In this collection of provocative essays, the subject is Toronto. But not Toronto the static, Toronto the understandable, Toronto the known-commodity. As its title suggests, Toronto: A City Becoming argues that Canada?s biggest city is undergoing a major transformation. Whether for good or ill, Toronto is changing before the eyes of its citizens. And it?s possible to interpret this change any number of ways. From city to big city? From post-industrial to creative? From nominally multicultural to truly diverse? From functioning metropolis to dysfunctional megalopolis? From placid (if dull) urban centre to exciting (if dangerous) city? From bad to worse? Or from good to better?
The book includes twenty-two essays that will inspire real debate on the key issues facing the city. Contributors such as the acclaimed academic and author, Richard Florida, Toronto`s former mayor, David Crombie, urban geographer, Meric Gertler, art critic, Sarah Milroy, political economist, James Milway, architect, John van Nostrand, and bestselling author and journalist Linda McQuaig take a wide variety of compelling and provocative perspectives on Toronto as it enters the 21st century. The book also features visual essays by some of Toronto`s pre-eminent photographers, including Michael Awad`s unique cityscapes, Scott Johnston`s resonating portraits of Regent Park, and David Kaufman`s exquisite architectural studies of buildings, storefronts, and landmarks.
Rarely, if ever, has it been possible to witness with such clarity the passage of one kind of urban entity to another. Toronto: A City Becoming reveals the transformation of city at an exciting moment in its history.