Preville on Politics

The Toronto Lexicon, Entry No. 2

Posted on March 8, 2007 by Philip Preville

Architecture (r:kí tekt’urr) 1. The art and science of designing buildings and public spaces. 2. A competitive global sport in which teams (“firms”) compete in matches (“design competitions”) for supremacy. In Toronto, architecture is second only to hockey in popularity, counting legions of fans and numerous columnists who specialize in the sport, not to mention the many uninformed columnists and bloggers who cannot resist sharing their opinions on it. Since architecture, like figure skating, is a judged competition, matches rarely have a definitive outcome. Debate among fans can rage long after the project has been built, even when its built form bears little resemblance to its initial winning design. (See also Libeskind, Daniel.)

The Toronto Lexicon is an ongoing project by this blog to provide precise and accurate definitions of terms as they are used in local political parlance. Tune in for regular additions.

Comments

Neither the author nor Toronto Life necessarily agree with the comments posted below. Editors will not correct spelling or grammar. Toronto Life reserves the right to edit or delete comments entirely. Read our full policy


Author Bio Pic

Philip Preville

Veteran freelance writer Philip Preville lived much of his life in Montreal and Edmonton before he was lured, like so many Torontonians before him, by the promise of more work and a better living. A National Magazine Award winner and former Canadian Journalism Fellow at the University of Toronto’s Massey College, Preville writes Toronto Life’s politics column. He lives with his wife and one-year-old son in Riverdale, just close enough to the Don Valley Parkway that he can hear it when he steps outside his house—but just far enough away that it doesn’t keep him awake at night. On his office wall hangs a 1938–39 press pass belonging to his grandfather, Elias Gannon, who wrote for the Montreal Star.


Preville on Politics RSS Feed