The Architecture of Place: Placemaking In The Urban Fabric of Toronto

Nowadays, due to economic dynamics, modernity, technology and urban sprawl, humans are suffering from “placelessness”. A look at the urban fabric of metropolitan cities makes evident that public places are losing their distinctive idiosyncrasies. 21st-century built environments are diminishing the unique characters that make places noteworthy. The problem with this is that people have the desire to associate with distinctive places. Ignoring this tendency will create a type of environment where places do not matter any more. Public spaces that serve as platforms for life are not only essential to the identity of cities but also provide venues for social-cultural activities that will attract people. This thesis aims to investigate the role of architecture in increasing the quality of people’s daily experiences in the public domain, and to explore opportunities to frame a new type of public market place in Toronto by imbuing ‘The Architecture of Place’ with ‘a sense of place’.