The Inner Studio - Riverside Architectural Press

TORONTO: THE CITY WHO IS WHOLE
downtown brick neighborhoods and started using the porches as
piazzas. In place of well-kept tiny lawns, the front yards of houses
now grew tomatoes and Chinese cabbage; some sported enormous
Catholic statuary. Intimate tree-lined streets became international
public places. Over a busy weekend front porches became new
family rooms.
The shops on bland main streets started to sell saris, coffee
beans, pizzas, and salami. Neighborhoods that were architecturally
homogeneous began to grow a subtle exotic stubble. New colors,
sounds, and smells came from the old red brick neighborhoods.
The architectural fabric never changed, but each community spoke
its own language and had its own radio station. Cut off from
all this new energy, the traditional institutions fell asleep. But the
main streets of Chinatown, Little Italy, and Little India became
great. The memorable places shifted from dull provincial monuments
to ethnic neighborhoods. This urban transformation was not
designed, nor did politicians recognize it. The aroma of new
kitchens and unfamiliar signage swept through the city like a
hungry fugue. The map of the city was largely unchanged, but its
way of behaving started to change. A ride on the subway became
less silent. The applause at concerts became more spontaneous.
While some nationalities consciously formed neighborhoods, there
were plenty of places where the map of the world was redrawn.
Cultures that had never communicated before shared streets, lawnmowers,
and wedding ceremonies. A public concert of an African
drumming class near Little Italy led to new members of the troupe
from China and Guatemala. When the Ukrainian married the
Filipino, the bride’s and groom’s parents met to agonize over what
to eat and who would wear their national costumes. We need a
great public piazza where we can celebrate this during our brief
summer and go tobogganing during the grey winters.
The Russians brought their down-to-earth naturopaths and
excellent rye breads, the Chinese brought acupuncturists and
herbalists, delicious dumplings, and noodle houses. Toronto is
filled with a stunning array of healers and cooks. I shopped for
dinner on three continents within the same block. Each shop
morphed out of its ordinary form to greet me and then slipped
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