fuck scenes!
In a recent article in The Walrus, Mark Kingwell talks about whether the battle between various creative types and moneyed hanger-ons when it comes to control over the cultural capital of Toronto and the "revitalization" of those environments.
While I don't think he's very fair to Jane Jacobs (who does take aim at urban redevelopment and the "self-destruction of diversity" through economic vibrancy), his overall theme of "justice" has merit.
Have the recent revamps of institutions like OCAD and the ROM (as well as alternative hotspots like the Gladstone and the Drake) widened access to culture or codified it even more, creating seemingly-complex rituals that comprise an unspoken set of rules that you understand if you want to belong? (I'd ask if people even care but that's another tangent.)
I haven't been to the ROM yet but the other three have consistently left me with bad tastes in my mouth. I remember how they use to be and I do mourn it but I've moved on; I go to different places now. This, I think, is where I stand on this argument and it's something Kingwell mentions in passing.
Like the rest of the city, I simply don't care. Redevelopment is the nature of the beast and there will always be a lineup of cool, cultural scenes, ready to be transmogrified into the latest condo or tourist attraction. There will also be a new spot, created by some newcomer to the city or some displaced, older resident and it will thrive on its own merits.
It's a cycle and anyone who spends any length of time living in one city should understand this.
So forget the hype, forget any idea of a unified city, full of "ideas" and enjoy what you truly appreciate. Move amongst Toronto's neighborhoods and join in whatever activities suit you.
Let these idiots devour themselves in their debate.
While I don't think he's very fair to Jane Jacobs (who does take aim at urban redevelopment and the "self-destruction of diversity" through economic vibrancy), his overall theme of "justice" has merit.
Have the recent revamps of institutions like OCAD and the ROM (as well as alternative hotspots like the Gladstone and the Drake) widened access to culture or codified it even more, creating seemingly-complex rituals that comprise an unspoken set of rules that you understand if you want to belong? (I'd ask if people even care but that's another tangent.)
I haven't been to the ROM yet but the other three have consistently left me with bad tastes in my mouth. I remember how they use to be and I do mourn it but I've moved on; I go to different places now. This, I think, is where I stand on this argument and it's something Kingwell mentions in passing.
Like the rest of the city, I simply don't care. Redevelopment is the nature of the beast and there will always be a lineup of cool, cultural scenes, ready to be transmogrified into the latest condo or tourist attraction. There will also be a new spot, created by some newcomer to the city or some displaced, older resident and it will thrive on its own merits.
It's a cycle and anyone who spends any length of time living in one city should understand this.
So forget the hype, forget any idea of a unified city, full of "ideas" and enjoy what you truly appreciate. Move amongst Toronto's neighborhoods and join in whatever activities suit you.
Let these idiots devour themselves in their debate.