Author Archives: actinfo

The big idea

The idea for this project came about during a visit to the museum of modern arts (MOMA) in New York city.  By chance, I came across a book entitled Ecological Urbanism which is a collection of articles on urbanization from an ecological standpoint.  The book explores the urban setting from a critical lens with an accomplished collection of educators and writers.  As I walked around the MOMA there were a number of exhibits with the same ecological theme.  I thought my project would be an autoethnography of Queen St. with a twist.  Some ecological problems the urban environment faces are garbage storage and recycling, transportation, energy use and renewal, population growth, and ability to harvest natural resources. The pictures are taken courtesy of Google maps.  My autoethnography will critically evaluate the city’s ecology giving reference to many of the authors that contributed to Ecological Urbanism by Harvard University Graduate school of design.  The recent ecological crisis around climate change has fast impacted humanity’s willingness to change.

A walk along Queen St.

My journey along Queen St. takes me back to 1995 when I first moved to Canada from Trinidad.  At that time I was only 13 and my mom kept on reinforcing to me that this was a fresh start for me and that I needed to take advantage of the opportunities that were available.  Arriving in Canada in the late winter was not an easy adjustment but soon I would see some of the best sights around the city.  I remember how clean the city was in comparison to my former country.  There were garbage cans and recycling bins conveniently located around the city.  On weekends we would go grocery shopping in the west near Lansdowne St./Dufferin St. and that is where my journey along Queen St. begins.

There is a grocery store just a little north of Queen St. that we would go to every two weeks.  The store was not a close walking distance but only 10 minutes on the streetcar.  Notice from the picture the clutter with the cars, the lack of bicycle lanes, and of course the streetcar tracks.  Already there appears to be too much congestion in the city.  Mostafavi finds the impact of automobile-based living can be seen in the steep increase in the percentage of overweight individuals in the American population, from 24 % in 1960, 47% in 1980, and 63% in 2010 (p. 32).  The Canadian statistics are very similar at 62% overweight in 2010 (Stats Canada).  As a newcomer to the city I thought about walking or riding over to various destinations.  It was a huge change for me to feel the density of people in the city.  It seemed that there were not that many people walking around in the city to get places.  The streetcars were always busy on the weekends and the city was always full of life.  A more ecological city design would give more access to cyclists and less to the drivers who clog the city streets.   The impact of the large number of cars in the city was certainly something I could smell in the air quality.  It was not the same as the pure Caribbean breeze from my house in the countryside.  Comparatively, in the Netherlands cycling is the main form of transportation in the urban centers.  The obesity rates in the Netherlands are less than 20% ( http://ec.europa.eu/health).

As I move along to the east I start to appreciate the amount of trees and green that is around the city.  In my childhood I loved the spring and the summer months as the trees started to get green again.  It was a site to behold while traveling on the streetcar.  “Toronto is not a concrete jungle,” I thought to myself.  The trees can be seen all the way down, a few small parks are conveniently located along Queen St., and the street car tracks continue all the way across.  The green that is seen in Toronto makes it aesthetically pleasing.  The plants seem to be an afterthought only given a 1 foot by 1 foot square or max 2 feet by 2 feet.  It is impossible to debate the point that the city is full of concrete: high rise business towers, apartment buildings, shopping centers, sporting facilities, entertainment buildings and much more.  Glaeser writes: “Dense, concrete jungles may not look at all that green, but they are, because when we use less space, we do less environmental harm.” (p. 307).  I agree that the city is the place where people of all varieties come together for unified causes and that it is a green way to live since everything is in a close proximity.  A recent study has shown that it is much more carbon efficient for individuals to live in the city, that is, those individuals drive short distances away from work and use less amounts of electricity in the summer and winter (p. 306).  The largest wave of urban growth in history is happening now. Since 2007, for the first time, the majority of the world’s population has been living in urban instead than rural areas (UN-Habitat, 2007).  There is an argument for keeping the city concrete and keeping the rural natural.  However, most authors disagree that the urban city will be able to survive without adapting its ecological behaviours.

