Toronto East Bayfront: Aitken Place Park | ?m | ?s | Waterfront Toronto

innsertnamehere · Oct 4, 2019

skycandy said:
Park seems largely cordoned off...presumably almost completed. No workers visible within the park, only the perimeter.

That's messy with the two paver types meeting. Hope something is done about that.

DSC · Oct 4, 2019

innsertnamehere said:
That's messy with the two paver types meeting. Hope something is done about that.

I think the pavers are the same but some have been in place for 2+ years and have weathered while others are new. I do not think it will be long before they meld together.

innsertnamehere · Oct 4, 2019

DSC said:
I think the pavers are the same but some have been in place for 2+ years and have weathered while others are new. I do not think it will be long before they meld together.

Thanks. I sort of suspected that but the colour difference looked a little too drastic for that to be true to my eye. I would be happy to be wrong.

DSC · Oct 4, 2019

innsertnamehere said:
Thanks. I sort of suspected that but the colour difference looked a little too drastic for that to be true to my eye. I would be happy to be wrong.

The older (southern) pavers were covered in sand (I assume for protection) so are probably quite damp too. I hope I am right too but the new park is looking very good so let's celebrate that!

DSC · Oct 8, 2019

The park (and the promenade) are OPEN. They are currently finishing off the strip of pavers between the Aqua building on the east and the park, should all be done by next week - it's a narrow strip.

Tuscani01 · Oct 8, 2019

This is like the College Park of the waterfront. Pretty underwhelming when compared to the rest of the public realm in this area.

DSC · Oct 8, 2019

Tuscani01 said:
This is like the College Park of the waterfront. Pretty underwhelming when compared to the rest of the public realm in this area.

Why do you say that? It looks like a pretty decent small park for use by local residents to me. Of course, it's for everyone but it is not the wide public promenade along the water or the sand of Sugar Beach. It's a LOCAL park.

achender · Oct 8, 2019

Some pictures from this evening of the open promenade and park.

AlvinofDiaspar · Oct 9, 2019

Meh, the VE is evident. A big step down from Sugar Beach level of quality.

AoD

Lyphe · Oct 9, 2019

Wish all parks were more like Berczy ... with their own flavor of course, but that type of mature and well thought out design.
That said, I'll reserve final judgement until I see this in person.

DSC · Oct 9, 2019

AlvinofDiaspar said:
Meh, the VE is evident. A big step down from Sugar Beach level of quality.

AoD

We usually agree on 'stuff' so I am surprised at your comments. Of course, Sugar Beach is exceptional but this is really pretty good. It will never receive the number of visitors seen at Sugar Beach so it probably does not need quite as much 'strength' but I think it looks pretty good and appropriate for the anticipated use. Why are you so negative about it?

AlvinofDiaspar · Oct 9, 2019

DSC said:
We usually agree on 'stuff' so I am surprised at your comments. Of course, Sugar Beach is exceptional but this is really pretty good. It will never receive the number of visitors seen at Sugar Beach so it probably does not need quite as much 'strength' but I think it looks pretty good and appropriate for the anticipated use. Why are you so negative about it?

Easy - it is a far cry compared to the materiality of the original proposal - and if one wanted cast-in-place concrete en masse in a park, just visit a regular city project. The saving grace of WT is exceptional public realm (because lord knows its influence on actual built projects is rather mixed) - if it start slipping in that, it is reason to be concerned. @Tuscani01 had it exactly right:

Tuscani01 said:
This is like the College Park of the waterfront. Pretty underwhelming when compared to the rest of the public realm in this area.

Pretty accurate read to me.

AoD

Tuscani01 · Oct 9, 2019

DSC said:
Why do you say that? It looks like a pretty decent small park for use by local residents to me. Of course, it's for everyone but it is not the wide public promenade along the water or the sand of Sugar Beach. It's a LOCAL park.

I say that simply because there is really nothing to it. Even local parks deserve more than some grass and concrete. The materials here contrast significantly with the rest of the public realm in the area. Sticks out like a sore thumb. Beyond the playground, this offers nothing to local residents. It's some grass and concrete. Sherbourne Common next door is also a "local park", and offers much more than this space. I can see this space becoming the next June Callwood Park - empty and underutilized, especially since the alternative spaces in the area offer a much more pleasant experience.

The nicest parts of this park are hidden behind the hill, instead of taking advantage of the location near the water.