Letters to the Mayor: Toronto

September 28th – October 8th, 2017

In collaboration with EDIT, the Expo for Design, Innovation, and Technology

Unilever Building, Don Valley Parkway

 

#letterstothemayor     #letterstothemayortoronto     @storefrontnyc

 

Storefront presents Letters to the Mayor: Toronto as part of the global Letters to the Mayor project. Each iteration presents a collection of letters by more than 100 architects, addressing the most pressing issues facing their city.

 

As part of EDIT, the Expo for Design, Innovation, and Technology, Letters to the Mayor: Toronto invites architects to write to Mayor John Tory.

 

Participants

Jodi Batay-Csorba, Shirley Blumberg, Allen Chan, Johnson Chou, Peter Clewes, Tye Farrow, Steven Fong, Andrew Frontini, Gensler, Valerie Gow, Meg Graham, Ken Greenberg, Hans Ibelings, Nima Javidi, Ted Kesik, Les Klein, Lateral Office, Janna Levitt, David Lieberman, Joe Lobko, Frances Martin-DiGiuseppe, Michael McLellan, Terri Meyer Boake, Laura Miller, Anya Moryoussef, Alissa North, Office Ou, Pina Petricone, Adrian Phiffer, Plant Architect Inc., Gianpiero Pugliese, Colin Ripley, Roland Rom Colthoff, Janet Rosenberg, John Shnier, Richard Sommer, Mark Sterling, Studio AC, Dermot J. Sweeny, Michael Taylor, Victoria Taylor, Megan Torza, Williamson Williamson, Richard Witt

 

Local Curator

PARTISANS

 

Mayoral Desk / Architect’s Table Design

PARTISANS

 

Wallpaper Design

Gary Taxali

 

 

ABOUT LETTERS TO THE MAYOR

 

Letters to the Mayor is an itinerant exhibition that displays real letters written by architects to their city mayors. Initiated by Storefront for Art and Architecture in 2014, the project has traveled to more than 15 cities across the globe, including Bogota, Mexico City, Athens, Panama City, Taipei, Mariupol, Madrid, Lisbon, and Buenos Aires, among others. See here for a list of iterations.   

 

Letters to the Mayor invites 100 architects in each city to write a letter to their mayor as a means of bringing innovative ideas and visions of the city closer to the decision-makers, and vice versa.

 

Throughout history, architects have engaged with this responsibility and the structures of economic, political, and cultural power in different ways and with varying degrees of success. With the rise of globalization and the homogenization of the contemporary city, the role of the architect in the political arena has often been relegated to answering questions that others have asked. 

 

Letters to the Mayor questions this dynamic, and invites local and global architects to deliver their thoughts directly to the desks of elected officials, and simultaneously into the public consciousness.

 

OPENING EVENT: BOOM GOES THE CITY: DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT IN TORONTO

Saturday, September 30th from 12:30 – 1:30pm

 

While rapid densification is contributing to Toronto’s prosperity and vibrancy, the unbridled development of homogeneous condo towers is resulting in a significant facelift to the city’s skyline and streetscape. Are we doing our collective best to create the kinds of buildings, housing options, and at-grade experiences our citizens need and deserve? Toronto’s outgoing Chief City Planner Jennifer Keesmaat, along with Brandon Donnelly (Slate), Alex Josephson (PARTISANS), and Jay Pitter (Author + Placemaker) participate in a conversation in the Funnel Room, home to Letters to the Mayor / Developer: Toronto.

 

Moderator: Eva Franch i Gilabert, Chief Curator and Executive Director, Storefront for Art and Architecture

 

Panelists: Jennifer Keesmaat, Toronto’s outgoing Chief City Planner Brandon Donnelly, VP of Development, Slate Alex Josephson, Cofounder, PARTISANS Jay Pitter, Author + Placemaker