Toronto's Street Furniture

There's been some press over today's announcement that Astral Media won the contract to supply and maintain Toronto's new street furniture for the next 20 years.

Public space advocates are up in arms because of the amount of advertising being allowed on the street furniture. But the deal made ensures that in exchange for the ad space, the firm has to supply and maintain the furniture.

"In all cases, the problem begins with the designs themselves: They are inappropriate, disconcertingly trendy, overdone and overpowering. They would only increase the rampant commercialization of the public realm." That's from Christopher Hume of the Toronto Star.

Spacing (a public space advocacy group that I side with most of the time) is complaining, so is the Toronto Public Space Committee.

I really don't see what all the whining is about. Check out the winning designs from Astral Media. I personally preferred the Clear Channel designs. The third participant was CBS Outdoor.

Recap: Slick new street furniture, for free, for a cash strapped city. Hm.