I spent last week in Toronto and fell in love with what I will call its messy urbanism. The
city contains the usual suspects on the menu of elements of
contemporary good urban form: mixed-use, bike paths, transit, street
trees, etc. However, there’s a sort of less-than-manicured quality to
the whole thing, and coupled with a huge diversity of people, the city
ends up feeling gloriously messy, in a functional and walkable way. The
city’s messiness and realness stands in refreshing contrast to
oft-cited beacons of “smart growth” and good urban design, such as San
Francisco and Boston, where the perfection of the built form has almost
transformed these cities into museums. In Toronto, rickety and
ramshackle Victorian buildings sit snugly next to sleek modern
20-storey condos. Tree-lined streets of row houses (some restored, many
not) run right into bustling commercial boulevards filled with
streetcars, bicyclists, traffic, produce vendors. … Toronto’s urban messiness creates a truly unique city to visit and use as a role model for U.S. cities.
I could not agree more. This article captures the very essence of the city. Read the whole thing here.
