Best street to make over.

[Glen]

Lets all nominate the street (over a few blocks), that is most in need of a makeover.

I nominate Spadina Ave. between Queen and College.

The LRT makes it a major transit corridor, but it is under used. It is the second widest road in the city. To me it seems that the area is ripe for redevelopment and intensification. The location is great, and going back to the second point, I really feel that it has the most potential to be something truly special.

 

[Urban Shocker]

Jones Avenue will be magnificent one day.

 

[allabootmatt]

Oh man..Spadina would be toward the bottom of my list. At least it has no hydro wires and sidewalks/streetscaping more or less befitting a first-world country. And some wonderful old warehouse structures. My nominee, hands down, is Dundas from McCaul to the Don (or hell, even just to Jarvis). It's truly an embarassment, both in terms of architecture and the streetscape/public realm.

 

[jaborandi]

Bathurst from Front to Dupont - what a mess! Is there a more incoherant street downtown? It is home to so many unfortunate residential improvements and just plain miserable looking structures.

 

[Hydrogen]

jaborandi, you beat me to it, so I'll second your vote. The stretch you mention give ugly a bad name.

 

[Andrew3D]

Bay Street from Queen to Gerrard

Ossignton Avenue from Queen to Dundas

Gerrard Street from the DVP to Coxwell

Coxwell Avenue from Queen to Gerrard West

Queen Street East from Church to Parliment

Bathurst Street from Queen to College

College Street from Spadina to Bathurst



Just to name a few.

 

[Glen]

All great nominations!

I guess I should have been clearer though with my intentions. Which street make over would have the biggest impact or most potential? I don't want to turn this into an ugliest street competition.

The reason I chose Spadina was it is a major artery for both cars and surface transit. It's proximity to Queen West and the Entertainment District and mostly because of its width. I think that the width alone with the wide sidewalks gives it tremendous potential.

 

[jaborandi]

All great nominations!

I guess I should have been clearer though with my intentions. Which street make over would have the biggest impact or most potential? I don't want to turn this into an ugliest street competition.

The reason I chose Spadina was it is a major artery for both cars and surface transit. It's proximity to Queen West and the Entertainment District and mostly because of its width. I think that the width alone with the wide sidewalks gives it tremendous potential.

I still go with Bathurst - once everything is torn down, the street can be widened to incorporate a streetcar right of way and new sidewalks emulating Copacabana Beach will make a huge difference. Of course, the new statues dedicated to famous scholars, scientists, humanitarians and stand up comics will draw a lot more pedestrian traffic, which in turn will help this "new" club district become financially viable. This would also give downtown a very distinct western boundary. While we're at it, we could toss in a new subway route to help aleviate the pressure of the Yonge/University lines. Streets running parallel to Bathurst on either side could then be given over to trendy restaurants and stylish boutiques pushing aggresive good taste.

 

[Hydrogen]

Okay,

I'm closing my eyes and trying to imagine your vision for Bathurst...





...but I can't.


Is it me, or is the street to damn bleh?

 

[jaborandi]

Okay,

I'm closing my eyes and trying to imagine your vision for Bathurst...





...but I can't.


Is it me, or is the street to damn bleh?

Well Hydrogen, first of all, get rid of everything in your memories of Bathurst, especially the damn bleh. Then just go to it and put in whatever tickles your fancy. Remember, you are god and can do what you damn well please so long as it benfits the City in a way which you deem fitting. Do you want a street lined with 8-storey residential of the highest architectural order? You got it. What would you do Hydrogen? Just curious.

 

[Edward Skira]

Eglinton, Lawrence & Ellesmere going east from Victoria Park. And countless other suburban streets filled with miles and miles of horrible strip malls, fast food joints and car dealers.

Another would be Dufferin along its entire route.

 

[Blovertis]

Yonge Street, College to Bloor, if only because it is so visible to out-of-towners. If I had my way, all the heritage buildings three storeys and over would be restored and everything else, especially that ugly unilevel plaza north of Wood on the east side, would be replaced by buildings with 5-6 storey podiums.

 

[lordmandeep]

i think Queensway will gentrify especially with that streetcar on it...

 

[Jdot]

I would say that a re-designed Queen Quay would have a MASSIVE impact.

Looks like we're in luck - it is being redeveloped.

My only beef is that Queens Quay should be redeveloped all the way west, not just to Spadina.

 

[wyliepoon]

I nominate Spadina Ave. between Queen and College.

Just wondering what kind of "make over" you might be proposing for that stretch? That's half of Toronto's Chinatown, which is far from "under used". I might dare say it has probably the city's highest pedestrian density.

I second Ed's vote for Eglinton, Lawrence and Ellesmere. In fact, Spadina would make a perfect model to remake those avenues.