Toronto looking at ways to beautify city streets
City staff looking into possibility of central beautification commissioner to maintain street standards
Done right, its a fine idea, as far as it goes.
I'm not unsupportive.
I would, however, note the following:
1) This idea is only as good as the person you install in the job, and the authority and budget you give them.
2) Toronto already has a Streetscape Design Manual, one that admittedly is not without shortcomings, but some of its ideas are quite good......... its just that City Staff, Developers, and Toronto Hydro, among others, regularly ignore them.
3) A lot of the capital side of the budget for things is outsources on multi-year contract, such as the Astral Transit shelter contract which also provides on-street City waste receptacles. Anyone put in place needs to be in position to influence the next contract, which isn't that far off from going out.
4) Thinks like the awful garbage cans in parks are the responsibility of Waste Management........so you need anyone in charge to be able to impose on that unit as well, or take that responsibility away from them.
5) Finally, good design needs to be matched by good upkeep, and that's in so many different operating piles
a) Streetlights- Hydro
b) Streetfurniture (default) Astral
c) Waste pick-up, Solid Waste Management
d) Lawn mowing (Parks, in Park, and contracted in out for boulevards, but under Transportation)
e) Bikeshare Docks - Bikeshare/Green P
f) Other Cycling infra - Cycling Unit
Add to that the involvement of BIAs
The 'minor parks improvements' budgets which are typically spent by supervisory staff
And then agencies like TTC as well.
Actually, he didn't, I tried to coach him to do that, but he refused, so I did it while he licked his ice cream cone.
