Toronto Magazine - Premier 2008 - (Page 56) ‘if we create a city that makes people dream for only five seconds between point A and point B, we create an opportunity for a new energy in the city — by creating lapses of rebellion, fantasy and anarchy that cause us to react.’ — Dr. Nadim Karam, architect “Increasingly, in the 21st century, a liveable community will be an economically powerful community: a place where high quality of life attracts the best educated and trained workers and entrepreneurs,” said Gore. “A place where good schools and strong families fuel creativity and productivity. A place where the best minds and the best companies share ideas and shape our common future.” Toronto has adopted many of these principles into its long-term plan, as evidenced in the Waterfront Redevelopment Project, an awardwinning green strategy, the face-lifts of the city’s prominent culture institutions and the dozens of prosperous communities across the region. r u o e p a h s d n a s a e d i er a h s otnoroT ”.erutuf nommoc fo ynam detpoda sah otni selpicnirp eseht s a , n a l p m r e t -g n o l s t i -retaW eht ni decnedive tnempolevedeR tnorf -drawa na ,tcejorP ,ygetarts neerg gninniw s’ ytic eht fo stfil-ecaf eht -utitsni erutluc tnenimorp fo snezod eht dna snoit seitinummoc suorepsorp .noiger eht ssorca Public spaces have also been a focus in recent years. Toronto Life Square is a flagship commercial centre in Toronto’s bustling Dundas Square area. Analysts believe the Square will stir new commercial and tourist growth in the Downtown Yonge area, a prosperity enjoyed by New York City’s Times Square, London’s Piccadilly Circus and Tokyo’s Shibuya. The winning submission to the Nathan Phillips Square Revitalization Competition by PLANT Architect holds the same hope for prosperity of the social kind. The project will redefine Toronto’s signature public space — this theatre and place of gathering will be opened, greened and reconsidered as one ehT .ayubihS s’oykoT ot noissimbus gninniw spillihP nahtaN eht noitazilativeR erauqS TNALP yb noititepmoC emas eht sdloh tcetihcrA eht fo ytirepsorp rof epoh tcejorp ehT .dnik laicos s’otnoroT enfieder lliw ecaps cilbup erutangis ecalp dna ertaeht siht — eb lliw gnirehtag fo dna deneerg ,denepo eno sa deredisnocer interconnected marriage of design and community. But it’s the parks, neighbourhoods and streets that really capture our imaginations. There is really nothing to connect the way they look, feel and smell other than the fact that they’re all here. They are unique civic spaces that extend from the community and the curious geography of the region. They are stages for our public lives and settings for celebrations, festivals and parades erutpac yllaer taht steerts si erehT .snoitanigami ruo tcennoc ot gnihton yllaer leef ,kool yeht yaw eht eht naht rehto llems dna .ereh lla er’ yeht taht tcaf civic euqinu era yehT morf dnetxe taht secaps eht dna ytinummoc eht eht fo yhpargoeg suoiruc segats era yehT .noiger dna sevil cilbup ruo rof ,snoitarbelec rof sgnittes sedarap dna slavitsef — places where friends run into each other and cultures mix. Placemaking is powerful because it comes directly from people’s concern about their lives. Toronto’s framework of government and business collaborates effectively with citizens to create the neighbourhoods they desire. We dream, the city makes it happen. It translates into a dynamic visitor experience because the millions of people across hundreds of cultures represented here each affect their communities uniquely, each place connected by the best transit system in the country and the longest street in the world. So precise is this accidental design that at sunrise, the financial buildings in the city core look like mountains against the sky, and you can’t help but feel like someone dreamt it could look that way. -ummoc rieht tceffa hcae ecalp hcae ,yleuqinu seitin tseb eht yb detcennoc eht ni metsys tisnart ts e g n o l e h t d n a y r t n u o c oS .dlrow eht ni teerts latnedicca siht si esicerp ,esirnus ta taht ngised ni sgnidliub laicnanfi eht ekil kool eroc ytic eht ,yks eht tsniaga sniatnuom leef tub pleh t’nac uoy dna ti tmaerd enoemos ekil .yaw taht kool dluoc 56 toronto | 2008
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