Results tagged “waterfront”

Down on the waterfront at Queen's Quay, between Lower Sherbourne and Lower Jarvis, lies the site of George Brown College's new $175 million dentistry and healthcare campus. The project was just given approval for ground-breaking yesterday, and will form part of the new development on East Bayfront.

       

The Rees WaveDeck—part of Waterfront Toronto's Central Waterfront transformation project and one of four WaveDecks due to be completed along the harbourfront—opened quietly last week, without the fanfare that accompanied the opening of the Simcoe WaveDeck in June. The Rees WaveDeck lacks the exciting curves of its sibling to the west east: it dips just once, sloping gracefully towards the water in the centre. Sitting next to HTO park and facing neat rows of sailing boats and canoes, the deck feels peaceful and composed.

Standing on the industrial site known as East Bayfront, which extends from Jarvis to Parliament streets and south from the rail lines to Lake Ontario, Mayor David Miller addressed a crowd gathered in the rain on Thursday morning to witness the groundbreaking of Sherbourne Park.

This morning marked the official opening of the Simcoe WaveDeck, the latest milestone in the ambitious central waterfront transformation. In total, four of these curvy, boardwalk-meets-bridge structures will be open by 2012, each at the base of a major waterfront street. The award-winning Spadina WaveDeck opened late last summer, the Rees WaveDeck is on schedule for a launch later this season, and the Parliament WaveDeck is working its way through the design development phase. Aptly named, each WaveDeck is a variation of a multi-layered, undulating ribbon of wood, rising as tall as six feet above the ground and dipping to almost skim the water's surface.

              

Back in April, we posted about a bridge design charrette hosted by the Urban Toronto forums, and, in response to Concord's indifferent proposal to connect CityPlace and Front Street with a box truss bridge, there are now sixteen bridge designs to consider as alternatives. All of the entries adhere to the rigid guidelines outlined by GO Transit and Canadian National Railway [PDF], and most have even addressed technical feasibility, cost, safety, and ecological requirements in addition to aesthetics. Votes and comments have been pouring in, and polls will remain open until June 12, when one submission wins the "Design of Distinction" title.

Today, Urban Toronto is launching a design charette called "Bridging the Design Gap" to respond to what they say are the “unacceptable plans for the CityPlace box truss pedestrian bridge across the rail corridor.” Design charettes typically serve as a forum to introduce an important project to the community, explore its needs, and identify different design solutions, which means that anybody can get involved and brainstorm about the design and aesthetics of the bridge that will link the Railway Lands West with the neighbourhood north of the CN Rail corridor.

We learned earlier this week that even London's Daily Telegraph has some opinions about where to eat and party in Toronto. Okay, that's great. Every city is measured by those things, to a certain extent. Thanks, London.

A funny thing happens on the western waterfront at the end of each summer. The Ex opens its doors to Children Of All Ages®, the Air Show deafens enthusiasts with aerobatic feats, and the City allows people to park—where else?—in the parks!

Students of George Brown College are about to get some premium lakefront property.

Though the official start of summer is still two weeks away, the mercury is already rising. With noticeably lower temperatures and a refreshing breeze, Toronto's waterfront is a great place to cool down. So whether you’re into sandcastles, swimming, or just reading under a shady tree, head down to the lake to beat the heat this summer.

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.

Photo by wvs from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.

Waterfront Toronto considers corporate naming scheme. On the one hand, yes, it's a travesty. On the other hand, does anybody call the Skydome anything other than the Skydome, regardless of what Rogers wants us to call it?

This evening, Toronto Culture and Fort York are unveiling a permanent public art installation under the Gardiner Expressway (off Fort York Boulevard, between Bathurst and Fleet Streets). In WATERTABLE, Toronto artists Lisa Steele and Kim Tomczak use video and lights to create the effect of rippling water on the underside of the highway—a reminder that the Gardiner runs along what used to the original shoreline of Lake Ontario. Ever wonder why the the Toronto Harbour Commission building is notably not on the harbour? It used to be surrounded by water on three sides!

