The Games Cities Play

Abstract

The accumulated rust and dust of Toronto's derelict port received a reprieve on 13 July 2001, when the International Olympic Committee awarded the Games of 2008 to Beijing. In Toronto, the resulting gloom was not just because of dashed hopes for hosting 19 days of swimming, sprinting and sweating. Rather, the Olympics were seen as the latest, best hope for new direction, energy and vision - an essential boost of adrenalin. Only such a deadline could sweep away the obstacles to creating a new city on the waterfront. Cities matter. As Jane Jacobs and others have noted, they are economic engines, and their vitality determines the prosperity of regions and nations Jacobs). Canadians, like most people, go to cities to make their fortune. Our natural environment is also shaped by our urban places. Wild spaces, other species, the future global climate - all are affected by how we move, work and consume in our cities. As the destination of choice for most immigrants and the originating point for many exports, cities such as Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto are the doorways between Canada and the world, generating ever more social and cultural diversity. More intangible, perhaps, are the creative interactions that cities foster: the encounters between reality and imagination, by chance and design, that take place in streets, studios, libraries and laboratories. As the old German proverb says, Stadtlyft mach frei - City air makes you free. Often, of course, cities are viewed not in terms of prosperity, diversity or creativity, but as sites of problems and challenges. Homelessness and high housing costs. Food banks and economic inequities. The exclusion of classes and groups from opportunities that ought to be open to all. Poverty and social dislocation among Aboriginal people. Tension and distrust between cities and provinces and between cities and rural areas. Budget cuts. Pollution. Congestion. Three quarters of Canadians live in urban areas and face diverse uncertainties. Over the next decades we must develop new vocations for our cities within a rapidly evolving global economy. If we wish to breathe clean air, drink clear water and live in a world that has not yet experienced environmental collapse, we will need to do so while moderating consumption and cutting pollution. Long-term investments in transportation and other infrastructure are necessary. Most crucially, as Witold Rybczynski has argued, cities must continue to be livable as they balance rapid change and stable neighbourhoods. They must be places where people actually choose to live (Rybczynski). The urban agenda of the future is a lengthy one. Given both the potential and the problems of urban areas, Toronto's reaction to the news from Moscow could only be described as pathetic. Like a slacker who will tidy up only when company is coming, Toronto apparently requires a deadline to do what is necessary to achieve a livable, green and prosperous city. As if a city could be built in a day, or in 19. The reaction was a graphic demonstration of the obstacles to effective city governance. But, as Caroline Andrew has recently explained in this journal (Vol. 35.4), the origins of these obstacles are less obvious. Some critics mention uninspired urban leadership. Others cite neglect, even antagonism from senior governments: provinces download responsibilities but not resources while Ottawa displays casual indifference. …