I think each of the proposals by Diller + Scofidio, OMA and Adrian Smith are highly attractive. Oddly, my preferences don't seem confined to any particular category (improve, replaces, remove...)
The worst proposal seems to be DTAH's boulevard. Replacing the Gardiner with a 'grand boulevard' would be terrible. The area would feel desolate and windswept! KPMB's looks nice at first glance, but I suspect there is a strong element of renderponrism with those buildings.
As a general, vague comment, I think the proposals which deal solely with the Gardiner tend to be the weakest while those which more completely re-imagine the corridor tend to be stronger. By the later I mean proposals which try to consider everything from the rail corridor to the waterfront to how the area connects with the larger city. I think that's recognition that the area's current shortcomings go well beyond the simple presence of the Gardiner.
Proposals which simply address that one component, even if they involve very dramatic steps like removal or building a tunnel, seem very limited.
Beyond that I'm not sure how much its worth commenting on specifics, given that these are very notional proposals.
A few questions would be:
- What is the cost range for a simple, shallow tunnel like in the Adrian Smith proposal?
- Would a DLR along Lakeshore (OMA) be feasible? How would it connect to the YUS? Would a DRL even really address much of the travel market the Gardiner does?
- How feasible would the 'second downtown' in the OMA proposal be economically?