Torontoist » Streets

Urban Toronto: Revitalizing John Street

Last week, the City hosted its second open house to discuss plans for the revitalization of John Street. The goal was to get resident feedback on four street design options that are being considered, before the project team settles on the final recommendations it will make to city council.

The Revolution Will Not Be Motorized

Image of pilot redevelopments in New York City courtesy of the New York City Department of Transportation and supplied by Gehl Architects. The next time somebody tells us that Toronto is in the midst of a war on cars we are going to buy them a plane ticket to Copenhagen. Or possibly Bogotá. New York [...]

Four Wheels Good, Two Wheels Bad

Score one for the cycling community. After an intense and late-breaking campaign, and with a crucial assist from Councillor Kyle Rae, bicycle advocates have successfully introduced bike lanes into a major redevelopment plan for Jarvis Street. Yesterday afternoon the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee (PWIC) voted to remove the centre, reversible-direction lane of traffic, and [...]

Roncy Redesign Ratification

At the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee (PWIC) meeting this morning, councillors debated the Roncesvalles revitalization project that has been under discussion in that community for the last while. (By some counts, the conversation has lasted at least five years.) The proposal calls for curb bump-outs and transit platforms, in the form of sidewalk extensions, [...]

These Streets Are Made for Walkin’

The Gooderham (aka Flatiron) Building, decoded. Photo by Hamutal Dotan/Torontoist. As we reported on Friday, this weekend was the annual extravaganza of pedestrian urban love known as Jane’s Walk. With dozens of walks exploring every corner of Toronto (and many more in cities across the continent), there was a glorious medley of tours to choose [...]

Following in Jane’s Footsteps

Photo from one of last year’s Jane’s Walks by parke 神降 from the Torontoist Flickr Pool. “Streets in cities serve many purposes besides carrying vehicles, and city sidewalks—the pedestrian parts of the streets—serve many purposes besides carrying pedestrians… Streets and their sidewalks, the main public places of a city, are its most vital organs. Think [...]

Roncy Redesign Review

Photo by Metrix X from the Torontoist Flickr Pool. If you’re ever having one of those blah days, the kind where your life seems decidedly lacking in excitement and you find yourself in need of an emotional jolt, might we suggest that you attend a community meeting as an antidote? Perhaps one devoted to an [...]

Historicist: Those Vicious, Devilish Machines

Every Saturday morning Historicist looks back at the events, places, and characters—good and bad—that have shaped Toronto into the city we know today. Noon Hour Traffic, Queen Street West Looking East From James Street, 1924. City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1244, Item 1115. Following her usual route home from work, Della Hazelton made her way [...]