December 14th, 2009
EDITOR’S NOTE: Around 10am this morning, one of Toronto’s great civic leaders passed away after a two year battle with cancer. David Pecaut was the Chair and founder of the Toronto Summit Alliance, and was a major force behind Greening Greater Toronto, DiverseCity, Emerging Leaders Network, as well as leading The Boston Consulting Group. Last week, David sent out a mass email to his friends and colleagues outlining how he views the future of Toronto. Spacing received permission to re-print his letter. You can also read the Globe and Mail obituary and Spacing editor Shawn Micallef’s piece in Eye Weekly.
Friends and Colleagues,
As many of you know, I have been battling cancer over the past while and have been focusing in recent weeks on spending time with my family. I am truly lucky to be blessed with an incredible wife and children.
As a consequence of my health issues, I have not had the chance to see many of you and express my appreciation for all the work we have done together. Nor have I had the chance to share some of my thoughts on Toronto’s future. This note gives me the opportunity to do both.
Working with you on all manner of city building activities has been one of the greatest highlights of my life.
Aside from my family, there is nothing for me more personally gratifying than working with other citizens in our community to address a civic challenge or identify an opportunity we can make happen together. I feel very lucky to have found in Toronto a place where so many others felt the same way.
When I moved to Toronto nearly 30 years ago, I am embarrassed to say that I did not really know very much about the city. It did not take long for me to become charmed by the wonderful diversity of the city’s neighbourhoods and people, the green spaces in our unique ravines and along the lake, and dozens of other surprises, both large and small.
But the most amazing thing that struck me at every turn was how many people from all walks of life in this city were passionately concerned with making it a great city. There was a wide belief that Toronto had something special to offer the world. There was deep pride in big things the city had done - like building a great transit system - and equal passion for how to get the small things right, like making our neighbourhoods truly successful.
September 22nd, 2009
These are metaphorical times.
Street Scene will appear each week showcasing the illustrations of local artist Jerry Waese.
July 11th, 2009
I love the way OCAD looms over street life and that we are almost too close to see much of the tower through the rich tangle of TTC …
June 9th, 2009
With a winking apology to the ornithology set, the renowned Danish architect Jan Gehl last week laid out his “one stone-five birds†strategy for a brand of urban transformation …
May 19th, 2009
WHAT: Toronto the Good
WHY: A party for the sake of Toronto
WHERE: Fermenting Cellar - Distillery District
WHEN: Tonight! 7pm-12AM
HOW MUCH: $10 — Cash Bar — Food will be available
Dear Torontonians,
The Festival of Architecture and Design is …
May 15th, 2009
WHAT: Toronto the Good
WHY: A party for the sake of Toronto
WHERE: Fermenting Cellar - Distillery District
WHEN: Tuesday May 19, 7pm-12AM
HOW MUCH: $10 - Cash Bar - Food will be available
Dear Torontonians,
The Festival of Architecture and …
April 12th, 2009
Toronto Public Space Committee activist and cinephile Jonathan Goldsbie has asked me to publicize tonight’s “Torontopocalypse double bill” at the Bloor cinema — Cronenberg’s “The Brood” and Don McKellar’s “Last Night.”
Goldsbie writes:
There are often events celebrating Toronto in music, …
March 6th, 2009
Today, on Toronto’s 175th anniversary, Spacing is happy to give our city a present. Actually, it’s 175 presents.
Spacing has teamed up with our cast of photographers to donate 175 photographs to the City of Toronto’s Archives.
The …
