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Architecture Criticism vs. the Public : ‘Mirvish+Gehry Toronto’ A Case StudyKristen GagnonAzrieli School of Architecture &#38; Urbanism, Carleton UniversityStemming from my doctoral research on the current conditions in Canadian popular architecture criticism, this paper will focus on the critical response to the architectural case study of ‘Mirvish + Gehry Toronto’, a controversial large-scale, mixed-used development currently planned for the city of Toronto. Designed by architect Frank Gehry, and financed by theatre and art mogul David Mirvish, the highly publicized project resulted in an unprecedented amount of media attention and critique by both professional critics and the general public alike. As a result, and in addition to resistance from City Council, the project was modified substantially by the architect, despite being praised by the city’s leading architecture critic. This has led to questions about the public’s role and power in the critical response to such projects, and leads to academic considerations pertaining to the democratization of criticism (MacDonald, Death of the Critic, 2007), popularization of architecture, and changing nature of the critic’s role and authority.As such, this paper will explore the shifts and potential ‘crisis’ currently taking place in architecture criticism, with a focus on the public’s growing interest, participation, and access to ways of engaging in critical debates around architecture. It will rigorously map out the critical response to the case study, paying attention to the media coverage, public discourse, and municipal debates, and relate these findings to established writings on architecture criticism. These include Peter Collins’ Architectural Judgement (1971) and Wayne Attoe’s Architecture and Critical Imagination (1978), in addition to more contemporary research on the theory of public journalism (Tanni Haas, The Pursuit of Public Journalism, 2007), and concept of cultural capital in architecture (Louise C. Johnson, Cultural Capitals, 2009). The paper will make the claim that there needs to be a balance found between the extremes of the authoritative critic and the complete disregard for expertise, in order for popular architecture criticism to remain vital.&#160;Kristen Gagnon holds a Bachelor of Architectural Science (B.A.S.) and professional Master of Architecture (M.Arch) degree, and is currently pursing a PhD in architecture at Carleton University (Ottawa, Canada). Her research focuses on the role and authority of the architecture critic in popular media. Kristen is currently working as a Program Officer for the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, as well as acts as the architecture editor and columnist for Spacing magazine. Her writing has been published in Canadian Architect, The Journal of the RAIC, and ArchDaily, as well as in the anthology 150 Stories. Academically, she has presented her research internationally, as well as founded and organized a national, SSHRC-funded symposium on contemporary Canadian architectural topics entitled, POP CAN CRIT: Current Conditions in Popular Architecture Criticism. Kristen is also a former member of the Doors Open Ottawa Advisory Council and the current Project Manager for the international partnership training program New Paradigm / New Tools for Architectural Heritage in Canada.&#160;Image caption and creditsDavid Mirvish, Frank Gehry, Mirvish + Gehry mixed-use development, Toronto.Image by Projectcore Inc, Gehry International Inc. Architects, Ed Mirvish Enterprises Ltd. 