Toronto Star

Too much design can be just as bad as too little. The three proposed schemes for Toronto's street furniture program, released yesterday, make that painfully clear. This trio of packages – each of which includes bus shelters, benches, notice boards, trash cans, bike racks and even public toilets – would give the city more than it physically needs but less than it psychologically wants. No question, any of these "collections" does the job in terms of providing for the creature comforts of Torontonians and their visitors. But the real task here is to help create an image of the city, to make a statement about who we are and how we view ourselves. The most familiar of the offerings, from Astral Media and Kramer Design, builds on the existing transit shelters and information kiosks that can already be seen throughout the city. Modern, even futuristic, the look here is clean, crisp but overly self-conscious. The Info-To-Go stands are especially intrusive; their large glass "wings" are distracting and so specific in style that it seems unlikely they will be able to fit in with the urban context no matter where they're placed.