This is the Queen St. and Bathurst St. intersection.  I went to an elementary school for a few months only a short distance away from this intersection.  My urban-Toronto education experience was no different from my Caribbean (urban and rural) education experiences.  This intersection represents my clash with the urban education I received.  There was more technology available but it was hardly used and school was becoming a place of stress not personal growth or enjoyment.  The emphasis was still on learning math and science in order to get a job.  However, my experience could have been much more authentic if ideas on incorporating the urban experience were introduced to many of my classes.  Imagine the impact of studying an ecosystem if the students are allowed to plant trees, harvest the soil, learn about organic vegetables and the organisms that survive in these settings.  The math, english, physical education, science and geography components are all embedded within the above task.  By contrast, the current school system is a very linear model of what true education represents; specific subject categories limit the creativity of educators to use more transdisciplinary approaches to teaching.  Fortunately there are forward thinking schools such as The Green School in Bali where students are not only surrounded by organic materials but the learn to survive by learning the necessary skills to maintain sustainable balance with the planet.

Toronto is full of amazing scenery and Queen St. is the place to be for some of the best art, fashion, and shopping venues.  Here you can see the CN tower in the background.  The Canadian National tower represents an architectural feat that was unparalleled in its time.  It stood as the tallest building in the world for 34 years and it remains the tallest in the western hemisphere.  This view of the CN tower shows a contradiction in the beauty of the city.  The deserted land is full with wooden rubble and garbage but a good sign is that land is available.  Perhaps in a few years there will be some sort of business built on the same land but the view of the CN tower will be blocked from Queen St.  The street is full of buildings that give you a narrow view of urban life: shops, banks, and restaurants.

Look above at the urban spider web.  This is the Spadina Ave. and Queen St. intersection.  Streetcar tracks from the north-south route intersect with the east-west route.  It takes about 20 seconds to cross the street walking at a normal pace.  I don’t remember this intersection ever being quiet.  There are banks at diagonal corners here to represent the strong presence of commerce in the urban setting.  I was once bumped by a car while riding my bicycle to school only a short block away from this intersection.  The traffic in the city is a major problem here and pedestrians seem to have no power or even any rights in the heart of the city.  At this intersection there is a 24 hour McDonanld’s where a new face in the city becomes visible: the poor.  One night as I walked by the McDonald’s with my brother we were approached by a young man whose face was full of dirt, his hair was long and messy, and his facial hair was untidy with traces of debris as if he had not washed his face in weeks.  The young man asked me (at 18) for some change.  I had no job or means of income at that time.  Yet, out of compassion I purchased the young man a bag of fries.  Fainstein comments on the widespread definition of ecological urbanism that also embraces environmental justice which “considers the impact of environmental change on the socially disadvantaged groups and analyzes the distributional impacts of environmental policy.” (p. 300)  Even in a beautiful city such as Toronto there are people who have no place to live and no place to sleep.  There are casualties every winter from extreme cold conditions.

The classic architecture with the arches above the windows is something that I rarely appreciated in the city.  The colour of the building is a sign of its age.  These style of buildings are good at keeping in the heat and act as a good insulator against the cold weather.  There is nothing truly novel about the architecture compared to some of the more modern initiatives in other parts of the world where ecology, architecture and art fuse together in harmony.  In the background we can see the tall buildings starting to appear.  However, there seems to be no variety with the architecture in the city.  All the tall buildings are concrete with rectangular windows.

(Chinese Television Headquarters.  Photo courtesy of Google images)

(Singapore residential complex. Photo courtesy of Google images)

(Capital Gate- Abu Dhabi.  Photo courtesy of Google images)

Cohen and Naginski describe architecture to be “just as likely to provoke change (transformative architecture) as it is to respond to it (responsive architecture).” (p. 137).  With all the ecological problems facing the city- smog, renewable energy sources, disposal of waste, over-congestion- I wonder what response will there be from an architectural standpoint to challenge the ecological problem and still fit in the city without being an unpleasant sight.  The good news is that there are multiple projects already underway.  www.urbantoronto.ca is a website where Torontonians can see all the upcoming projects from the newest subway stations, to new designs for condos, to new eco-friendly shopping centers, and much more.

