Toronto Corktown Common | ?m | ?s | Waterfront Toronto | Maryann Thompson

GraphicMatt said:
Has that been confirmed? There was talk at one point a couple of weeks back that the city was dragging their feet and wanted to wait to open the park until 2013.
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The section of park nearest the river is certainly not going to be ready until late fall 2012 but the other part of the park, with the pavillion, is ready and if you look at the fences they have put up they do NOT stop pedestrians who walk along Lower River from reaching it.

Underpass Park is ready to open but the City has now asked WT to do some minor concrete repairs to the bridge first - they have a tender out for it right now and it will, I think, not take long to get done.
 
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Feb 16
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I'm guessing that's Mill Street? Thanks for the pic, the street lights look very simple and modern - a refreshing change from the normal clutter seen around T.o

It is a shame, however, that the street paving is just asphalt rather than a nice brick pattern as previously promised. That would have added a tremendous amount of character to an area that will no doubt need it.
 
Those grey street lamps are not the most attractive but at least there wont be any electrical wires over-head. I hoped for something better but I'll guess I'll have to settle for this.
 
They're black not great no ? Secondly that is the exact same lighting used on Yonge.

I don't think brick was ever promised here.

Are those big cutouts for trees ?
 
The sidewalks are going to have to be made wider because there is no way someone in a wheelchair will be able to get by those huge planters, in the middle of the sidewalk. (where the parking lane is)
 
Wow your right, not even wheelchairs, I don't think you'd be able to walk around !
 
It's the strangest sidewalk I've ever seen but that might turn out to be a good thing, after it's landscaped, expanded and beautified. I figure, once the buildings are going up, we will see them add concrete, to expand the sidewalk.
 
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I'm certain the sidewalk (right side of picture) will be expanded towards the huts and vise versa on the other side of the street. There's no way they'll leave them as they are now.
 
Tarantulal Downpours said:
I'm certain the sidewalk (right side of picture) will be expanded towards the huts and vise versa on the other side of the street. There's no way they'll leave them as they are now.
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If you look at the Block Plans for the West Don Lands on the WT website you will see that the lamp posts are about in middle of sidewalk PLUS there is further space between sidewalk and the buildings themselves. I cannot see exact measurements of sidewalks but I suspect WT have realised people need to be able to walk on the sidewalks. It is my understanding that they built this part of the sidewalks now so that they can plant trees this spring and thus have more mature trees faster.
 
The lack of scale reference points such as trees and people obviously exaggerate this feeling, but when I see that picture of the road as well as pretty well all roadways in new developments around the waterfront I can't help but think "vast inhuman scale". The counter argument to this is that there is a certain clean, relaxed, and functional ambience, a kind of comfort in the auspicious waste of land and resources. It's the feeling you get when you return to Pearson Airport from say Europe or Asia. You know from the contrast how much more human the scale of everything is there and yet you appreciate how much more relaxing it is to live in a place where an insignificant local road with a posted speed limit of 40 km/hr is as wide as a 4-lane expressway.
 
TrickyRicky said:
The lack of scale reference points such as trees and people obviously exaggerate this feeling, but when I see that picture of the road as well as pretty well all roadways in new developments around the waterfront I can't help but think "vast inhuman scale". The counter argument to this is that there is a certain clean, relaxed, and functional ambience, a kind of comfort in the auspicious waste of land and resources. It's the feeling you get when you return to Pearson Airport from say Europe or Asia. You know from the contrast how much more human the scale of everything is there and yet you appreciate how much more relaxing it is to live in a place where an insignificant local road with a posted speed limit of 40 km/hr is as wide as a 4-lane expressway.
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I'm not sure about all of the roads in the proposed WDL development but last week I walked on the Bayview extension south of Queen St. to Don River Park and it seems very narrow whereas I had originally thought it might be like a small highway.

Yesterday I looked down on this section of Bayview while walking across the Queen St. bridge (over the DVP) and it also seemed quite narrow from this point of view - only one lane of traffic in each direction and only sidewalk (on the west side).

I too hope that the streets are not too huge in the WDL - I liked the sound of the "Woonerf" concept for some of the shorter roads.
 
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