{"id":52578,"date":"2015-09-03T10:00:43","date_gmt":"2015-09-03T14:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/?p=52578"},"modified":"2015-09-03T10:45:24","modified_gmt":"2015-09-03T14:45:24","slug":"philadelphia-can-teach-toronto-art-history-public-spaces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2015\/09\/03\/philadelphia-can-teach-toronto-art-history-public-spaces\/","title":{"rendered":"What Philadelphia can teach Toronto about art, history, and public spaces"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"feature-lorinc\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Among North American cities, few can boast the depth of history that\u2019s on offer in Philadelphia. The compact downtown, plotted out by William Penn in the late 1600s, has\u00a0 buildings and districts that date back to the 18th<\/sup> century, but it\u2019s also clear that the core has continued to attract office, hotel, and condo development.<\/p>\n

After exploring Philadelphia over a long weekend in August, I was struck by the fact that the city has managed to sustain both the old and the new in a curious balance that feels both European and American all at the same time. Historical designation regulations didn\u2019t scare off investment, while ham-fisted, large-footprint development (of which there\u2019s no shortage) hasn\u2019t steamrollered over those areas worth preserving.<\/p>\n

The city, not surprisingly, is obviously proud of both its past and its public spaces, and not just the bucket-list American Revolution sites. Toronto, I\u2019d say, should look to Philly for some smart lessons about marking urban cultural heritage.<\/p>\n

\"philly<\/a><\/p>\n

Transit shelter history <\/strong><\/p>\n

Development needn\u2019t strangle historical awareness. On bus shelters throughout the core, the City Centre District, Philadelphia\u2019s downtown BIA, has created a series of two-sided posters<\/a>. One side has a transit map, and the other, facing the sidewalk, shows a photo of a historic building that was located in the block where the shelter is situated, as well as a blurb about the structure. \u201cThe historical interpretive panels focus on urban planning and development in Philadelphia from the earliest days of America\u2019s history to current day,\u201d says the program description. The project was funded by a federal highway agency. Smart.<\/p>\n

\"philly<\/a><\/p>\n

Pedestrian signage\/wayfinding<\/strong><\/p>\n

Without revisiting the fiasco of Toronto\u2019s information pillars<\/a>, I\u2019d say the city could take a lesson from the striking simplicity of Philadelphia\u2019s pedestrian wayfinding tools, which are visible here<\/a>. Conceived as part of a $26 million streetscape improvement project in 1995, the city\u2019s tourist\/historical wayfinding tools are easily understood, generously distributed, and highly visible. The branding \u2014 Walk! Philadelphia \u2014 is smart, and none of it feels over-thought. The markers do what a pedestrian needs them to do, which is show the way. (The city also claims they comprise North America\u2019s largest \u201ccomprehensive street signage system.\u201d)<\/p>\n

After three years of consultations and planning<\/a> in the run-up to the Pan Am\/Parapan Games, the City of Toronto in June launched a new wayfinding pilot project in the core. Philly\u2019s approach is referenced in the consultant\u2019s report as a potential model, but we\u2019re still stuck \u2014 as always! \u2014 at the who-pays question.<\/p>\n

\"philly<\/a><\/p>\n

Historical plaques<\/strong><\/p>\n

I know many people find them stuffy, but some sites simply warrant that kind of treatment. Philadelphia, moreover, takes a generous approach to what merits a plaque \u2013 not just top-10 tourist sites, but places that merit only an interesting or extended footnote in the city\u2019s narrative \u2013 for example, one outside the building that housed America\u2019s first fire insurance company, which had been established by Ben Franklin. Now think about this: Toronto doesn\u2019t even have a historical plaque at the site of the first colonial legislative assembly (it was just east of the CBC building, on the north side of Front Street). Heritage Toronto<\/a> does what it can, but money is a perennial issue. As with wayfinding, we don\u2019t believe that telling our stories is a core civic responsibility, with the result that Toronto, despite its rich history, continues to suffer from a form of self-inflicted amnesia.<\/p>\n

\"philly<\/a><\/p>\n

Making the most of murals (and public art)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Philadelphia\u2019s mural arts program, launched 30 years ago as a gang-intervention\/graffiti reduction strategy, has grown over the years into an impressive cultural force. The city now claims to have about 4,000 murals, as well as hundreds of works of public art, and also goes to some lengths to curate and showcase these works through events, guided walking tours<\/a>, and a partnership with the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts<\/a>, Philly\u2019s version of OCADU.<\/p>\n

The City of Toronto\u2019s relatively new mural program, StreetARToronto<\/a>, has made commendable progress in recent years, and not just in the core. We could and should do more to showcase, promote and explain the city\u2019s growing collection of street art (as well as the works commissioned through the city\u2019s public art program). I was also struck by the clarity of purpose<\/a> that frame\u2019s Philadelphia\u2019s mural efforts. \u201cBureaucracy has its place,\u201d as the mission statement says, \u201cjust not in our mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here, bureaucracy continues to define and circumscribe<\/a> the exercise. The StreetARToronto homepage features a link to the graffiti by-law. Philly\u2019s MuralArts.org<\/a> starts with the art, and the artists who produce it.<\/p>\n

top photo by Peter Miller<\/a>; all other photos by John Lorinc<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Among North American cities, few can boast the depth of history that\u2019s on offer in Philadelphia. The compact downtown, plotted out by William Penn in the late 1600s, has\u00a0 buildings and districts that date back to the 18th century, but it\u2019s also clear that the core has continued to attract office, hotel, and condo development.Continue reading “What Philadelphia can teach Toronto about art, history, and public spaces”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4051,"featured_media":52595,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,24,8,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-history","category-transit","category-urban-design"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Philadelphia can teach Toronto about art, history, and public spaces - Spacing Toronto<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2015\/09\/03\/philadelphia-can-teach-toronto-art-history-public-spaces\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Philadelphia can teach Toronto about art, history, and public spaces - Spacing Toronto\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Among North American cities, few can boast the depth of history that\u2019s on offer in Philadelphia. 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