Creating a Toronto Identity

[Roots_Energize]

As Toronto goes through this major construction boom, and expand our cultural buildings, there's still lots of work to be done. Toronto has an identity crisis, we are still searching for that vision and i think as a city we are on the verge of really pulling through but there's some things holding us back.


Check out the link http://www.slideshare.net/hssaini1/competitive-identitytoronto

Here are some quotes ...

“Torontonians live in a city where the beginning An article in Spacing Magazine described Toronto as an is forgotten and the end is unknown, and intersection of everything: of so whatever happens can only surprise and surpass. architecture “cute Victorian next to glass high risesâ€, of Tremendous historic events do not resonate in its cement, people “Polish living next to Tamil next to Vietnamese next glass, and brick. The city was not built upon sturdy to Persianâ€, of classes “Saabs and rooming houses on the founding mythologies, and only historians and enthusiasts same blockâ€, and even of flora “Southern coniferous and know the names on its street signs, who designed the CN northern deciduous forests meet here tooâ€


“Toronto is yet to establish a clear and unique storyâ€â€¦ “People do not have a lot of specific knowledge and associations with the city and “Toronto†doesn’t conjure many meaningful images.†“Toronto is an undemonstrative, unassuming city unsure of how to represent itself, with no identifiable brand of metropolitanismâ€-Eric Rutherford “Toronto is unfolding before us, 'unfinished' and full of possibilityâ€- OpenCity


Also… heres the thing! Research reveals that foreign audiences perceive little value of diversity because they may not think it’s unique or see any symbolic relevance to it. Although Toronto’s diversity may be at a much higher degree, many other cities in the world are also very diverse. Since diversity is up for interpretation, there could be other contenders too. London, NY, Paris, Los Angeles 6 billion is a slight and a handful of exaggeration, but the other cities could point is that for the most part, diversity also have a strong isn’t perceived as a claim to be the unique selling point



Our model of multiculturalism that we take so much pride in has in many cases evolved into a phenomenon called: Boutique multiculturalism is the multiculturalism of ethnic restaurants, weekend festivals, and high profile flirtations with the other. Boutique multiculturalism is characterized by its superficial or cosmetic relationship to the objects of its affection. Boutique multiculturalists admire or appreciate or enjoy or sympathize with or (at the very least) "recognize the legitimacy of" the traditions of cultures other than their own; but boutique multiculturalists will always stop short of approving other cultures at a point where some value at their center generates an act that offends against the canons of civilized decency as they have been either declared or assumed.-Stanley Fish, University of Chicago. Although many Torontonians have excelled to the next level where they meaningfully thrive on the stimulation provided by knowing people and situations different from themselves, there are many Torontonians that stay within their ethnic bubbles or are superficially engaging with other cultures. In other words, our city has become somewhat clannish which is not a healthy thing for a city in times of a creative and collaboration driven-economy. We must all learn to explore beyond the introduction of cultures and dive in deeper. 16

 

[Roots_Energize]

I think this next quote is important below

"Kudos to Toronto for earning the impressive “multicultural/diverse” status; however, that doesn’t mean we should now rest. Our next advancing challenge is to earn the truly “intercultural” status. There are many positive economic and social outcomes by evolving our stale model of multiculturalism to interculturalism. In a creative driven economy, Toronto can be home to a unique kind of creativity which isn’t predominant in other cities. "



I think its not that where are diverse that will make us a special place as a city but what we do with the diversity that will really count! a mixing of ideas.

 

[junctionist]

It's an interesting topic, but the quotes are all over the place, delving into architecture, society, history, and urban imagery. Toronto's identity seems to be the national metropolis of Canada: its business, cultural, and social centre that's also very cosmopolitan. It's partly observation, partly aspiration, partly mythologization, as identities tend to be. Unlike the likes of the "The City of Flowers", that's a pretty grand identity.

Identities are malleable and in flex. It makes no sense to spend time analyzing a supposed lack of identity. Just go out there and contruct the identity already. Build the story of the national metropolis, but root it in reality and with relatable experiences.

 

[Roots_Energize]

^^ I see what your saying but i think it does'nt hurt to talk about our creativity as a city/nation just as long as we are able to move from thought to action.
One good thing they said was that it cant be done from a small group of people imposing what Toronto is on a majority, like Tourism Toronto for example, it must be grown organically , and also must have some originality. I think by talking we can shake people out of there ingrained patterns and break out of there mold a little.
All to often we as a city/nation are looking for approval from other places, and copying what other places are doing. We have the chance to take diversity and weave it into our society on a much deeper level, beyond just eating sushi on a friday night.

