conditions--21st
century.
I. McBride, Jason, 1968- II. Wilcox, Alana

FC3097.3.U86 2005 971.3541
C2005-906345-9

Erik Rutherford
Toronto: a city in our image

Edward Keenan
Making a scene: a bunch of youngish indie rockers, political activists and small-press literati are creating the cultural history of Toronto

Shawn Micallef
Psssst. Modern Toronto just wants some respect.

Nicole Cohen
The Zeidler effect: how one family transformed Toronto

Derek Murr
The history of Torontos future

Mark Kingwell
Reading Toronto: architecture and utopia

Lorraine Johnson
Roots to roofs: the greening of Toronto

Howard Akler
Home improvement: in appreciation of innovative houses

Dylan Reid
The St. George campus takes shape

Stphanie Verge
Changing lanes: a conversation with Jeffery Stinson

Philip Evans
Paved impressions

Jacob Allderdice
The Toronto Islands: a love story

Sheila Heti
Dream of the waterfront

Sally McKay
Fly on Queen Street

Misha Glouberman
No place like Kensington

John Lorinc
Stripping away stereotypes: Torontos retail plazas

Ninjalicious
Infiltration of Toronto in progress

James Bow
Where have all the subways gone?

Heather McLean
Go west, young hipster: the gentrification of Queen Street West

Darren ODonnell
Toronto the teenager: why we need a Childrens Council

Conan Tobias interviews Alfred Holden
Streetcars, street lights and street smarts

Dale Duncan
Iinfrastructure

Deborah Cowen, Ute Lehrer & Andrea Winkler for Planning Action
The secret lives of toilets: a public discourse on private space in the city

Chris Hardwicke
Velo-city

Luis Jacob
Flashlight: public art and the mothership connection

Bert Archer
Making a Toronto of the imagination

Jonny Dovercourt
Making a green scene

Barbara Rahder & Patricia Wood
A funny thing happened on the way to the future

Dave Meslin
2019

Adam Vaughan
An age-old idea

Mark Fram
Situationist Toronto: three mappings

Deanne Taylor
Between utopias

It isnt easy to reinvent a city. Cities are made of reinforced concrete, brick and metal. Office towers and subway tunnels dont yield readily to the forces of change. Highways and sewer systems dont lend themselves to metamorphosis.

The biggest impediment to transforming a city, though, is not a physical limitation; its the inertia that comes from historical legacy and a mentality of resignation. In other words, if a city is perceived in a particular way, it takes a tremendous amount of energy and inspiration to reimagine it as something radically different and better.

I have my own beliefs about what will transform this city a new waterfront, new governmental powers, new investment in the public realm, new art and architecture but my vision alone isnt enough. Thats why I welcome this book, which encourages people to challenge all their assumptions about Toronto, and to picture the city not as it is but as it can and should be.

I believe that there is more than enough energy and inspiration among the people of Toronto to make this city into something new and spectacular. The volume you now hold is evidence of that.

Mayor David Miller

City of Toronto

Neither of us was born in Toronto, but we have, both of us, lived in the city for more than fifteen years. It is, for better or worse, home. And in the fifteen years we have lived here, we have never felt about Toronto what we do now: we adore the city. Even while recognizing Torontos many limitations and inadequacies, we appreciate how much it has to offer culturally, economically, socially. It now seems a city of extraordinary possibility.

We certainly have not always felt this way, and, in fact, we can roughly pinpoint, without too much effort, the moment we truly embraced Toronto. It was the day David Miller was elected mayor. Miller wasnt, isnt, perfect what politician could be? but hes a far cry from the elected officials who had previously governed the city. He seems like a genuinely decent person, with an authentic love of the city and a respectful vision for its future. He made mistakes as a councillor and will make many more again as mayor, but he offers us something we have rarely felt before: hope. Hope that the city can grow and prosper in a way that includes every Torontonian. Hope that the enormous potential the city possesses will be exploited and not wasted. To attribute so much promise to one elected official is certainly naive, and it would be misplaced optimism if his election hadnt coincided with a wellspring of cultural and ideological activity that has gushed forth from an infinite diversity of wells. Perhaps it seems new only because many of our peers, friends and colleagues are involved in this activity. Or perhaps were simply getting older. But for the first time, it feels as if the city is becoming ours.

When we speak of ownership, we are speaking in an ideological or rhetorical sense, not an economic one. A city, by its very nature, is not owned; it is shared. Public space is public property. Especially for those of us and there are many unable to afford private property, a condo or house to call our own, public space is extremely important. Increasingly, our homes are outside: in the streets, on patios, in bars, on concert stages, in bookstores, in parks. Family extends beyond living room walls and includes the people who are in your band, who are on your basketball team, who help design your website and who are part of your burlesque act. The public is the private and vice versa, always.

Ownership also implies responsibility, and responsibility begets contribution. Contribution, in turn, engenders growth. And we are contributing to Torontos growth by refusing to accept its limitations or, rather, by turning those limitations into virtues. We are creating culture. We are reclaiming public space. We are transforming neighbourhoods. We are rediscovering or recovering history. We are trying to make home feel more like home. We are telling people that we live in Toronto with a proud smile instead of an embarrassed titter.