As your local MPP during this critical time of transformation on our local streets, skyline and roadways, I believe it is imperative that bright and inspirational designs be injected into our cityscape.
It is bad enough that we have 40- and 50-storey towers that block our skies, but we also have grey concrete slabs everywhere we look! We walk on grey sidewalks, under massive grey condo towers, ride on grey subways, and every second car seems to be silver-grey. This is why, as we plan and build the new Eglinton Crosstown, we need to encourage and promote colourful station design that breaks the greying that has taken hold of our local geography. It is important to remember that the addition of colour can be done without any additional cost or delay.
Adding colour into our everyday landscapes would not only benefit our collective mood, but it also helps to create streets and buildings that garner more respect. When people feel good about where they live, property damage significantly decreases and more care and attention is paid to our public spaces.
Consider the wonderful cities around the world making vibrant changes and adding local colour, like Paris, New York and Amsterdam. An inspiring case study can be found in Tirana, Albania, where, in 2000, then-mayor Edi Rama hired painters to add vibrant blue, yellow, and pink colours to Tirana’s grey, drab post-Communist facade. Crime rates came down, and this once lifeless backwater came alive.
So let’s get out in our communities and add some colour to our public spaces! Let’s add some pinks, blues and greens to stop the greying of our local geography!