A Map of Toronto's Cultural Facilities - ERA Architects Inc.

7.0 Further Potential Analysis
7.1 Additional Comparisons of the City’s Four Service Districts
The analysis in Section 6 consists of preliminary observations which demonstrate the potential
for this database to produce an array of data which can inform the Culture Division about the
health of culture and cultural facilities in the City. This information can be used to identify
patterns and trends or the potential for development. This information can also be useful in
looking at the clustering effect of cultural facilities and their impact in leveraging resources,
generating economic impact and addressing social, cultural and community issues.
Additional questions to ask that would be helpful in identifying patterns or co-relating information
include:
> How many facilities have more than one role?
> What role does the clustering of cultural facilities play in defining a neighbourhood or
district?
> Where are cultural clusters predominantly located?
> What defines cultural clusters (i.e. amount of cultural facilities within a certain range,
the composition of cultural facility clusters and their respective roles, accessibility to
transportation and space)?
> What city-owned opportunities (libraries, community centres, parks, civic centres,
etc.) exist for future programming uses?
> How many cultural space opportunities (schools, places of worship, bookstores, etc.)
exist in each district and how might they be utilized?
> What type of cultural space opportunities (schools, places of worship, bookstores, etc.)
exist for future programming uses?
The cultural facilities map will be able to provide answers to the quantitative questions raised
above. The map however is not designed to provide answers to the more difficult subjective
and qualitative questions that will probably flow from the answers to the above questions.
Examples of such questions include:
> What makes a community work and how are clusters for cultural growth nurtured
and stimulated ?
> Why are some cultural facilities more successful in serving their constituency than others?
> How can the City of Toronto leverage its cultural facilities in order to attract private
sector resources?
Clearly, the questions lead to more questions and to opportunities to examine what elements
contribute to successful cultural clusters or to a dearth of cultural facilities in specific parts of
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