March 23rd, 2009
When: Thursday March 26, 2009
Where: Harbourfront Centre 7pm
Admission: $5
RSVP on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/thinktoronto
thinkToronto winners Mike Wilson, Jason Mills and Springboard creators Amy Mamtura, Cristina Matei, and Esther Hung discuss their winning submissions during View Points at Harbourfront Centre on Thursday March 26 (7 pm, $5). This exclusive discussion gives an unique insight into the thinkToronto competition, which received more than 100 entries as well as mounting exhibitions at Toronto’s City Hill and at 401 Richmond’s Urban Space Gallery. thinkToronto’s goal was to seek ideas from the next generation of city builders who want to challenge how we view Toronto’s public realm. The competition gave participants a platform to explore and experiment with Toronto’s urban landscape while generating a dialogue among Torontonians about creative and sustainable solutions in our shared common spaces. Winners will also take part in a discussion moderated by Shawn Micallef, Senior Editor of Spacing Magazine.
View Points thinkToronto Panelists:
Mike Wilson (Best of Show Winner) - Dubbed 5 Minutes, Wilson’s proposal is a pedestrian wayfinding program designed to connect transit users with local businesses and public amenities that lie within a five minute walk of transit stations. The introduction of wayfinding information at Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) stations would promote a multitude of environmental, social, and economic benefits.
Jason Mills (Two Submissions Awarded) - Mills thought of updating the red-and-white-striped bus and streetcar poles introduced to the city in 1933. For his redesign, Mills used the familiar TTC logo affixed to the top of the pole with back lighting, helping to alleviate the problem of riding past hard-to-see stops.
Springboard creators (Submission Awarded) - SpringBoard began as a fourth-year class project in the York Sheridan Program in Design. Co-creators Amy Mamtura, Cristina Matei, and Esther Hung drew inspiration from their daily commute. They conducted interviews with random subway passengers, and were intrigued by a man who suggested that networking on the subway would be a great way to find a job.
Spacing thanks its sponsors: One Development, Waterfront Toronto, Paul Johnson’s Right at Home Realty, TEDCO, Autoshare, Urban Strategies, Toronto Society of Architects, Urban Space Properties
photo by Ted Bassman
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Categories Announcements
February 9th, 2009
Starting on Tuesday Feb. 10, Spacing will be displaying the winning entries to the urban design ideas competition thinkTORONTO. If you missed the City Hall exhibit or haven’t seen the imaginative submissions in the current issue of the magazine, then you should wander over to 401 Richmond to get an up close view (or pick-up a copy ASAP). Take a look at a handful of the complete and beautifully packaged submissions, while also getting a glance at some of the other entries that almost made it into the magazine.
OPENING RECEPTION
When: Thursday, Feb. 12, 7-10pm
Where: Urban Space Gallery, 401 Richmond St. W. 1st floor
How Much: free
RSVP: Facebook listing
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Categories Announcements
January 7th, 2009
WHAT: thinkTORONTO winners exhibit
WHEN: Monday, January 12 to Sunday, January 18, 2009
WHERE: Toronto City Hall Rotunda (main floor), 99 Queen St. W.
Over the next few months Spacing has a handful of events planned to complement our fifth anniversary issue and urban design ideas competition thinkTORONTO.
From Monday to Sunday next week, you can check out the thinkTORONTO winning entries which will be on display at City Hall’s Rotunda (on the main floor). Not only will there be large panels to look at but also a selection of the original in-depth entries: some of them are packaged quite beautifully and contain tonnes of information that couldn’t be included into their magazine features.
Spacing decided to take the thinkTORONTO winning entries to City Hall so that these unique and compelling ideas could be seen by both local politicians and City staff. We hope that this exposure will spark ideas in the minds of the City’s decision-makers as well as help promote the great local and youthful city-building talent Toronto and Canada have to offer.
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Categories Announcements
November 27th, 2008
We’re reaching the final stage of our urban design ideas competition. When the next issue of Spacing hits the stands on Tuesday, December 9th, you’ll be able to see the 20 entries our jury decided to showcase.
On Wednesday, December 10th, you can join hundreds of other Spacing readers at our release party to celebrate thinkTORONTO and our fifth anniversary! You’ll be able to see large panel displays of the finalists. So please come out and join us.
WHEN: Wed. December 10th, 7pm-1am
WHERE: The Great Hall, 1087 Queen Street West at Dovercourt
HOW MUCH: $5 for subscribers or $10 for non-subscribers (includes mag)
FACEBOOK: RSVP to the event listing
ALSO:
There are three thinkTORONTO events in 2009: an 1-week exhibition at City Hall’s rotunda in January, A 3 week-exhibition at 401 Richmond in February, and a panel discussion at Harbourfront in March. More details in mid-December.
