City Of Toronto example essay topic

Urban life is being transformed as we approach the 21st Century. Mass communications and other technologies are revolutionizing the retail and financial sectors. Higher and further educations providers have become an important element of city centres concentrating large numbers of students and staff around new ways of lifelong learning. Libraries, theatres, parks, galleries and museums and other large civic space users are being challenged as never before by lack of local public funding and the new opportunities created by the Lottery and the private sector. Leisure, entertainment, tourism, sport and the cultural industries are becoming important employers, restorers of civic pride and engines for growth in the local economy. The movement of people around and between urban areas and the impact on the environment, sustainability and the quality of life is an increasing concern.

Patterns of employment are changing dramatically with flexible, casual ised and contract labour replacing the weekday 9 to 5 pattern for shop and office work. Event and theme led tourism strategies, the re imaging of city centres through Millennium bids and the repackaging and marketing of towns and cities are seen as ways of making urban locations more attractive to investors and visitors. Exclusion is a major issue for sub-groups and minority cultures such as the poor, the disabled, ethnic groups, youth, the elderly and children. There are many committed to working together to improve the human experience of our towns and cities be they politicians, campaigners, magistrates, entrepreneurs, developers, arts managers, community workers, planners, designers, promoters, retailers, licensees, caterers, trainers, producers, artists or performers. The major trend in most subjects, such as geography and marketing is globalization.

The term! SS globalization!" can be expressed as, ! SS the set of processes that connect societies; while fragmenting and transcending the social structure it confronts!" (Cameron, 2000). A significant great impact on economy, culture, and social spaces has increased as the borders have become vulnerable to areas such as immigration and trading (Cameron, 2000). Resources such as knowledge and capital have increased mobility in the economy sector, and intercity competition has begun (Holcomb, 2001). Cities can no longer attract people because of their accessibility to raw materials, labor supply, and transportation (Holcomb, 2001).

Now, promotion has to be used to pursue and to sell the city to a target group of potential investors, employers, residents and, visitors (Holcomb, 2002). Globalization has driven the need for differentiating and promoting the uniqueness and best qualities of all major cities. One such city is Toronto, and it is altering itself from being a command center of traditional industrialization to a place for satisfying post-industrial future needs. Unlike the industrial age, prosperity is no longer measured-in smokestacks.

Cities are themselves and redefining prosperity as the quality of life (Holcomb, 2001). The topic raises certain questions: How can Toronto differentiate its uniqueness and quality by promoting its prosperity? What is Toronto trying to promote? Toronto is one of the most wonderful cities in the world. Cultural diversity is significant in the city. In 1997, 42 per cent of all Canadian immigrants chose Toronto as their destination (2).

In 1996, out of 4.3 million residents of Toronto, 1.5 million were new immigrants, arriving since 1986 (Bunting, 2000). In 2001, Over 50 percent of the population is immigrants (2). The reason for choosing to reside in Toronto is obvious: there is diversity of urban life and its creative, compassionate, and entrepreneurial spirit (6). Potential new immigrants are convinced by the promotion of Toronto. One factor that attracts immigrants to Toronto is the quality of life.

The quality of life is described in Toronto's promotional package that shows promising future times consisting of clean, green, and vibrant lifestyles including the abundance of cultural attractions and popular arts, entertainment, notable sports teams, and dramatic buildings (Holcomb, 2001). On the City of Toronto's website, the Toronto Official Plan consultants mention the definitions of the quality of life defined of Torontonians. Some examples include diverse cultural and art opportunities; cutting edge activity in business, technology and the arts; personal safety; interesting and vital public streets; attractive public spaces; and beautiful, inspiring buildings (2). To ensure the quality of life for people living and traveling in Toronto, the new Official Plan of Toronto has been proposed. It provides a vision of further development that includes such things as vibrant neighborhoods; vital, attractive, and walkable streets; green spaces; clean ecosystems; beautiful architecture and urban design; and a spectacular waterfront (6). The new Official Plan emphasizes having a clean ecosystem and green spaces because pollution problems have resulted from the previous industrial-oriented days.

Now, it is a challenging task for the City of Toronto to find ways of repairing the damage and becoming! SS green!" (Bunting, 2000). Green Space System is one of the proposed campaigns in the Official Plan (2). The land used in Green Space System is not only the core for providing a natural habitat and balancing the ecosystems, but land also supports tourism and entertainment making Toronto a desirable destination for all visitors (6). Examples of Green Space System are the waterfront, ravines, watercourses, parks, and other open spaces that connect to form a web of green spaces across the city (6). The waterfront is a gift from Mother Nature.

This year alone, the City of Toronto spent $1.584 million on the waterfront's development (2), not only under the proposal of Green Space System but also because of the huge current cultural project called the! SS Waterfront Culture and Heritage Infrastructure Plan!" . The strategy of these schemes aims to develop a high profile cultural zone for all Toronto's citizens and tourists recreational needs cultural enhancement. As described by Toronto Mayor Mel Last man, !

SS! From festivals that bring together hundreds of thousands of people, to quiet retreats for classical music. This spectacular renewal will reconnect us with our lake and all it promises. !" (2). The waterfront project covers nearly the whole area of Toronto from Etobicoke to Scarborough. A grid of seven corridors consisting of Garrison Creek / Garrison Common, John Street, Yonge Street, Jarvis Street, Waterfront Trail, Don River Valley, and Front Street, was created.

