1
Whose Space is Public Space? An investigation
of Signage in Torontos Downtown Public Spaces

• Presented by Christine Cleland, Emily Ng,
  Lidvina Rajabalan and Heather Troup

2
Purposes

• To examine the composition of postering and
  signage in 11 of Torontos downtown public spaces
• To determine the dominant interests being
  advertised through postering and signage
• To use the composition of postering and signage
  as an indicator of social health of local
  communities

3
Freedom of Expression in Public Space

• Space Management
• Municipal By-laws
• Private Interest Groups (i.e. BIAs)

• Signs and Symbols
• Size, Content and Condition
• Commercial vs. Public Interest

Public Interest

• Demographics
• Age
• Sex
• Income Level
• Ethnic Composition

• Commercial Interest
• Local, Regional or Global
• Advertising Goods and/or Services

• Historical Background
• Residential vs. Commercial Area
• History of Population

CAUSAL DIAGRAM
4
Setting

• We examined eleven public spaces
• Yorkville, Dundas Square, Trinity Bellwoods,
  Metro Hall, Harbourfront, Berczy Park, St. James
  Park, Christie Pits, Nathan Phillips Square,
  Kensington Market and Chinatown.
• 9 are along Torontos Discovery Walk.
• We added 2 spaces, Kensington Market and
  Chinatown, in order to examine whether signage
  was more diverse here

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Part A Type, Size, Condition, Location

• Commercial signs at the local, regional,
  national, or multi-National level will be the
  most abundant.
• These commercial signs will also be large, easily
  visible and in good condition.
• Signs and Posters will be located in areas which
  actively promote consumption.

6
Methods

• Examined signs within, on the periphery and
  viewable from each eleven spaces.
• Measured / Analyzed signs according to type,
  size, condition, location, content.
• Type includes public interest, local, regional,
  national, Multi-National
• Size small, medium, large, extra-large
• Condition poor, fair, good, excellent.

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Types of SignsMulti-National, National and
Regional
Regional
National
Multi-National
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Local and Public Interest
Local Commercial
Public Interest
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Results for Type, Size, Condition

• 80 of signs in both Visit One and Visit Two were
  commericial in nature.
• Local commercial was the most prevalent among all
  11 spaces with 41
• Medium sized posters dominated with 49
• 67 of all signs were in excellent Condition.

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Signage Distribution by Type Across All Eleven
Spaces
11
Signage Distribution by Size Across All Eleven
Spaces
12
Signage Distribution by Condition in All Eleven
Spaces
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PART B CONTENT ANALYSIS

• HYPOTHESIS CONTENT OF SIGNS
• What is the nature of the messages being conveyed
  through signage in public spaces?
• We expected to find signage by both large
  corporations seeking profits and smaller,
  locally-based groups that would be of a public
  interest nature
• We were interested in understanding the
  relationship between the products or services
  being promoted, the means of advertising (i.e.
  billboards or posters) and the advertising entity
• We believe that corporations have access to a
  wide range of communication types and that they
  are able to use the most costly forms of
  communication

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Content Analysis Continued

• METHODS
• Analyzed the content from both Visit 1 and Visit
  2
• We accounted for the products advertised and the
  organization/business behind the advertisement
• This data for each location was placed into
  categories such as restaurant, clothing and
  entertainment in order for us to determine the
  dominant sign types in each space

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Content Analysis Continued

• RESULTS
• The signage often reflected the demography and
  function of the particular
• park it was located in
• Signage in certain parks was targetted at
  specific audiences, whether local or transitional
  (i.e. pedestrain/tourist)
• - tourists in Metro hall and Nathan Phillips
  Square
• - the residential community in Kensington
  Market
• - ethnic groups in China Town and Kensington
  Market
• - high income earners in Yorkville and
  Harbourfront
• - consumers as a whole in Dundas Square
• - Several similarities in sign content between
  parks, as well as many unique features
• Key Finding in 9 out of the 11 spaces, signage
  reflected high commercial
• interests and low public interests.
  Overall, the signage was primarily targetted at
• either local or tourist populations

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Part C Historical and Contextual Analysis