(photo taken from www.urbantoronto.ca)

This is a rendered picture of the new Steeles West station under construction in the north of the city.  Toronto promises to make the transportation system more accessible to the public in an effort to clear congestion in the city.  However, there are no new initiatives with limiting the exhaust from the cars in the city.  There are dozens of car companies with zero-emissions models available for purchase that could do the city a lot of good.  I used to go for short runs in the city for my training on weekends.  I started to realize that I was doing more harm than good to my body by running alongside the fumes of cars.  Many people living in the city have the same complaint.  Tolaas asserts: “It is interesting that when people were asked to use their noses to perceive the city, they suddenly became aware that they themselves were causing the pollution.” (p.153).  The lack of eco-friendly options in the city is a major concern.  Much of the pollution could be avoided with alternative renewable sources of energy such as solar energy and wind power energy.  Although Toronto does have geo-thermal energy as one of the providers of energy in Ontario there is still a heavy reliance on fossil fuels.

Queen St. and John St. is the landmark for my arrival in Toronto.  The first building that I lived in for 5 years in the city is only a short distance to the north of this intersection.  Every morning when I traveled to school I walked south on John St and I saw the CN tower in the background.  I started to lose appreciation for the marvelous architecture after a while.  These are some of the things urban dwellers take for granted in the city.  At this intersection there once existed the political voice of the people in Toronto known as “Speaker’s Corner”.  Torontonians and visitors alike were able to pay a loonie for 3 minutes of recorded video that sometimes would air on the Sunday night show with the same name.  The voice of the city no longer exists at Queen St. and John St. but perhaps one day there will be enough interest to renew the popular destination.

The next two blocks enters the core of the city.  In Rennes, France there is an ecotower that integrates windmills, photovoltaic panels, Canadian wells, rainwater, black water, ecological materials, and thermal and hygrometrical regulation.  The 30 level building located at the heart of the city integrates agriculture and energy production with the city through architecture.  None of the skyscrapers seen in this picture have such energy efficiencies.  In fact, many of the buildings in the above picture are searching for new technologies to improve energy efficiency through the study of natural biological organisms such as studying the efficiency of the human skin in retaining heat and regulating internal temperature.  Ecological urbanism involves the cross-curricular approach to problem solving because it recognizes the need for professionals in all branches of science, medicine and art, to come together to make the best design for sustainable living in the city.  The SOFT CITIES project is one possible solution for clean energy using energy-harvesting textile systems and thin-film solar nanomaterials.

On a sunny day in the heart of the city I hardly ever felt the sun.  The tall buildings tend to block the sun for most of the day.  Along Queen St. most of the buildings are concrete but some of the newer buildings are entirely made of glass on the exterior.  Some may argue that the glass buildings are more attractive.  However, attractive is not necessarily better for the environment.  While walking to the Eaton center with a few friends I noticed a dead bird being decomposed in the grass adjacent to a tall building.  At that time I was unable to process the reason for the bird’s death.  I thought perhaps it died of natural causes.  Is it now natural for birds to die in the urban as they crash into the sky scrapers that give them the illusion of not being present?  Tall glass buildings are the cause of hundreds of bird deaths every year in cities across the globe.  Biology professor Dr. Daniel Klem Jr. calls this “senseless slaughter of wildlife” an irresponsible act by humans.  The small park in this picture shows that Toronto is committed to maintaining an eco-friendly environment but many of the glass skyscrapers contradict the idea.

