Closing out the last days of summer, tourists clamber over the giant letters of the marquee 海角社区官网sign in Nathan Phillips Square, snapping photos 鈥 mementos of a visit to Canada鈥檚 largest metropolis 鈥 while others wait for burgers from a nearby snack shack. But at the footsteps of city hall, there鈥檚 not much else to do, with much of this public square paved over with blank concrete, embellished only by the broken disappearing fountains and garbage bins for wayward coffee cups.
鈥淚t鈥檚 totally blank. It鈥檚 bland,鈥 observed Sandra Winfrey, a first-time visitor to 海角社区官网standing in the square. She gestures to the grey expanses, a void except for the bureaucrats and commuters who quickly scuttle from one end to another. 鈥淚t looks like just a place to walk across.鈥澛
This is Toronto鈥檚 main civic square, which draws in nearly two million visitors per year, but has been lambasted by even elected city officials as bland 鈥 starved of colour or shade from the sun, without anything meaningful to do when it isn鈥檛 dolled up for holiday events, cultural festivities or feisty protests. While designers and architects blame the choices of the past, arguing the city was set up for failure by the square鈥檚 initial design, it鈥檚 a patch of 海角社区官网that some still believe has potential, with a number of ways to spruce up the unremarkable public square 鈥 without breaking the bank in a cash-strapped municipality.聽
Coun. Paul Ainslie (Ward 24 Scarborough-Guildwood)聽聽to repair parts of the square long showing signs of aging, including the inoperative electronic display board, but said he wants to have a creative lens on improving its seating as well.
鈥淲e have that big open space in the middle in front of City Hall. I think it could be a lot more fun,鈥 said Ainslie, who鈥檚 chair of the city鈥檚 general government committee.
The 12-acre urban plaza opened in 1965 and was designed years before, by architects Viljo Revell and Richard Strong, in a postwar era where聽聽was thriving, a type of design style characterized by minimalist, monolithic construction with lots of concrete and a rigid appearance.
Humans hustle through this flat, unwelcoming zone at Toronto鈥檚 heart, little reflecting on the vibrant, tumbledown neighbourhood that was
Humans hustle through this flat, unwelcoming zone at Toronto鈥檚 heart, little reflecting on the vibrant, tumbledown neighbourhood that was
It was considered 鈥渋nnovative and revolutionary鈥 to have that much concrete open space, said Naama Blonder, an architect and urban designer who co-founded design firm Smart Density. 鈥淚t was for the celebration of democracy, demonstrations, protests and whatnot.鈥
That鈥檚 still one of its main functions today, but civic squares or plazas usually have 鈥渃onflicting types of uses it has to accommodate,鈥 said Robert Wright, a landscape architect and professor at the University of Toronto鈥檚 Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design.
The overall budget to look after the square is also driven by how much money the space brings in from events.
The city鈥檚 photo laureate says so long after a three-year term that included this groundbreaking 鈥楽hine On鈥 mentorship program
The city鈥檚 photo laureate says so long after a three-year term that included this groundbreaking 鈥楽hine On鈥 mentorship program
Without events, the plaza, once displaying聽an exhibition of photographs colouring its main ramp, is 鈥渂lank concrete that is definitely oversized鈥 and 鈥減oor in activities, structure and things you can use,鈥 Blonder said.
The last time聽Nathan Phillips Square聽was refreshed was between 2010 and 2015 when the city added the theatre stage, redesigned the skate pavilion and planted greenery around the perimeter including the relocated Peace Garden behind the stage and the podium鈥檚 green roof.聽
However, these changes were part of what in 2007 envisioned, the result of an international design competition where some ideas from winners Plant Architect Inc. and Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners remain largely unbuilt. At the time, much like today, funding proved to be an issue.
And, 鈥減utting the (green) landscape on anything that isn鈥檛 ground level is 鈥 almost destined to fail,鈥 Blonder said, noting the聽聽wasn鈥檛 always accessible either.
(A city spokesperson noted the square鈥檚 new Spirit Garden on the south-west side, which is meant to honour residential school survivors and consists of a turtle sculpture in the middle of a reflecting pond surrounded by some greenery, is expected to open this fall.)
However, neither Winfrey nor her husband Bruce, and neither Cecilia Sorgine nor her friend Leonardo Reigada, knew of the tucked-away green spaces.
鈥淚t鈥檚 weird having such a nice, colourful space not considered a main attraction,鈥 said Sorgine, adding that the centre space then becomes 鈥渟o serious鈥 and 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 match鈥 with the only features that are immediately visible, such as the fountain and 海角社区官网sign. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like something separate.鈥
Reigada, squinting with the sun in his eyes, said the area also needs more shade.聽
While the main area in front of city hall鈥檚 doors could benefit from more greenery, Blonder noted that anything green needs several inches of soil to support it 鈥 at the time it was designed with an underground parking garage beneath it but 鈥渢hey definitely did not account for any vegetation and soft landscape on top.鈥
But that doesn鈥檛 mean it鈥檚 impossible, she continued, citing examples of underground parking garages with greenery on top, such as 111 Pacific Ave. near High Park.
鈥淧robably the lowest hanging fruit is to bring out movable planters and street furniture 鈥 like coloured or artistically designed tables and chairs,鈥 said Matti Siemiatycki, director of the Infrastructure Institute at the University of Toronto.
Ainslie spitballed the idea of adding Muskoka chairs, benches or grassy hills in the centre for more seating, adding to what鈥檚 already in place on Queen Street West.
But ambition needs to be levelled with viability. Wright said while movable shade structures and planters are all doable, the upkeep would be high. 鈥淲e鈥檙e struggling to maintain what we already have,鈥 he said.
The sentiment extends to some other 海角社区官网civic squares, including the likes of聽Yonge-Dundas Square which聽is defined by its concrete slabs facing away from the grey, mostly empty middle square聽鈥 鈥減retty harsh鈥 with 鈥渁 lot of paving,鈥 said Siemiatycki, comparing greener, livelier and newer spaces like聽听辞谤听.
Berczy Park.
Jim Rankin 海角社区官网StarWhen Coun. Nick Mantas (Ward 22, Scarborough-Agincourt) asked at the city鈥檚 general government committee about the feasibility of redesigning Nathan Phillips Square, city staff said while there鈥檚 鈥渕oney above the line鈥 to make repairs, a redesign would require studying its feasibility and figuring out where the costs fit into their priorities over the coming years.
Coun. Stephen Holyday (Ward 2, Etobicoke Centre) said he鈥檚 unsure the city needs to reinvent the square, but it still needs a facelift because it鈥檚 where most visitors get an impression of Toronto.
Winfrey visited the square for the 海角社区官网sign, 鈥渁s most of us, I鈥檓 sure, do.鈥 But besides that, there鈥檚 nothing to 鈥渂reak the monotony of the place,鈥 she said.
鈥淲e saw the sign,鈥 Sorgine echoed, 鈥渂ut now we鈥檙e leaving because there鈥檚 nothing to do here.鈥
Editor’s note — Sept 23, 2024
This article has been updated to provide more context about the design of Nathan Phillips Square.
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