Sure, Toronto's CN Tower is iconic. But wouldn't it look better with a 40-storey residential tower sticking out of the observation deck? And surely it's time for the city's century-old Casa Loma to remodel, so why not add a 30-storey tower onto one side?
Those are just a few of the tongue-in-cheek development proposal notices that have been going up around Toronto, as part of a public art project meant to satirize the city's development boom. The proposals show concept art and describe plans for adding massive towers to all kinds of Toronto landmarks, including the CN Tower, the Rogers Centre, Toronto City Hall and even the Toronto Island Ferry. But they're all fake, and part of an art project that's also being shared online.
They are written in the serious tone typical of the real notices, with plans laid out to "care" for existing structures during construction of the massive towers. For instance, in the Toronto Island Ferry proposal, the "developers" say they would build a 22-storey residential building while maintaining the "existing heritage boat as a transportation link."
The plans range from bold to absolutely ridiculous. The CN Tower proposal would install a four-storey parking lot on the side of the tower. A proposal for 1 Bloor Street East - already a brand-new, 76-storey tower – would add an additional 42 storeys to the top. And plans for OCAD would perch a 12-storey residential tower on the tabletop-like architecture of the Sharp Centre for Design.
The artists declined to be identified, but they told CTV Toronto that their project is meant to encourage a more "sensible" approach to development in the city.
"We're all active in building the city together," one of the artists told CTV Toronto by phone. "But I think maybe the balance has been tipping to the developers and their vision of the city."
On their website, the artists ask Torontonians to "Consider the alternative: a city that reflects the people in it."
With files from CTV Toronto
