Toronto The Bentway (was Under Gardiner) | ?m | ?s | Waterfront Toronto

What should be the permanent name for the park under the Gardiner?

  • The Artery

    Votes: 12 6.6%
  • The Bentway

    Votes: 76 41.8%
  • Under Gardiner

    Votes: 52 28.6%
  • None of the above

    Votes: 42 23.1%

  • Total voters
    182

salsa

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Large donation expected to spark Gardiner underpass transformation
A Toronto philanthropist is set to announce a major donation to kick off a transformational “animation” of a stretch of bleak grey below the Gardiner Expressway, the Star has learned.

Judy Matthews, an urban planner, volunteer and benefactor, will announce her gift Tuesday at a news conference, with dignitaries including Mayor John Tory and Waterfront Toronto chief executive John Campbell.

Sources told the Star, on condition of anonymity, that Matthews’ “very significant” donation should help transform the waterfront-area underpass from Fort York east to Parliament St.

Ken Greenberg, the celebrated urban designer, principal of Greenberg Consultants and a former City of Toronto director of urban design and architecture, is expected to take a leading role in the project, which will be overseen primarily by Waterfront Toronto.

A source called Matthews’ gift one of the biggest investments in “public realm infrastructure” in Toronto history, adding it should help to leverage other funding to help bring life and vibrancy to the controversial elevated barrier between the business district and an increasingly interesting waterfront.

Two sources compared the project’s scope to that of New York City’s wildly successfulHigh Line, a park built on an elevated railway line through Manhattan — while cautioning that “the Gardiner Expressway is not coming down.” In apparent homage, “Underline” is one of the names bandied about for the Toronto project.

http://www.thestar.com/news/city_ha...-spark-gardiner-underpass-transformation.html
 
Large donation expected to spark Gardiner underpass transformation


http://www.thestar.com/news/city_ha...-spark-gardiner-underpass-transformation.html

This seems a bit weird, like the city should accept free money for this project and then once it's there, nothing can be done with the Gardiner between Fort York and Parliament, because, well, the project's there and all that money has gone into it.

Maybe I'm being too cynical but I can't help wondering why, and why now.
 
This seems a bit weird, like the city should accept free money for this project and then once it's there, nothing can be done with the Gardiner between Fort York and Parliament, because, well, the project's there and all that money has gone into it.

Maybe I'm being too cynical but I can't help wondering why, and why now.

Not to prematurely poo-hoo the idea, but also beware of best intentions went awry (like how Museum station turned out)

AoD
 
Finally! I was waiting for the day some philanthropist would help move a large scale project forward in Toronto! Can't wait to see how this all pans out!

I hope this leads to a trend of people coming forward with money for big improvements to the public realm in this city.

I hear someone is rushing to fund a subway expansion - Any expansion, anywhere! Good god, man! Just draw some lines on the map! - right at this very moment.

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Seeing as Ken Greenberg is involved, I assume anything done will be done in a way that allows for the Gardiner to come down in the future. I don't see him trying to do something that would lead to people arguing for its continued existence considering how much he has fought to bring it down.

Since Lake Shore Blvd. runs under most of the Gardiner through this stretch, I am going to assume it is just a beautification project for the Gardiner's structure, or simply improvements to the roads and sidewalks that cross under the Gardiner.
 
I guess they figure if the cat's out of the bag, they might as well provide some official info before tomorrow's announcement
 

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