• HYPOTHESIS SIGNS, COMMUNITY HISTORY AND
  ECOLOGICAL CONTEXT
• we hypothesized that the type and mix of signage
  in the five selected spaces would be related to
  both the ecological and historical context of the
  place
• we hypothesized that united communities hold
  power in fighting outside forces. For instance,
  we believed that the two ethnically concentrated
  locations, Kensington Market and China Town,
  would have more public interest signage than the
  other nine spaces. We also believed that the
  history of these spaces would account for the
  variation.
• the mix of signage would be affected by space
  management organizations such as BIAs
• Signage would reflect the social status of the
  areas residents so that wealthier areas would
  have signs advertising more expensive products
  and services
• Signage can also target traffic

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Historical and Contextual Analysis Continued

• METHODS
• We gathered census data for four full census
  years (1971, 1981, 1991, 2001) and historical
  data to help us contexualize the setting of the
  signage
• We chose five spaces for an analysis of all three
  types of data because we found that they best
  represented the five categories of signage types
• Our study focuses on visit two because it allowed
  us to examine specific characteristics in further
  detail

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Metro Hall Park

• 19th century Four Nations Corner. Legislation,
  Education, Damnation Salvation
• Today Theatre District Municipality of Toronto
• 1971 dwelling value 32,500 2001 258,000.
• 1971 mostly married, non-immigrants, who make a
  yearly income of 9,839.00
• 2001 mostly single, non-immigrants, who make a
  yearly income of 81,377.00
• 63 of signs were regional promoting tourist
  attractions
• 20 of these were for restaurants
• 30 for theatres
• Signs are a reflection of the development in the
  area.

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Metro Hall Park
20
Theatre Advertisements
21
Distribution of Signage by Size, Condition and
Type in Metro Hall
22
Percentages of Services/Products Sold in Metro
Hall Park
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Trinity Bellwoods Park

• A History of Immigration (1940s and 1950s)
• In the 50s, many immigrants from Portugal
  immigrated to Canada to find work and build their
  own family
• In 1971, Europeans constituted over 50 of the
  tracts population
• In 1981, 29 more people in the area spoke
  Portuguese than English as their language spoken
  at home
• For the past 40 years, the immigrant population
  has been higher than the non-immigrant population
• Housing and Local Businesses
• Houses were affordable during the 50s, up until
  the late 70s
• Between 1981 and 1991, average dwelling value
  increased by 148 from 101, 900 to 252, 162
• Local businesses have flourished over the years
  Portugal Village
• Many ventured into services that cater to the
  others in the community

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Trinity Bellwoods Park Continued

• Current Trends
• Between 1981 and 1991, the number of people born
  outside Canada decreased by 22, then between
  1991 and 2001, the immigrant population decreased
  by 12
• Average dwelling value in 2001 - 247,375
  compared to 30,625 in 1971
• In 1971, only 13 of the population was between
  25-34 years old, this has been slowly increasing,
  in 2001 this figure went up to 22.
• Signage
• Signage in TBP reflects local business and public
  interest, constituting 100 of the observed
  signage in visit two.
• Majority of signs addressing community issues
  such as church, pets and lessons
• ultimately, the degree of ethnic-boundary
  closure and the extent to which intense ethnic
  identity persists in plural societies rest on the
  capacity of the ethnic networks to provide
  valuable resources that benefit a cross-section
  of the community Sanders (2002)

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Distribution of Signage by Size, Condition and
Type in Trinity Bellwoods Park
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Percentages for Product / Service Sold for
Trinity Bellwoods Park
27
A Community Bulletin Board at Trinity Bellwoods
Park
28
Services Catered to those in the Community
29
Homemade Signage in Portuguese
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Kensington Market

• Dynamic population composition since the early
  1900s
• Characterized by multiculturalism and large
  immigrant population
• Famous for its small independent shops markets,
  and restaurants
• Historically, residents have fought for their
  rights as well as the preservation of their
  community
• Presently, Kensington Market displays a vast
  majority of public interest and small
  business/local signage

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Kensington Market

• 68 of the signs found in Kensington were public
  interest
• 25 advertised local businesses small shops and
  restaurants
• signage was aimed at the areas multicultural
  residents
• a majority of the signs were small and fair in
  condition