We are waiting for someone else to do "culture" and "creativity" for us, we need a do it yourself attitude, instead of being just passive consumers of culture as entertainment it would benifit us if we develop a spirit, a deep soul that we think is beautiful and not worry what other people think of us.

 

[kkgg7]

IMO, multicultural/diverse can never be Toronto's identity. Look at cities in North America and Europe, it is hard to find many cities which are not multicultural/diverse, right.

Toronto's identity seems to be the national metropolis of Canada -- hard to sell this as there is not so much a Canadian identity either.

 

[Tewder]

Toronto's identity seems to be the national metropolis of Canada -- hard to sell this as there is not so much a Canadian identity either.

Nonsense. We absolutely have a national identity, we just don't recognize one as such... As somebody mentioned above identities are somewhat organic, a function of historic, political, economic and socio-cultural evolution. We are the end product of this and the sum of those parts. The issue is that although identity is organic it requires our collective reflection and acknowledgement of such, often through contrived mythologies, through our education system and through the support and participation of our governing and cultural institutions. In latter years Canada has done this poorly, even as more recent generations of all backgrounds seem be looking more and more to fill this identity void, to find a sense of collectivity to their enormous plurality. Still, we are a relatively young nation and this sense of place will only continue to grow... or splinter, possibly. Who knows.

 

[junctionist]

IMO, multicultural/diverse can never be Toronto's identity. Look at cities in North America and Europe, it is hard to find many cities which are not multicultural/diverse, right.

Toronto's identity seems to be the national metropolis of Canada -- hard to sell this as there is not so much a Canadian identity either.

Diversity can be a part of a city's identity if it's celebrated. Sure, diversity exists in many world cities, but often with unease or huge assimiliation pressure. As for national identity, Canada is a great northern democracy that's economically successful, technologically forward, tolerant, with people who love hockey and other northern sports, diverse forms of culture, and food. It is the home of accomplished intellectuals, scientists, and artists. Toronto is the vital centre of all those aspects of this identity. It's just not an identity that is imposed on the world through imperial hegemony.

 

[Roots_Energize]

IMO, multicultural/diverse can never be Toronto's identity. Look at cities in North America and Europe, it is hard to find many cities which are not multicultural/diverse, right.

The point isnt about being diverse, the point is what we do with the diversity that counts, creating something new out of old, like if Toronto grows and creates new things out of all the cultural influences it has here then it is something unique to this city and this city only, that is the message that is trying to be put across . All major cultures in the past where a collection of different cultural influences , for example, ancient Egypt , babylon, rome, all had many different waves of immigrants that influenced its technology, laungage, culture ect. they extract what they like and leave the rest, then the hybrid becomes there own identity.

You mention the USA and Europe which is true they have diverse cities, but often adopt a policy of assimilation into a cultural box, in canada we have the oppurtunity to do something truely different on a scale thats never been done before in the contemporary world.

 

[FinchConnection]

In response to threat title: Must wait at least 20 years to see the new modern Torontonian identity surface and assert itself.

 

[wild goose chase]

I found this quote (in the slide show) interesting:

"In London, the different languages are always spoken by tourists. In Toronto, it’s almost always residents."

I have not been to London, but will say though that I had a similar observation as a Torontonian who has done post-secondary education in both Toronto and in the US northeast -- I noticed that in the US, when a non-English language (besides Spanish) was spoken on campus, people tended to assume it was coming from an international student, not an American. In Toronto, it was at least assumed as likely to be from a Canadian than an international student. I don't know how well my experience generalizes, but part of the quote does ring true to me in that sense.

 

[King of Kensington]

I found this quote (in the slide show) interesting:

"In London, the different languages are always spoken by tourists. In Toronto, it’s almost always residents."

I have not been to London, but will say though that I had a similar observation as a Torontonian who has done post-secondary education in both Toronto and in the US northeast -- I noticed that in the US, when a non-English language (besides Spanish) was spoken on campus, people tended to assume it was coming from an international student, not an American. In Toronto, it was at least assumed as likely to be from a Canadian than an international student. I don't know how well my experience generalizes, but part of the quote does ring true to me in that sense.

I would think that depends on the university you attended. That would likely be the case at say, Columbia University, but not at CUNY.