Is it just us, or has the quality of the city's street name signs been steadily declining over the past few years? While the latest variety of black and white sign bears a superficial similarity to the signs of old (i.e. lozenge shaped with a little black acorn on top) the resemblance pretty much stops there. The new signs are much bigger and flatter than they need to be, and look like they are made out of molded plastic, having none of the graceful extruded depth of their metal predecessors. Gone are the embossed, crafted letters that spell out the street name; instead the letterforms look as though they’ve been simply laser printed on. And in some cases, as this photo shows, two signs have been rudely joined together in a manner that makes it look like the middle section has been sliced out by a chainsaw.

What’s behind the switch? Cost savings no doubt, a decision by some mega-city accounting functionary to save a few dollars out of the yearly operating budget. Toronto Life’s Urban Decoder columnist might be able to tell us more, but as far as we’re concerned these signs look like fakes, insubstantial imposters that would be more at home in a theme park. Downgrading such a ubiquitous, integral part of the city’s character was an uninspired, wrong-headed move, as it cheapens the look of our fine city at a time when there are so many other things that are successfully bringing up the tone.

Many people believe that the Internet makes the city obsolete because it allows businesses to remove themselves from the congestion of urban living. After all, money no longer needs banks and mail is something we send more with the press of a computer button than we do by walks to the post office.

Cities have proven to be resilient though. In fact, rather than undermining the need for common social spaces, the Internet and more recently cell phone messaging have intensified the city. An unimagined relationship between the city and new communications technologies is evolving. Look at the "Smart Mob" phenomenon as an example. The city plaza / cell messaging duo have precipitated at least two recent political upheavals - both relatively peaceful by revolution standards.

Toronto too is experiencing this digitally driven intensification. There is something in the air that cannot be ascribed only to the recent building boom. People are talking about the city. Governments are acting proactively to limit its sprawl into the countryside. They're also making strong moves to re-imagine the waterfront. Is it true? Is there a new awareness of the city? If so, where will it lead?