Canadian cities are complicated by a constant attempt to simultaneously meet future demands while correcting the issues caused by past planning and design decisions. What we are left with are “messy cities;” urban areas that are considered iconic and even praised for their development, cleanliness and diversity, withstanding their systemic and structural issues such as housing affordability, traffic congestion, pollution, and social isolation. Despite the “messiness,” cities constantly adapt to change because of the communities that live in them.
Approximately 31 million Canadians, or roughly 76% of Canada’s population, reside in cities and their surrounding regional suburbs. The historical development of most Canadian cities as we know them today, have been “messy,” growing through long periods of economic, social exclusion, and racism. Amid these oppressive periods, subcultures of resistance emerged through art, the reclamation of spaces by community, and the emergence of cultural events and festivals celebrating those communities.