Twelve cultural such as holding festival under the theme of! SS Foot of Yonge!" are presented to enhance the quality of cultural and heritage resources (2). The presence of culture in the city is one of the most important aspects cited as desirable (Holcomb, 2001). The City of Toronto is making tremendous efforts to present positive cultural attractions. In 2002, the City of Toronto spent $6.936 million on its cultural projects; of this, $3.2 million in city funding was distributed to Toronto's cultural organizations such as the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Canadian Opera Company, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (2). The Cultural Division is a core culture-promoting city department that focuses on promoting the development of arts, culture, and heritage.

Furthermore, it ensures accessibility to a variety of cultural activities, provides direct cultural services, and supports the entire cultural sector of the community (2). Another current project that is underway for the culture and arts in Toronto is the Creative City-Work print project. It encourages an open discussion with the public about the facts of the current state of arts, culture, and heritage in Toronto. As a result, the ideas and outcome these discussions will benefit the development of Toronto as the Creative City of the future (2). Although high cultural activities enrich the day-to-day quality of life of every Torontonian, being one of the greatest cities or the only Creative City is not enough.! SS People flock into the world's greatest cities not just to enjoy the culture, but to wander the streets, to explore their parks and plazas, to enjoy the street life, to shop and to people watch!" (6).

Besides art and cultural development, furnishing the streets and surrounding places with parks and trees is also an important task to the promotional package Some special events are held by the City of Toronto each year in order to attract Toronto's citizens and tourists and to add to the enjoyment of life in Toronto. Street festivals are good examples of events that allow people to enjoy the street life and excitement. Every year in July these festivals are held on the longest street in Toronto, Yonge Street (2). Yonge Street is one of the most exciting places for various types of entertainment. It is a gathering place for different types of Canadian entertainment and talented performers (2). Another aspect making up quality of life is!

SS trophy architecture!" which is the building of landmarks that represent a place, a city, or a country. Holcomb defines trophy architecture as large, impressive, and distinctive new buildings (Holcomb, 2001). Since it is so impressive and well defined in one's! SS mental map!" (Holcomb, 2001), every person in Canada might designate the CN Tower as the landmark or even the pride of Toronto.

It is classified as one of the Seven Wonders of the New World according to the American Society of Civil Engineers (3). It is the world's tallest building with a height of 533.33 meters (3). Each year, approximately two million tourists visit this icon of Toronto, and these visits bring Toronto income and further opportunities for tourism. Being so tall and bold, it signals Toronto's pride to the rest of the world. Great cities cannot consist only of great buildings. Attractive and functional streets, plazas, parks, and surrounding add to the status that makes a superior public realm (6).

For example, sidewalks and boulevards need to be redesigned into safe, attractive, and comfortable spaces for pedestrians (6). A blueprint of new parks indicates they will be connected to existing parks, enhancing what already exists. The new parks not only provide a comfortable atmosphere but also show the unique aspects of the community's natural and human-made heritage (6). It should be kept in mind that most of the programs mentioned above are occurring in the downtown area of Toronto. This is because the downtown Toronto area is one of the major Canada's business communities and also the home to numerous activities involving arts, culture, and entertainment (2). Due to a post-industrial trend of decentralization, it is crucial for each downtown area to remain competitive with other suburban areas and other big cities in the world.

Finally, the Yonge - Dundas Redevelopment Project forms a part of Toronto's improvement plan (Figure 1). Every Toronto citizen, especially students from Ryerson University, can easily observe the development of the site on a day-to-day basis. The core of this redevelopment project is Yonge - Dundas Square which is planned as an urban entertainment centre made up of retail stores, restaurants, a 30-screen cinema which will also serve as a hall, and a new public square (2). This latest entertainment venue will likely attract people from all over the world to celebrate the reinvigorated heart of downtown Toronto.

As a result, the dynamic intersection may electrify the city, attract more tourists, and thus be beneficial for the city's economy. Toronto is a! SS World Class City!" that has demonstrated quality of life in other respects. It is a sport city that has six professional sport teams including the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL), Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB), and Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). With such activities that draw large crowds, it is important that this is a safe community, and this area's low and decelerating crime rate of! V 28 proves this is the case (2).

This makes Toronto a step ahead in the world globalization. Nonetheless, to fully create a new image and promote the city, Toronto must demonstrate it is aware that quality of life is more than major league sports, entertainment and cultural events, or even state of the art architecture. Although these are significant ways in which we, the Torontonians, enjoy living in the city and reveal ourselves to the rest of the world, it is also a way of drawing and keeping the intelligent and skilled workers necessary for existing and new industries (Holcomb, 2001). In the long run, emphasis should be on continuing efforts to develop clear principles for a city plan in order to stress quality of life through balanced and well-maintained ecosystems, beautiful surroundings and recreational areas, bold architecture, and further cultural and arts development.

The future Official Plan should work to make Toronto a sophisticated world-class destination for tourists, potential investors, and residents. Work Cited (1) Bunting, T. and Fili on, P. (eds.) (2000) Canadian Cities in Transition: The Twenty-first Century, Second Edition, Toronto, Oxford University Press (2) City of Toronto Home Page. City of Toronto [online] Available: 1998-2002 (3) CN Tower. Toronto [online] Available: 2002 (4) Cameron, David and Stein, Gross Janice. Globalization, Culture and Society: The State as Place Amidst Shifting Spaces. Canadian Public Policy.

2000. (5) Holcomb, Briavel.! SS Place Marketing: Using Media to Promote Cities!" By Vale, L. J and Warner, S. B eds. 2001.

Imaging the City: Continuing Struggles and New Directions. New Brunswick. NJ. : Center for Urban Policy Research. (6) Toronto Urban Development Service A Citizen's Guide to Toronto's New Official Plan. June 2002.