It’s a difficult time for those who demand balance, who are married to the ideal that Toronto should be a world city that takes care of its young, supports its poor, creates opportunity for artistic, social and business entrepreneurs, and engage citizens in local democracy. In short, be the best city on the planet.
The Walrus magazine summoned some of these dreamers a couple of weeks ago to the Art Gallery of Ontario to “imagine” a future Toronto, today.
They are challenged by another Toronto — disengaged, frustrated, living on the margins or fearing life at the edges. That Toronto was not at the Imagining Toronto session.
It’s good when citizens gather to dream about their city; but on the streets, there is a pitched ideological battle between those who want to destroy the public service, those who want it tamed, and those who want it left untouched. Mayor Rob Ford’s election campaign masterfully appropriated this chaotic swirl. Now, we aren’t sure where it leads.
Enter Dave Meslin, one of the Walrus dreamers and one who elegantly styles himself a “community choreographer.”
Meslin has a knack for channelling discussion. He’ll unveil his latest initiative, The Fourth Wall, Tuesday night at the Urban Space Gallery, 401 Richmond St. W. at Spadina.
The past year has seen three elections — local, federal and provincial. Now that we know who is governing us, it’s time to concentrate on how we’re governed.
Meslin has created an exhibition, accessible and engaging, that attempts to get Torontonians talking about civic life, how to break down barriers between citizen and city hall. The exhibit takes you through many facets of city life and offers 39 recommendations on how to improve the intersection of government and citizen.
For example, why are there 144 leaflets just inside the front door of city hall promoting all kinds of tourist attractions and entertainment options but nothing about interacting with your city government? Why no Wi-Fi in the council chambers? Is it possible to increase voter turnout by scheduling voting day on the weekend?
The interactive exhibit explores some of these themes, displayed on 12-square-foot display boards. Among the topics:
• City communication with residents is often dull, lifeless and designed to fail. Meslin’s storyboards show how to jazz up city notices to make them “engaging, inviting and effective.”
• Grade 10 civics is mandatory in Ontario schools, but it’s a half-course that packs federal, provincial, local and global politics in one semester — hardly enough to engage students. University of Toronto School boosts this to a real engagement in urban planning and the inner workings of city hall with a pilot project called “Maximum City.” In Calgary, students from grades 3 to 9 can spend a week in a classroom at city hall, interacting with the bureaucrats who make the city work.
• In this year of budget turmoil, is there a better way to set spending priorities? For years, Toronto Community Housing tenants decide how to allocate $9 million in repairs and renovations. Some cities allocate amounts to local wards or neighbourhoods and residents choose where to spend.
• So, voter turnout is abysmal in civic elections. City hall is indecipherable at times. There are no political parties to help you navigate who’s who on the issues. And, worst of all, they keep increasing the length of the council term. It is now four years between elections, a decided advantage to incumbents.
Meslin unveils the exhibit from 7 to 11 p.m. on Tuesday. It will run for two months. Maybe 10 of the recommendations will find traction, he says, and he’ll take them to city council.
Origin
Source: Toronto Star
The Walrus magazine summoned some of these dreamers a couple of weeks ago to the Art Gallery of Ontario to “imagine” a future Toronto, today.
They are challenged by another Toronto — disengaged, frustrated, living on the margins or fearing life at the edges. That Toronto was not at the Imagining Toronto session.
It’s good when citizens gather to dream about their city; but on the streets, there is a pitched ideological battle between those who want to destroy the public service, those who want it tamed, and those who want it left untouched. Mayor Rob Ford’s election campaign masterfully appropriated this chaotic swirl. Now, we aren’t sure where it leads.
Enter Dave Meslin, one of the Walrus dreamers and one who elegantly styles himself a “community choreographer.”
Meslin has a knack for channelling discussion. He’ll unveil his latest initiative, The Fourth Wall, Tuesday night at the Urban Space Gallery, 401 Richmond St. W. at Spadina.
The past year has seen three elections — local, federal and provincial. Now that we know who is governing us, it’s time to concentrate on how we’re governed.
Meslin has created an exhibition, accessible and engaging, that attempts to get Torontonians talking about civic life, how to break down barriers between citizen and city hall. The exhibit takes you through many facets of city life and offers 39 recommendations on how to improve the intersection of government and citizen.
For example, why are there 144 leaflets just inside the front door of city hall promoting all kinds of tourist attractions and entertainment options but nothing about interacting with your city government? Why no Wi-Fi in the council chambers? Is it possible to increase voter turnout by scheduling voting day on the weekend?
The interactive exhibit explores some of these themes, displayed on 12-square-foot display boards. Among the topics:
• City communication with residents is often dull, lifeless and designed to fail. Meslin’s storyboards show how to jazz up city notices to make them “engaging, inviting and effective.”
• Grade 10 civics is mandatory in Ontario schools, but it’s a half-course that packs federal, provincial, local and global politics in one semester — hardly enough to engage students. University of Toronto School boosts this to a real engagement in urban planning and the inner workings of city hall with a pilot project called “Maximum City.” In Calgary, students from grades 3 to 9 can spend a week in a classroom at city hall, interacting with the bureaucrats who make the city work.
• In this year of budget turmoil, is there a better way to set spending priorities? For years, Toronto Community Housing tenants decide how to allocate $9 million in repairs and renovations. Some cities allocate amounts to local wards or neighbourhoods and residents choose where to spend.
• So, voter turnout is abysmal in civic elections. City hall is indecipherable at times. There are no political parties to help you navigate who’s who on the issues. And, worst of all, they keep increasing the length of the council term. It is now four years between elections, a decided advantage to incumbents.
Meslin unveils the exhibit from 7 to 11 p.m. on Tuesday. It will run for two months. Maybe 10 of the recommendations will find traction, he says, and he’ll take them to city council.
Origin
Source: Toronto Star
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