Queen St. is one of the cleanest in Toronto.  This picture shows one of the many recycling stations on the busy street.  When I took the subway back from high school as a teenager I would get off at Queen St. and University Ave. only a block away from this site.  In the early afternoon many of the garbage cans were overflowing and I was forced to hold onto my garbage until the next recycling station.  I started to investigate Toronto’s garbage policy and what happens to the large amount of waste that is produced daily.  Toronto purchased the Green Lane Landfill just outside London about 200 km from Toronto.  The previous contract with the city of Michigan expired in 2010.  At that time over 142 trucks traveled the 500 km distance daily.  Currently there are over 100 trucks that travel to the Green Lane landfill daily.  The Green Lane landfill has some of the latest technology to collect methane gas and by 2013 much of the collected gas will be used to produce up to 16 megawatts of electricity for Ontario.  Methane is one of the greenhouse gases responsible for global warming.  Other major urban cities do not have the luxury of transporting the waste too far away from the city centers.  Thus other environmental initiatives have come to the forefront.  Outram, Biderman and Ratti describe one such project named Trash Talk in New York City which “aims to increase the rate of waste recycling in the city to almost 100 percent by 2030” (p. 169).  Toronto has similar initiatives underway to continue its award-winning practices in limiting the damage to the environment especially the littering of cigarette butts around the city.

Just before Yonge St. there is a sky walkway to connect the Eaton center with The Hudson Bay building.  This dazzling bit of architecture – between two glass-covered skyscrapers  – is a convenient pathway for pedestrians to get a good view of Queen St. while staying in a temperate environment.  The city saves on cost for energy with a stop lights, the buildings also save on energy costs as there is less heated or cooled air being lost when doors are opened.  Finally, there is a less interrupted flow of traffic that keeps the carbon pollution out of the city.  Queen St. also has an extensive underground walkway with less scenic views that pedestrians have the option of using in the colder months.  Nevertheless, the shopping is quite good underground.

Looking south on Yonge St. reminds me my first restaurant experience in the city.  As a university student I dined at an Italian restaurant a few blocks south of here.  I did not pay close attention to the prices and was expecting a bill less than $50 but when the final tab of $100 came to the table I was stunned by the expense of eating in the city.  The prices are significantly higher in the city.  Ecological urbanism has a very holistic definition that defies not only what we eat but where we get the food from.  Vogelzang writes: “some people call themselves ‘locavores’ and eat only food produced within cycling distance of their home.  Maybe we can go a step further and be ‘urbatarians.'” (p. 166).  Some restaurants in Toronto are proud to disclose the source of the ingredients.  Down at Queen St. and Pape St. there was a Thai restaurant called Green Mango that served all organic foods with many local ingredients.  The restaurant has since relocated to Bloor St. but similar restaurants can be located around the city.

“…green is more than color; it is vegetation, open space, a type of building or urbanism, an environmental cause, a political movement…” (Doherty, p. 174)

“…speak of the relativity of color across cultures; still, they found that a word for green almost always exists, even when a word for blue does not.” – Brent Berlin and Paul Kay

As I exit the core district of the city along Queen St. the colour of nature makes an appearance again.  The buildings go back to normal height and nature is given room to breath again. One idea that I got from the book Ecological Urbanism was to view Queen St. as a function of stock market trends.  One author, Koolhaas, hypothesizes that any solution for the current ecological crisis will simultaneously call for an end the ¥€$ regime of profit and consumption (p.69).  The ecology of the downtown core of Queen St. is essentially made up of cement buildings that start very short as one is away from the city, rises to very high levels as one enters the city, and drops again as one leaves the core of the city.  Certainly, this picture shows the trend exists.  Even though the lines on the graph go up the challenge is to keep the lines green using eco-friendly technology.  Green in the urban setting is not only about the colour of nature, it is about creating a sustainable way of living for future generations to enjoy life on the planet.  The architects and planners are well ahead of the politicians with many interesting projects displayed on sites such as www.archi-europe.com

This is the Parliament St. and Queen St. intersection.  A few blocks south of this picture is Lake Ontario.  Kirkwood comments: “as modern cities grow up and out, what sustainable systems will deliver food, energy, and water?” (p. 190).  Until this point there has been no mention of one of the most valuable resources on the planet: fresh water.  I remember the first time drinking water in Toronto.  I was in my family’s small apartment and I held the largest cup I could find.  My mother told me the water was safe to drink unlike the highly chlorinated water from the Caribbean.  The urban population of the city are fortunate to have such a large water source.  However, upon further evaluation Lake Ontario is the most polluted of all the great lakes.  Countries in Asia and Europe have started to look critically at sustaining their water resources.  A series of technological designs are underway to best filter, store and remove harmful products from the water sources in the urban ecosystem.  Floating cities have also been proposed by forward-thinking architects to increase land area close to the coasts.

