Living, Breathing City

by Raja Moussaoui

Beauty is the perceptual experience of meaning or satisfaction. When considering how architecture brings beauty into lives, what’s really being asked is: What makes a city’s architecture meaningful? How can Toronto’s architecture instill a sense of civic pride within its citizens? How can the surrounding environment be better crafted so that it best serves Torontonians?

Toronto is a young city which has experienced massive waves of immigration in recent years. It has become a model of social and cultural integration; it is the definition of “multicultural.”

Some of the world’s most visited cities are memorable because they have a distinct narrative: Paris is romantic, Tokyo is technologically driven, Dubai is extravagant, and Shanghai is transformative. The architecture that makes up these cities reflects their unique profiles. There is a satisfaction found in defining each city’s core character.

The way people define themselves is directly related to their memories and histories. When visiting a city like New York, it’s easy to see the layers of history in the materiality and composition of the architecture. With Manhattan’s limited space, many of its buildings have been restored, renovated, and reinvented. There is a feeling of the city’s vibrancy through this dynamic change over time. These buildings allow the stories of the past to carry through to the present architecture, making New York the living and breathing city that is well loved.

Toronto evolved differently; to a large extent it has not retained many of its historical buildings and it does not boast the same density as Manhattan. However, there are a number of opportunities which exist throughout Toronto’s urban fabric where architecture could be used to reflect its unique and exciting multicultural condition. Architecture has a civic role to serve its people; so the recognition and inclusion of the many cultures which make up its unique society should be one of the main considerations for the architectural projects within the city.

This mandate is not an easy one. To develop architecture that suits a diverse demographic, there is a common assumption: It needs to be neutral. Toronto’s skyline is being taken over by glass-clad condominiums and steel. These faceless buildings loom over the city, but fail to communicate any sense of meaning. Detached from the urban framework, they are isolated living units which form no relationship between an individual’s home and the public realm. They can often hinge on cost-driven construction and cheap, unsustainable and impractical materials. These concrete forms fail to reflect the needs of the harsh Canadian climate, including architecture’s most fundamental requirement: shelter. Since these buildings are often poorly designed, they run inefficiently, have a short life-span, and contribute generously to the global environmental crisis.

The challenge for citizens of a young Toronto is to recognize and fight for its potential to become a model of diversity and social integration. The first step is acknowledging that architectural change is needed. This means promoting the value of the architectural profession so that designers can take a more active role in development rather than relying solely on the vision of developers and the pen strokes of city hall bureaucrats. Further to continuing to allow the development of condominiums, industrial parks, and big box retail outlets – amenities which encourage a reliance on driving – the creation of dense, mixed-use urban developments can be encouraged. The benefit of integrating living, working, retail, and recreation spaces is it provides an opportunity for a richness of experience; here there is the opportunity to learn about the many cultures which make up Toronto.

Toronto needs to recognize its past to form a clear image for its future. There are few buildings which pre-date Toronto’s first wave of development in the 19th century. This significant loss to the city’s history means it is crucial to preserve buildings and neighborhoods with cultural and historical significance. The effort must communicate and vivify Toronto’s history through new architectural creations. A new development can coax life back into a neglected street; a new library or park has the power to evoke a sense of community in an ethnically-divided neighborhood.

Architecture is beautiful when it is able to communicate meaning and make citizens feel connected to their environments. Imagine what could be accomplished if it was a priority to recognize the profound impact that architecture can have on the lives of both citizens and the future of Toronto...