How far would you have to walk up Yonge Street before passing 1,700 light poles? And would you count out 1,700 light poles if you didn't have good reason? Participants in the Toronto Environmental Alliance and David Suzuki Foundation's Smog Hike on Sunday, September 23 certainly have a good cause—raising awareness of the human cost of pollution—and will find out just how far they're willing to go.

There are more ways to walk and discover this city than just following the city’s Discovery Walk maps. There are an increasing number of guided audio tours that you can download from the Internet and pack into your digital music player before heading out on your expedition. One audio tour company, City Surf, has several neighbourhood tours available for about $10 each. Recently, City Surf teamed up with Waterfront Toronto to offer a free audio tour of the central waterfront area.

Do you wistfully dream of having a little corner of the city to call your own, but balk at the "Homes" section of the classifieds with its hyperbole-strewn ads and dead-eyed realtors? A new Google Maps-based website, housing123.com, tries to make things a little easier for potential home buyers across the GTA.

The Toronto Star published a good article Sunday revealing that "the city's Waterfront Secretariat is now reviewing the recommendations and cost estimates of recent waterfront task forces on the fate of the Gardiner." Torontoist hears you asking, wasn't this the whole point of the Gardiner Report released last September? Now that the city has all but canned plans to tear down the elevated highway due to lack of funds, however, discussions are focussing on how to make the best of what we're stuck with.

Occasionally Torontoist gets bitten by the camping bug. Unfortunately, we don’t always have the extra vacation days or access to a vehicle required for a Kawartha Lakes getaway. Then, of course, there’s the environmental irony of loading the minivan full of camping gear and burning dozens of litres of gas in order to enjoy nature.

Last night at City Hall, Councillor Adam Vaughan conceded defeat in the fight to keep the John Street Roundhouse from becoming a big box retail outlet. He withdrew his motion [PDF] calling for a temporary freeze on the redevelopment of the Roundhouse into a Leon's outlet. The news derails a movement against the proposed furniture store that had been gathering steam recently.

Garrison Creek once ran through Toronto from its tributaries near what is now St. Clair West, to what was once the shore of Lake Ontario, past the northeast side of Fort York. Development polluted the creek as Toronto began to grow, and in the early 1900s, work began on the burial of Garrison Creek. Long since converted into a sewer, Garrison Creek has completely disappeared from view.

Can a transit system foster love for a city? Torontonians may scoff, but Londoners will nod. The underground—better known as the Tube—is often cited as a reason why so many Londoners take pride in their city.

"Water," Spacing's summer issue, is finally out, available at your favourite bookstores throughout the city. Devoted to "Toronto’s ravines, rivers, water towers, sewers, and waterfront," "Water" is intended to be "a snapshot of Toronto’s relationship with water and how it shapes our everyday lives." The sneak peeks inside the magazine (featuring some photography by the ever-awesome Miles Storey) look as gorgeous as ever, and we're itching to get our hands on a copy.

Study finds that Ontario children's group homes are like jails. Managers of group homes dismissed charges that their homes were Dickensian by pointing out that their children are not highly skilled pickpockets. Yet.

The Leslie Street Spit is a man-made stretch of land that juts into Lake Ontario. A good chunk of it was built from the debris of old bank buildings that had been razed to make way for projects like the Toronto Dominion Centre in the 1970s. The Leslie Spit is also the breeding ground for all kinds of migratory songbirds. It's like our feathered friends are dancing on the graves of the structures they used to fly into! Speaking of which, this Saturday, Toronto and Region Conservation holds its annual Spring Bird Festival at Tommy Thompson Park. If you think that the city's winged world begins with pigeons and ends with those little brown birds that eat garbage, then the Festival is a great way to connect with avian life. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with an Early Bird (get it?) hike at 7 a.m. Don't forget your binoculars.

Despite loud public complaints, Toronto City Council has begrudgingly approved Astral Media's street furniture bid with a few conditions: reduce the total amount of per square foot advertising, guarantee that all billboards follow city bylaws, estimate how much energy will be used illuminating advertisements, and ensure there is no loophole in the contract which would allow Astral to screw the city over.

From pristine wetland to industrial transportation hub and the confluence of major urban expressways, the Lower Don Lands area has gone through many changes throughout Toronto’s history. The mouth of the Don River is about to change again.