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2nd Downtown: Yonge-Sheppard vs. Yonge-Eglinton

Yonge & Sheppard is growing a lot faster than Yonge & Eglinton because of the Sheppard subway. So it stands to reason if Eglinton got a subway, it would see a similar trend. It's debatable whether an underground LRT will have the same effect. For all intents and purposes, if it's as fast as a subway (in the tunnel portion) then i think it'll boost Y&E for employment and residents. As for the Y&S, I don't know how the proposed LRT would affect Sheppard East. If it's above ground and slow, it might have a negative affect on those areas for transit use at least.
 
I don't agree ... it works well no matter how ackward it is. Yes a few things can be done to improve it (particularly the permiter of the site) but for the most part it's very nice.

Regarding North Toronto Park on Eglinton that's a Park ... you can't compare at all!. It's hard to beat the swimming pool + library at NYCC either, probably both top 5 in the city.

Although it might be nice to have a park in place of the square ... there isn't any large park that close to NYCC.


Oh and since when did Eglinton have night life?? It has a movie theater (2 acutally) ... a few bars ... a comedy club ... I think it used to have something that resembled a club but that's it. It tends to have more pedestrians year round then NYCC but not a lot more.
 
It's a little bit out of the way of Y/Eg, but I quite like the Eglinton Community Center and park. It is nothing fancy, but it is pleasant. Personally, I am getting a bit tired of getting architect designed parks (damn you, HtO!). I go to a park to enjoy nature or tranquility, not look at an ostentatious arrangement of trees.
 
Though isn't Eg CC "architect designed", too, if we may use that euphemism? Forgot who did it, but it was a highlight of 90s public architecture in Toronto...
 
scarberiankhatru said:
Mel Lastman Square should be razed to the bedrock and rebuilt...it's a really awkward space.
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Just curious, have you seen the square recently? If not, check it out. There's a new artificial stream that runs from a fountain at Yonge down into the square.

This place is a great multi-functional square with both open space and shade and a large amphitheater. There's a large reflection pool located in the centre of the square that serves as a skating rink in the winter.
 
adma said:
Though isn't Eg CC "architect designed", too, if we may use that euphemism? Forgot who did it, but it was a highlight of 90s public architecture in Toronto...
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I believe the center itself is, but the park behind it is just a normal (though big) park. I'm sure it probably was "architect designed", but whoever designed the park opted for the more traditional trees, jungle gym, baseball diamond setup.
 
pipolchap said:
Just curious, have you seen the square recently? If not, check it out. There's a new artificial stream that runs from a fountain at Yonge down into the square.

This place is a great multi-functional square with both open space and shade and a large amphitheater. There's a large reflection pool located in the centre of the square that serves as a skating rink in the winter.
Click to expand...

Ha, that reflecting pool is dry and fenced off most of the time.

Mel Lastman Square manages to work okay in spite of itself. One of many problems is that there's barely any flat open space...this is most noticeable during large events. The amphitheatre stage directly faces a huuuge concrete bunker instead of the amphitheatre seats. Check out the way the civic centre office towers and indoor shopping concourse turn their backs to the Square, the dingy subway entrance underneath Starbucks, the lack of pedestrian access to North York Centre Blvd, the Beecroft access that requires pedestrians to dodge cars turning into the parking garage, etc. Even the tree canopy is too dense and low to the ground - it makes the formal garden plots next to the education building a bit creepy at night.
 
Not true at all....

First of all the reflecting pool and entire stream starting with the fountain directly on Yonge have been around for a long time, they just renovated the entire thing.

The "not true" part was referring to the fact that it's usually fenced off most of the time. After the renovations were complete the fountain + stream + reflecting pool (skating rink in winter) are always on!

Regarding the lack of large flat space that's true ... but note whenever they have any big even on they empty out the reflecting pool and use it.
 
Speaking of Yonge and Eglinton, what is the status of the old bus bays? Maybe a public square a la Yonge-Dundas or Mel Lastman would be good?
 
Here's the "new" stream at Mel Lastman Square

2680926663_c6665a6c8e_b.jpg
 
That's it alright!

It's a bit sad that it's now fenced in by the benches / some fences on the bridges crossing it. Maybe it was a safety issue.

Anyway ... it's pretty nice!
 
I like both "downtowns" but Yonge-Eglinton wins this one hands down! NYCC's too elitist/exclusivist for my tastes.
 
DENTROBATE54 said:
I like both "downtowns" but Yonge-Eglinton wins this one hands down! NYCC's too elitist/exclusivist for my tastes.
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really? NYCC more elitist than Y/Eg? I have thee exact opposite impression. Y/Eg is like Lawrence Park's downtown.
 
I don't consider either of them to be "downtowns", but more like dense urban districts. In either case, my nod goes to Yonge and Eg, because it's got two axes: Yonge and Eglinton, whereas NYCC just has one: Yonge street.
 
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