Size Matters

The City of Toronto has been under the architectural scrutiny of its municipal council in the past couple of weeks. Two extremely tall structures were denied construction because the local residents were against it. Suddenly, the community has won a couple of victories over bad design and poor location. I guess some of the people of Toronto have seen enough of skyscrapers for now. [tall condos have already ruined the waterfront]

Alas, this has not been a pleasant week for the ideas of two developers, including one Harry Stinson, the brash entrepreneur who buys up downtown lots and former bank towers only to convert them into a studio apartments for the “traveling set”. He wanted to put a new 91 story building right downtown near City Hall. The community rejected the plan.

Similarly, a 75 story tower was proposed for the site beside the Royal Ontario Museum in the posh University and Bloor neighbourhood. It too, was soundly defeated in a community meeting the week before. The people spoke up. The city councilors listened and the shovels never made to the ground. But some business people, politicians and the Globe and Mail newspaper think it was a mistake. They complain about the lack of downtown residents to liven up the city. They suggest that tall buildings are symbolic of a great city like Hong Kong or New York.

I always thought that great cities were made up of neighbourhoods. Places where people raised families and shared cultural ideas. Communities where ethnicity was accepted at face value and encouraged for its European ties and great food.

All politics is local, someone once retorted. While the view from an office tower is very pleasant at sundown, the real vision is on the streets with the people on the ground.

That’s just my opinion. I could be wrong.