City
Yonge-Dundas Square: You've Come a Long Way, Baby
Let's be honest, Yonge-Dundas Square has not exactly gotten rave reviews from the Toronto blog scene over the past few years. And if all you read are Toronto-focused blogs and zines you couldn't be blamed for assuming that the much lauded square was a complete failure. But recently, a couple of high profile urban affairs writers, Richard Florida and Christopher Hume, have come out not just in defense of the square, but actually gushing with praise for it. Did I miss something? Since when did Toronto's attempt at building a shrine to the god of consumerism become praise-worthy? Is this the turning of the tide for Yonge-Dundas Square?
Richard Florida, founder of the Creative Class Group, urban guru, and serial blogger for the Globe, as well as Toronto Star urban affairs and architecture writer, Christopher Hume, both loved the square so much they decided to express their love in the form of flash video tours of the site. Florida says there is "something for everyone" and Hume calls it an "urban oasis".
Florida I can understand because the guy is so ultra-positive about his newly adopted city it has earned him some criticism. But Hume, as recently as 3 weeks ago, wrote a scathing critique of the new Toronto Life Square building calling it "horrorchitecture". How can it be that the square is a success yet the flagship building that likely will define the square is a failure?
Yonge-Dundas square is often described in terms of its polarizing effect: you either love it or hate it. If this is true, certainly the 'hate it' side has been a lot more vocal than the 'love it' side over the past several years. Now that the square is nearing completion and gaining some A-List supporters, is it time for us to reevaluate Yonge-Dundas Square?
Photo by wvs from the blogTO Flickr pool.
Andrew la Fleur is a registered real estate agent and regular contributor to blogTO.
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I think the square is cool, for like, outdoor events and whatnot. And I guess it's supposed to be like Times Square... meh. If you like big city stuff, I can see how it's a spectacle to behold.
If you don't like consumerism, it's still a spectacle, but not one you'll appreciate!
IMO the real disaster of that part of the city is on Yonge Street <a href="http://tinyurl.com/28jvlq";>heading south</a> towards Queen. I think the whitewashing of the area was a huge debacle and missed opportunity.
It's obviously better than not having a congregating area in the downtown core, but should that really be the bar we set for ourselves? That we are just "better than nothing"?
most cities in the world would make this into a truly public space with a sweet connection to the subway. But toronto has whored itself out to a building that could be in mississauga, not beside a "cultural" square and on top of the TTC.
I did notice though that you reviewed the square when a special event was taking place there. I wonder, would your reaction have been different if you went to the square on a cold Tuesday morning in January when no event was taking place and few visitors were present? My own impression is that the square is great during events, but on its own it is crass and 'soulless'. That I see as a key distinctive between our Square and Times Square in NY. In NY, the square itself is the attraction, in Toronto the attraction is whatever event is taking place there.
Why on earth do we not have higher standards? It wouldn't be so difficult to borrow a few ideas from other cities and implement them here. Our lousey home-grown architects and city planners should have been flunked in school, instead they are allowed to destroy our city.