future

| global city? | waterfront revitalisation | concord adex | fort york |

Reading the landscape will allow glimpses into the future as long as the landscape is understood and interpreted in its current time and space (see present).

My chosen landscape is knee deep in development proposals and plans that will dramatically alter the present day landscape and Toronto's current skyline. Even just from walking in the land it is not hard to spot the evidence that this landscape is on the brink of change- the dirt mounds, directly south of Core CIty Golf are being cleaned for environmental reasons in preparation for development, the encroaching condominiums and building sites, and the visible presence of surveyors all suggest that the land is about to be altered (see photoshow).

The way that my landscape will be developed in the future exposes how society will like to be portrayed and project itself. Development in the landscape will have a significant impact on future generations living in Toronto, as the built environment as a social agent affects the way we live.

I have attempted to highlight the major development plans for my chosen landscape:

• Waterfront Re-vitalization Plan
• Concord Adex Development
• Fort York Development

Theses developments embody the ideologies and values that our generation will like to project for the future. The main ideologies expand on the present day values of preservation and creation of green space, which are still highly valued but the future plans express the value and need for community and neighbourhoods. The development that is occuring is not the doing of one development group or the City of Toronto and so there are a multiplicity of motivations driving each development. These motivations range from the genuine respect for the enviroment, community and history, but also reflecting Toronto's struggle to beome a GLOBAL CITY and the motivation of money.

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Toronto- In a Global Competitive Phase?

It is argued that classic urban development policy is motivated by the fact that cities are in competition with one another and that the development functions as the place where this competition is manifested (Bowman 1995). However, development is not an automatic response to the forces of competition but an option that cities can pursue (Bowman 1995).

According to the Toronto city planners, urban development “is required to deal with global economic competition, new municipal responsibilities, and the changing social fabric” (City Planners as cited in Kipfer et al 2000:20). The phase that Toronto is entering is what Kipfer and Keil call “the competitive city” (Kipfer et al 2000: 23) where Toronto is attempting to transform itself into a global city that is competitive with cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo. No longer is it thought to be true that instant global telecommunications and the interconnection of the world economy will portend the end of cities. On the contrary, this rapid and profound change in world economy has seen the increased density of cities and the power of New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo grow not decline (Sassen 2001). This change in world economy is also affecting Toronto and will be visualised through the Waterfront Revitalisation Project

7 corridors to the waterfront will be created Fort York will be incorporated into the Garrison Creek/Garrison Common corridor which will run from Ontario Place and the foot of Bathurst Street to Fort York and north through Trintiy-Bellwoods Park It is considered an opportunity for public art displays, a series of fountains to mark the hidden waterway and an opportunity for Fort York to improve visitor services and facilities, enhance it orientation as a park and preserve views through guidelines for adjacent development and commercial signage.

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City Place/Concord Adex Development

 

Skylines are important features for asserting identity for a city. A city with a memorable skyline with unique buildings such as New York and London are instantly recognizable to the eye of a viewer. Certain buildings become symbolic of place; for example the Big Ben in London, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and even the CN Tower in Toronto, all are tall, stand out and signify and locate place.

Unique architectural feature is important for the city’s skyline but the rest of the city’s skyline also has to reflect what the city would like to project to the rest of the world. I assume the more dimensional a city skyline is the more power, credibility and attraction the city has.

Toronto’s skyline is about to change (see [ top ] ). The plan is the following:

• Develop an entire technologically advanced neighbourhood where a person can buy into a “cool, connected, cosmopolitan” (City Pulse 2003:1) lifestyle
• The design team has developed a completely self contained environment where they have incorporated entertainment, parks, schools, recreation centres, housing, shopping and much more.
• They are selling the area as “more than a breathtaking impact on the cityscape, more than a neighbourhood, City Place is a modern urban sanctuary” (City Pulse 2003:4)
• This project has been ten years of meticulous planning and would not be being developed if there was not an available market

• Streets will be named to reflect its adjacency to the fort
• Public art be designed and incorporated into the landscape to represent the identity of the neighbourhood
• The views of Fort York will be preserved by the staggering height of the proposed surrounding housing. The city will also incorporate subsidised housing and family houses to increase the diversity and stratification of the people who will move in.