(Floating city image taken from Google images)

Occasionally you will find a house on Queen St. that looks like the one in this picture.  It seems like bushes have taken over of humanity.  The bushes have covered the front of the house and are growing up to the second floor.  Is this by design or due to laziness?  I think that it adds character to the property.  Yet I would not be surprised if the neighbours had serious complaints.  I have seen many cities in Europe that have houses covered by bushes similar to the one in this photograph.  Perhaps there is a cultural difference in the perception of nature in the urban setting.  The dominant way of thinking of architecture is to design with intent to stay permanently.  Vector Architects (a brand name) from Beijing have created a residential plan with a design for temporary period of time, “to design an installation that could be built, demolished, and recycled in an easy and straight-forward manner, with the least impact to its site.” (p. 254).  Such a design could prove to be revolutionary for the urban environment with ecological efficiency in all aspects of the design.

(image provided by www.treehugger.com)

As I approach the Don Valley Parkway bridge memories of traffic jams surface.  The view overlooking the bridge is packed with cars and buses during peak times.  In Toronto that includes morning, late morning, noon, afternoon and late afternoon.  There is no escaping the traffic.  Recently there has been some more incentive to limit the number of cars in the city by having car pool lanes for long stretches on the highways.  However, those lanes are not long enough and enforcement of the lanes is difficult to control.  Toronto is slowly improving its transit system for the growing population.

There are plans to build a condo just south of the DVP and Gardiner intersection.  Nothing says city living like the word “condo”; it represents the need for space in the city, a maximization of area and profit.  Some condo dwellers love their lifestyles being close to work, enjoying the benefits of the city, and having certain luxuries such as gyms and swimming pools in the condos.  On the other hand, I find that condos detach the human from nature; the trees that provide oxygen and food, and the animals that provide food while contributing to their ecosystems.  Most the modern condos are highly efficient buildings with solar panels, rooftop dining areas, rooftop gardens, and extremely efficient recycling practices.  I previously mentioned that the urban can be a green space for those who attempt to ensure the resources are well maintained.  Therefore, I see condo dwellers as doing their parts in living the “green” life by limiting their commutes to work, limiting the car pollution by walking, saving the environment by having a home that is vertical to the ground instead of having to cut down more trees to build a house, and living in buildings that have strong environmental practices.

My journey to the east ends at Pape Ave. where most the building are small houses or retail stores.  My former high school was only a couple blocks away from the intersection in this picture.  The traffic in the city is much less, cyclists are able to ride with less hassle, there is a lot of green near the sidewalks, the stop lights are further apart compared to the core of the city, and garbage/recycling can be found at the major intersection.  It is best to recapitulate with the words of Bruno Latour: “nothing looks the same, space is different, and so is time. Space is now that of a fully urbanized planet Earth.”  Queen St. has changed since I routinely traveled it over a decade ago.  From a global perspective, the planet too has changed.  The changing global climate has led architects and politicians to consider ways to make the urban ecosystem more efficient and ultimately fully sustainable.  Food, water, air quality, transportation, traffic are some of the ecological issues that were presented along Queen St.  Cross-cultural, cross-curricular solutions are needed to solve many of the problems in the urban environment.  Millions of lives depend on the success of future projects in the urban setting.

Reference

Mostafavi, M., Doherty, G. & Design, H.U.G.S.O., 2010. Ecological Urbanism, Lars Muller Publishers.

Video of my autoethnography