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An Underwhelming Approach
Anyone who commutes from the west via the Gardiner is familiar with two major landmarks. The most obvious one is the tower, puncturing the waterfront like a pin on a map of Somewhere Interesting. The second is an enormous billboard welcoming visitors into the city, complete with that ubiquitous official Toronto logo with the bold typeface.
If you’re having trouble picturing it, here are some clues: FedEx. Rogers. Deloitte. For the old-timers, Minolta.
Neatly manicured into a hillside just east of St. Joseph’s Hospital are eleven corporate logos bracketing a tiny garden which confirms that, yes, you are actually approaching the city. In typical Toronto fashion, it’s a self-conscious obligation, seemingly intimidated by the field of billboards to come. Devoid of triumph, overly polite, and wholly uninteresting, it’s an unfortunate welcome to both commuters and our beloved tourists. What it essentially says is, “We hope you have a nice time at your corporate convention. Don’t forget to visit the CN Tower!”
Boring.
Toronto needs a definitive gateway; a regal arch or iconic sign that radiates power, accessibility, and leadership. Great empires in history understood the importance of this, marking entry with a pair of obelisks, rampant stone lions, or a solid portcullis that commanded respect and admiration. Citizens would feel safe, valued and proud, and upon passing through these monuments, home.
But we’re different than cities of comparable size. Most Torontonians despise the negativity directed at us by other Canadians but we wring our hands if misunderstood by our more famous counterparts. The greatest fear is damnation by mediocrity, yet we’re uncomfortable with aggressive displays of civic pride. Paradoxically, Toronto’s multiculturalism makes us one of the proudest cities on the planet.
So, what would be an appropriate demarcation? The quirky retro Vegas sign is just as memorable as the three enormous block letters at Los Angeles International spelling-out the airport code. Saddam’s graceful and disturbing “Hands of Victory” dominates Baghdad’s parade route, just as the Arc de Triomphe does for Paris. Ancient China impressed with multi-tiered city gates. Flanking columns have proved to be both timeless and cross-cultural and all are used to indicate the same thing: You Are Here.
As we class-up the joint with Libeskind’s ROM crystal, Allsop’s OCAD tabletop, and Gehry’s AGO canopy, Toronto needs a gateway symbol other than the incessant sprouting of condo towers. It would need to be chic like Rotterdam’s Erasmus Bridge and as classically sophisticated as the St. Louis Arch. A pair of wind turbines (like the one at the CNE) would make a statement (albeit hypocritical). We’re quite used to building functional structures over expressways, so even a simple “Welcome To Toronto” would be effective if designed with merit. Perhaps a row of world flags might be fitting considering the city’s heritage.
Like most visions of grand design, however, a project like this would surely be hobbled by cost concerns and an easily-spooked City Council. Historically, Toronto has an abysmal record of urban planning, with the burden of power to reshape the skyline whored-out to any developer with a fat wallet, all the while sacrificing art for the sake of short-term utility. Whimsy has no home on our political agenda, which is why it arrives usually as a result of corporate sponsorship. This isn’t always a bad thing, but it doesn’t foster cultural development. It becomes problematic when the most interesting sculpture in Dundas Square is a giant Dairy Milk chocolate bar and visitors are welcomed into the city by FedEx.