Ryerson: Master Plan

[highlife]

What Ryerson has done over the past few years has changed my stereotypical views of the school. I may consider taking a graduate degree at "Rye-High" in the future.

As long as we have visionaries such as Levy in place, all they need is the funding to implement their ideas. So I'm really looking forward to the upcoming budget. I hope they create a federal style Ontario "super-build" fund, administered by the provinces.

 

[taal]

Statements like these:
"revitalizing a dismal commercial strip in the heart of the city"

Are really starting to irk me ...
For the most part I'm very glad Ryerson is doing what it's doing and it will help the area a lot ...

But in no way is Yonge street, particularly around this location "dismal" ... wow and if you look at the comparisons they give to other cities that's like comparing ..... not even sure how to describe it.

Again, I'm all for what they're doing but they're really stretching this "we're here to help save this area which has been in constant decline ..." If that helps increase there public image then fine ... paint the picture like that.

 

[mtrcycl]

Statements like these:

But in no way is Yonge street, particularly around this location "dismal" ... wow and if you look at the comparisons they give to other cities that's like comparing ..... not even sure how to describe it.

Dismal isn't too far off!

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

I agree, I'm really getting tired of Yonge Street bashing.
This is the first time I've read about Gould Street being closed off to traffic, that's great news. I guess all the rallies effected positive change

 

[Ziggy]

Yeah, comments like these:

... a dismal commercial strip in the heart of the city.

"Yonge Street here is the ugliest place I know," Levy said.

"We are going to clean up Yonge Street," he said,

have me a bit worried. I hope they don't go overboard in trying to sanitize Yonge.

There's definitely some "grit" in that stretch, but that's part of it's "big city" charm. If anything, I'd like to see more strip clubs and sex shops, like St Catherine Street in Montreal. It's a very vibrant street, definitely not dismal.

 

[Yorked]

I think the trash talking of the strip is to get the money and build some hype. which is fine. I'm pretty sure Levy has strolled down to the corner himself and seen all the youth going about. there's a definite energy in the area. if anything, that whole area has really grown into it's own these past few years as the square matures and Toronto Life slowly starts to build a following.

cleaning up the broken down future shop and Sam's locations will only help.

btw the burrito place (chipotle, I think) is great. so is the small little waffle place.

 

[wyliepoon]

Levy is wrong about saying that that stretch of Yonge is the worst (the two classical buildings across from the Eaton Centre, and the stretch around Richmond and Adelaide are probably worse), but I think a clean-up is not too much to ask for.

In my opinion, the sex shops have got to go. I personally find them to be an embarrassment to Yonge Street.

I'd like to see the street take on a feel similar to Bloor Street in the Annex, and in a way it has. Yonge Street could be lined with pubs, coffee shops, restaurants (including many Asian and sushi restaurants) and bookstores. Some of the well-known businesses near that stretch of Yonge, such as Salad King, World's Biggest Book Store and BMV definitely deserve Yonge Street frontage.

Finally I hope that Levy hasn't turned his back on Church Street with his Yonge Street 'crusade'. The Ryerson stretch of Church Street is terribly designed, but I haven't heard anything about change on that street. There has long been talk about replacing the ugly Architecture Building, but no serious announcement has been made about it.

 

[interchange42]

One thing at a time I suppose, but yes, eventually they have to deal with Church Street again. If not building 'ugly' on Yonge is successful, it can only portend well for Church's future too.

42

 

[lordmandeep]

Well Yonge street is our most famous street and should be our showpiece street but that is University Ave...

Yonge street is a bit ugly and gritty considered how popular and famous it is.

Ryerson and the Life Square thing have improved it and the new CP24 location will help.


Ryerson is helping slowly improve the run down east side of Downtown.

 

[Tuscani01]

Well Yonge street is our most famous street and should be our showpiece street but that is University Ave...

Yonge street is a bit ugly and gritty considered how popular and famous it is.

Ryerson and the Life Square thing have improved it and the new CP24 location will help.


Ryerson is helping slowly improve the run down east side of Downtown.

University and Yonge can't be compared. They are two completely different things. University is completely deserted at night while Yonge remains lively. Yonge will never be a University and University will never be a Yonge. The grittyness of Yonge is what makes it Yonge. Its the retail centre of the city. University is more institutional. Both are our showpiece streets, each with their own allure.

As for cp24, its staying on Queen St. CityTV is moving to Dundas Square.

 

[JasonParis]

There's definitely some "grit" in that stretch, but that's part of it's "big city" charm. If anything, I'd like to see more strip clubs and sex shops, like St Catherine Street in Montreal. It's a very vibrant street, definitely not dismal.

Although Montreal is tearing down its sex district much quicker than we are.

In my opinion, the sex shops have got to go. I personally find them to be an embarrassment to Yonge Street.

Each to their own, but one of the problems is that they don't really have anywhere to go as all adult strip bars in Toronto have been grandfathered.

 

[syn]

I'm really looking forward to seeing what they come up with. It was sad to see Sam the Record Man go, but it looks like this should be a big improvement overall.

 

[allabootmatt]

Yonge St may not be everyone's cup of tea, but cities of any large size sort of need a "Yonge St" somewhere--a magnet for the tourists and the hawkers, the high and the low--in other words, a centre, for better or worse. The area of London east of Piccadilly Circus (ie Shaftesbury Ave, Haymarket, and the bottom corner of Soho, etc) serves an almost identical function. New York has Times Square, Paris has St-Michel. None of these would be my favourite place to hang out in a given city, but I'm glad they're there.

And as they are, having a less-than-sterilized Yonge St is much preferable to some kind of Giuliani-style facsimile, as Times Square proper has become. Thankfully, 8th Ave is still pleasantly seedy.

Edit: I would add that, much as I am looking forward to a great Ryerson building at the Sam's site, I would rather Mr. Levy turn his attention to Church. It has the potential to be Ryerson's version of St. George, which I think we can all agree is spectacular. Turning Church into such an academic destination street (by focussing new construction there, doing some nice planting, paving, wire-burying etc.) may not mesh with his vision of Ryerson as NYU (or maybe the New School) to U of T's Columbia, but it would be really nice, and unlock the potential of a perfectly good downtown street.

 

[Archivist]

I just want to chime in and say that I agree with all of all...matt's comments.

Sex shops - OK and part of the life of a big city. I don't feel in the slightest critical of wyliepoon for wanting them gone, though, that's quite understandable, but yes, this too is part of the life of a big city. As are mediocre chain restaurants for the tourists, and as are really low end taverns for people who populate them everyday starting at 1:00 in the afternoon. It doesn't mean I need to spend time in them, but I recognize that a big successful city offers a wide variety of accommodations to its denizens. Girls twirling on poles and men walking around a maze of cubicles in towels are simply part of that.

Looking forward to Ryerson building on Yonge. It's a good point though, that Ryerson should concentrate on Church (architecture building ought to be redone). I also look forward to the new gallery with it's big lettering overlooking the square.

 

[androiduk]

^ I think part of the problem here is when a city like Toronto experiences an increase in density in the core. These seedy areas and tourist destinations all of a sudden turn into neighbourhoods with families. There's bound to be friction and culling of undesirable elements but in the end, the 'undesirables' usually lose out and move to another part of town. When Aura is built it will be kitty corner to a strip club and Covenant House. It will be interesting to see what happens here over the next few years after Aura is completed but you can be sure there will be changes, even if it's just because of increased property values.