Toronto City Council has voted to explore new ways to make the city more visually appealing, potentially beautifying everything from our bland architecture to our often embarrassing parks and public infrastructure.

Ward 12 Toronto—St. Paul's councillor Josh Matlow's proposed motion, dubbed 'Towards a Beautiful City,' passed during a June council meeting at City Hall with a resounding 20-2 vote in favour.

As with practically every other City Council vote in recorded history, Ward 2 Etobicoke Centre councillor Stephen Holyday was among the holdouts.

Matlow’s motion to report on ways to make Toronto look less shabby and more beautiful, including by potentially creating an Office of a City Designer and Architect, CARRIES 20-2. https://t.co/3vrpTYqASc pic.twitter.com/Ao3FxsJagc

— Matt Elliott (@GraphicMatt) June 27, 2024

The motion from Matlow, seconded by Councillor Parthi Kandavel, recommends that the City consult with departments to report to its Executive Committee by the fourth quarter of 2024 "with a plan for the overall beautification of the public realm in the City of Toronto."

This plan would look into the feasibility of creating new inter-divisional design standards for the public realm on City-owned property that would be in effect across all City departments, including roads, sidewalks, municipal buildings and parks.

Also mentioned is the discussion of the feasibility of creating similar design standards that would apply to private developments, including their streetscapes and publicly-accessible spaces.

Perhaps most interesting is the discussion of creating an Office of a City Designer and Architect, which would be "responsible for the design, coordination and implementation of these design standards and the overall beautification of the City's public realm."

As of 2024, the City's planning division lacks the power to challenge developers on the design and materiality of new developments, and approve or refuse buildings based on non-aesthetic factors like massing, height and density.

Currently, Toronto developments are reviewed by the City's Design Review Panel. However, the panel is simply an advisory body that can suggest but not enforce improvements.

Essentially, a building can be unsalvageably ugly, but if it checks all the boxes, it's going to be approved.

Will giving the City more say on how buildings and spaces are designed become a turning point for Toronto's reputation as an ugly metropolis?