For more details about the event check out the Spacing Toronto post.
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Posted by Matthew Blackett
Categories Announcements
September 23rd, 2008
The editors of Spacing would like to thank everyone who took the time to enter thinkTORONTO. We received over 100 entries and we’re extremely excited by the quality (and quantity) of submissions.
We’re still receiving entries from the far corners of the country (via postmarked mail) and have to spend a bit more time organizing the submissions. We’re not prepared to give a specific date when we’ll be announcing the finalists since our jury is a busy bunch who are travelling around the continent with their own work. It is fair to say that finalists will be contacted by our editors in October since we plan to profile them in the upcoming issue of the magazine.
Again, thank you for your hard work and we look forward to thoroughly examining your submissions.
Permalink for Wow! Over 100 thinkTORONTO entries!
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Categories Announcements
September 22nd, 2008
Spacing magazine invites people — 35 years old or younger — with creative ideas on how to improve Toronto’s public space to take part in thinkToronto, an urban design ideas competition that will help celebrate the magazine’s 5th anniversary in December 2008. Architects, urban planners, landscape architects, designers, artists of all disciplines, students, and the urban curious are all encouraged to submit their plans to tweak, improve, or redesign streetscape elements and specific areas of Toronto.
thinkToronto seeks ideas from the next generation of city builders who want to challenge how we view Toronto’s public realm. The competition gives participants a platform to explore and experiment with Toronto’s urban landscape and generate a dialogue among Torontonians about creative and sustainable solutions in our shared common spaces.
Since our fifth anniversary issue is a “looking forward” theme, we chose the age limit in order to highlight the up-and-coming talent our city and country possesses. Fear not, those older than 35, as we have plans to include your important ideas in the magazine in the near future.
Submitting your ideas to thinkToronto allows your work to be seen by thousands of Spacing readers. The magazine attracts up to 40,000 readers per issue.
• Entrants must be residents of Canada
• Entrants must be 35 years or younger [ anyone born in 1973 or later ]
• Individuals or groups of up to three people can submit an entry
• There is no limit to the number of entries a participant can submit
All entries must be located in Toronto’s public realm. This includes existing or potential public spaces or sites, including parks, public squares, streets, traffic circles, plazas, ravines, waterfront, bus loops, boulevards, sidewalks, laneways, and greenways. We are not interested in public places on private property like shopping malls, stores, libraries, or bars.
Whenever possible, consider how to make your submission unique to Toronto.
There are three types of categories — visual examples for each category are provided in the design briefs link:
Redesign or propose new pieces of infrastructure or street furniture that dot the roads and sidewalks of Toronto. View images and design briefs of streetscape elements.
Address a problem or challenge that is located in a specific area or neighbourhood of Toronto. View images and design briefs of specific area design challenges.
Submissions can be of anything that is located in Toronto’s public realm (see above description). Some examples could be a new cultural building, plans to re-design an intersection, a new way to irrigate street trees, a new form of mass transit, or a new park. If you are unsure if your idea fits into the competition just send us an email or call us at 416 644 1017.
Please download the entry form [ 44k PDF]. View specific information about submitting your ideas to thinkToronto.
View the jurors of the thinkToronto competition.
• There is no cost for entry
• A winner from each category will be awarded, plus a Best Of Show
• A gallery exhibit will follow competition
• Spacing is seeking sponsors to award cash prizes
• Sign-up for a newsletter of updates and submission reminders
• Join the thinkToronto Facebook group
• Email us at thinktoronto@spacing.ca with any questions
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Categories Announcements
September 2nd, 2008
An entry form is now ready for download [44k PDF]. Please read through the document carefully and fill out the necessary information.
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Categories Announcements
August 18th, 2008
After holding a few discussions with universities and colleges, thinkToronto has decided to extend the deadline of the competition by a few weeks to make sure students returning from summer vacation have an opportunity to submit. Some universities may even use the competition for in-class studio assignments. Please spread the word of the new deadline date.
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Categories Announcements
August 18th, 2008
thinkToronto is happy to announce the addition of two more jurors to our reputable list: architects Phil Goodfellow of Montgomery Sisam and Graeme Stewart of ERA Architects. Phil, 31, is the vice chair of the Toronto Society of Architects, and Graeme, 27, is the co-ordinator of the Toronto Tower Renewal project. These two great additions join Amanda Mitchell of re:place magazine as jury members within the age range of the competition.
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Categories Jury Members
May 16th, 2008
There is now a thinkToronto Facebook group for any of you to join. We’ll use it to keep you updated on any news or announcements.
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