Toronto 88 Queen | 167.35m | 52s | St Thomas Dev | Hariri Pontarini

I don't think the siting was well thought out (of the park in general); the garbage cans are hideous no matter where you put them, and in a small space, with limited choice.........still....they are too close to the seats.

(of note, in my experience, Parks rarely gets to decide where bins in its parks go.........waste management does}. This is a side effect of Parks having lost responsibility for garbage in Parks.
Waste management tends to think about what's convenient for them in terms of pick-up, rather that what makes sense aesthetically or for the Park user.
I have no doubt they can be influenced to do better, but too few people try)

The park itself is also very small; I have an ongoing issue w/the current desire to accept on-site park space even where that represents barely usable space.

This is a product of parks having sat on its acquisition $$$ for the most part, for almost a generation.

The message having come down from the pols.......we need parks already, why is the money gathering dust?

But instead of spending it strategically, now they're trying to avoid putting in the proverbial bank.
But why is the acquisition money gathering dust? Why?!
Also, it really makes me wonder why no one on City Council does anything about the ugly garbage bins. And it's not just that. We seem to lack a culture of genuinely caring what our public realm looks like, and especially how it's maintained. For now, though, I'll call KWT.
 
Christ. As someone who actually lives and uses this park (and has lived in the neighborhood fir a good decade plus) it has been a pretty good addition.

Most of the day it has activity. People sitting at the benches. Some folks in one corner doing exercise. A couple having some food.

I sit in it for 15-45 minutes every day, and it is never empty


Thank god it has no grass! It would just become another stupid dog run that is mostly dead from over use. Look at Arena Gardens if you want to see what a small “green” park looks like.

Is it perfect? Of course not. Maybe it has too many trees as a sop to those who dream of green. In any case one side of the park is under construction. The retail to the north is leased but not open yet. Retail on the south will also open into it.

Agree. The bins are an easy fix and new public spaces like this usually look barren when built. It still looks decent and will look infinitely nicer 30, 40, 50 years down the road when trees have had time to grow. Places with mature old growth trees look 100 times more lush and beautiful than a 30 foot tree. We will have to wait a generation or 2 but that's just how it goes. We will reap what has been sowed.

I'm assuming they installed Silver Cells. It's little short sighted and pointless if they didn't.
 
Last edited:
It won't even take that long. The trees at Sugar Beach and the promenade from Jarvis to Sherbourne are really lush and create a nice shade oasis. I think they were planted about 12-13 years ago now?
 
Every day the bins move! The ugly bins are a city-wide problem. Why can’t we do them properly in the park or the street?

Benches are about 50% used ATM. A nice change from my office/apartment.
386AC65F-580D-4B7E-996C-E3C5985219CE.jpeg
 
Every day the bins move! The ugly bins are a city-wide problem. Why can’t we do them properly in the park or the street?

Benches are about 50% used ATM. A nice change from my office/apartment.
View attachment 325209

Considering it's right next to a construction site - 50% usage is pretty impressive.

Agree. The bins are an easy fix and new public spaces like this usually look barren when built. It still looks decent and will look infinitely nicer 30, 40, 50 years down the road when trees have had time to grow. Places with mature old growth trees look 100 times more lush and beautiful than a 30 foot tree. We will have to wait a generation or 2 but that's just how it goes. We will reap what has been sowed.

I'm assuming they installed Silver Cells. It's little short sighted and pointless if they didn't.

Just a friendly correction - it's Silva (not Silver) Cells. Not sure if they used any at this parkette - the construction photos doesn't seem to suggest it, but it's not definitive:


The plaza to the south in this phase of the development will though.

AoD
 
Last edited:
Of course not everyone knows a building's name but my point was that some names stick more than others. Market Square IS the complex above Metro and Hot House, Berczy is the one at south west corner of Church & Front and The Wellington is the building on Wellington with the large courtyard and fountain opposite Berczy Park,
That’s my area. I didn’t know any of those and I’m a development geek. Addresses exist for a reason.
 
That’s my area. I didn’t know any of those and I’m a development geek. Addresses exist for a reason.
Of course, addresses are essential but many buildings also have names and the point being made is that some stick while others don't. Based on thread titles in UT, most developers give their buildings names - confusing as some of them are (the Aqua 'family' being a good/bad example!)
 

Back
Top