The City has learned that lesson, and monoculture is no longer the practice for street plantings.
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Toronto Bloor Street Revitalization | ?m | ?s | Bloor-Yorkville BIA | architectsAlliance
jje1000
Senior Member
Does anyone know what art piece was purchased?
UrbanLurker
Active Member
I hope that vague plan is still on Brookfield's radar. The interior space is in dire need of some upgrade. Hopefully the plan wasn't completely discarded after Saks chose the Queen st. location.
androiduk
Senior Member
They're constructing seating around one of the trees on the north side of Bloor just west of Church. Looks to be almost finished.
MetroMan
Senior Member
Northern Light
Superstar
Hmmm.
I like the idea of seating.
I like that there is a design element to said seating.
But I have some minor reservations about the impact on the trees.
I take it from the design that the intent is to fully encircle the tree.
The seating appears to come flush w/the paving.
The obvious risk is that during heavy rain you could have pooling which might drown the tree.
We don't that that many storms that are that bad; still most of the Bloor St. tree species are not tolerant having their base under water.
Perhaps the design will allow proper drainage, we shall have to see.
My other concern with a fully encircled design is inconsiderate oafs using it as a garbage can..........
88drums
Active Member
I'm no botanist but I had the opposite thought -- that the seats will protect the trees by keeping people, trash and, most importantly, road salt away from the tree base and surrounding soil.
buildup
Senior Member
Its also slightly more difficult to rip branches off, which 1% of the population is prone to doing. Also keeps away bike chains.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
Given the amount of perforations at the base of the bench, I doubt it will be any good at allowing water to pool.
AoD
AoD
Avenue
Active Member
Am I the only who's not into the idea of sitting down on that bench - way too close to the road and with my back turned to the traffic which is monstrous in that strip?
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Contra
Senior Member
This is the biggest thing I noticed. No way you can lock your bike to that tree now. Super tasteful and as these trees age it'll provide some shade.
ADRM
Senior Member
That was my first thought, too; between about Club Monaco at Avenue and Manulife (pre-desecration, at least), drivers treat that stretch of Bloor as a drag strip and it's generally pretty inhospitable to pedestrians. I'd rather the BIA reverse its position on bike lanes through this area if its goal is to enliven the non-auto environment and encourage more people to come and go.
Avenue
Active Member
Yeah exactly. The only way I would sit in that bench is if there's a curbside bike lane to buffer from the traffic. Otherwise the retail character/street animation in this stretch is poor to non existent to choose to sit there anyway.
44 North
Senior Member
Good point about the bike locking. Bark easily gets hacked up either from the lock, pedals, or just generally having metal pushed up against it. I know I've tried squeezing a U-lock between my frame and a tree. Damaged bark is a surefire way to prematurely kill one.
I kinda like the auto traffic in this area specifically, just because the high number of exotic or ultra-high end cars. When they're parked outside Holt Renfrew it provides street animation with pedestrians stopping to take photos.