The Inner Studio - Riverside Architectural Press

ack into its exotic shape, language, and smells. English was
spoken briefly when my questions were answered at all. Marshall
McLuhan probably got his idea for the Global Village from taking
walks through the streets surrounding his office. Toronto suddenly
had the whole world in its hands. The United Nations noticed and
sent a plaque of recognition. Toronto grew into a vibrant city and
planet at the same time. We might consider changing our name to
the United Nations of Toronto.
A True Voice
THE INNER STUDIO
You can easily find Toronto at a distance. The skyline appears
dramatically as you approach, but as you draw closer, the imposing
image of the city disappears. But for all its new construction, in
the eyes of tourists, Toronto is most remarkable for its polite citizens
and cleanliness. This is not a city of great monuments,
ambitious boulevards, or dramatic parks. A more subtle force-the
tolerance and energy of its many nations, gives the city its character.
At its core Toronto is a healing place, not a miracle cure. We are
comfortably near the top of the “B” division of cities. As a result the
city has always looked to others to confirm its greatness, never realizing
its own name is enough. Some say the word “Toronto” has its
roots in a native word that means “meeting place.”
The voice of every city is unique because it is made from the
complex social and topographic DNA that arises directly out of its
particular founding. A city is made from the slow and steady development
of events, settings, personalities, and interactions that have
filled it. A few of these moments are memorialized, but many are
never recorded and they slip into the great collective urban unconscious.
A city needs to recognize its unconscious as much as its
needs to recognize its conscious voice. Both are needed for the
creation of genuine places.
Just as millions of people were struggling to belong in Toronto,
Toronto was struggling to find itself as city. The problem was a
simple one. We were not confident. We did what anyone feeling
inferior would do–we overcompensated.
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