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Distribution of Signage by Size, Condition and
Type in Kensington Market
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Percentages for Product / Service Sold for
Kensington Market
34
Kensington Market
35
Kensington Market
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Village of Yorkville Park

• The Revolutionary 1960s
• Yorkville became Torontos centre of
  entertainment, culture and fashion for young
  people
• Hippie lifestyle has a profound impact on
  Yorkville
• The 1970s until today
• Major renovations and higher rents made the area
  a very expensive one to live in
• ? Rents increased 12 times between 1971 and
  1991 (43,000
• to 564,000
• ? Average incomes rose from 9775 in 1971 to
  133,000 in 2001

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Yorkville Continued

• ? Yorkville BIA founded in 1985 in response to
  the tremendous commercial, retail, residential
  and tourist growth in this decade
• Social changes in the 1990s such as the
  recession threatened to undermine the area, but
  this was only a shortlived problem Yorkville
  experienced a quick recovery
• Today, Yorkville is the centre of upscale
  shopping, fashion and entertainment in Toronto
• Yorkville is currently in the process of a major
  overhaul that will beautify the space
• The BIA maintains a strong force in the
  community
• - The signage was mainly for local commercial
  interests
• (83), medium-sized (94) and in excellent
  condition (93)

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Distribution of Signage by Size, Condition and
Type in Yorkville
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Percentage of Product / Service Sold for
Yorkville Park
40
Yorkville Small Local Businesses
41
Yorkville Signage Aimed at By passers
42
Yorkville also contains large chain stores like
Nike and Chapters
43
Yorkville Filled with Small Local Businesses
44
Yonge-Dundas Square

• Located in Torontos 1 tourist/shopping area
• Built as a part of the Downtown Yonge
  Regeneration Project officially opening in 2003
• Only public space in Toronto to have its own
  Board of Management
• Signage caters to the tourist/shopping traffic
  rather than the residents of the area

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Yonge-Dundas Square

• 47 of signs in the area advertise Multi-National
  companies
• Signage caters to the tourist/shopping traffic
  rather than the residents of the area 33.3
  advertising clothing
• 67 of the signs were large and extra large and
  96 were in excellent condition

46
Distribution of Signage by Size, Condition and
Type in Dundas Square
47
Percentage of Product / Service Sold in Dundas
Square
48
Yonge-Dundas Square
49
Yonge-Dundas Square
50
Yonge-Dundas Square
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Historical and Contextual Analysis Concluded

• Signage in an area does indeed relate to the
  history of the space
• Places that target tourists tend to have more
  signs conveying commercial interest
• In places that have traditionally been dominated
  by immigrants, the community often uses the space
  for its own purposes. So, signage here reflects
  more public interests

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DISCUSSION

• Our Findings and Previous Literature
• Our findings support the notion that
  communication is a vital tool to push consumption
  - also previously argued by Bourdieu (1984),
  Baudrilliard (1998) and Mattelart (1991)
• Commercial signage dominates the visual field,
  Habermas (1989) noted that Haves will win-over
  the Have-Nots
• Public space as a commodity itself Kohn (2001)
• Important Themes
• Signs are sometimes targeted at visitors e.g.
  Dundas Square and Metro Hall
• Some areas are not affected by corporate
  advertising e.g. Kensington Market and Trinity
  Bellwoods Park
• Space management can be formal and informal
• Community empowerment and social cohesion as
  informal management of space
• Linkage between signage, historical and census
  data

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SOCIOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS

• Whose space is public space?
• Public space, does it exist?
• Corporations as persons?
• The notion of organization spaces
• Inequality in public space, the limitations on
  freedom of expression
• The politics of beauty and aesthetics
• The effects of visual pollution on well-being

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How do we take back Public Space?

• Increase awareness in an attempt to change
  peoples perceptions of what is good and bad
  postering.
• Place EQUAL restrictions on both types of signs
  commercial and public interest.
• Ban billboards from expressways?
• Toronto Public Health ban alcohol advertising
• PEI ban Tobacco Ads
• Why not regulate / restrict number of other ads
  too?
• Increase social cohesion. Strong social
  communities prevent the domination of commercial
  interest signs.
• BIA? Can commercial signs be included in these
  regulations some how?
• A similar agency that regulates commercial signs?