Toronto Lower Don Lands Redevelopment | ?m | ?s | Waterfront Toronto

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Attention News Editors:

Waterfront Corporation officially launches international design competition for Lower Don Lands
TORONTO, Feb. 2 /CNW/ - The Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation
today announced the names of teams that will be competing in the design
competition for the Lower Don Lands, a 40 hectare area located at the Mouth of
the Don River and the entrance to the Port Lands.

<<
The teams are:

- Stoss, Boston; Brown + Storey Architects, Toronto; Zas Architects,
Toronto
- Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, New York; Behnisch Architects, Los
Angeles; Greenberg Consultants, Toronto; Great Eastern Ecology, New
York
- Weiss/Manfredi, New York; du Toit Allsopp Hillier, Toronto
- Atelier Girot, Zurich; Office of Landscape Morphology, Paris; ReK
Productions, Toronto
- Hargreaves Associates, New York; Polshek Partnership, New York;
ENVision - The Hough Group, Toronto; Dillon Consulting Ltd., Toronto
>>

"The quality of the teams is outstanding," said John Campbell, TWRC's
President and CEO. "The Lower Don Lands is a complex ecological, urban area
and we are confident that each of the teams has the expertise and the
experience to create something truly magnificent."
The Lower Don Lands area, which runs from the Parliament Street Slip east
to the Don Roadway and from the rail corridor south to Commissioners Street,
is a critical connection between the three emerging waterfront communities in
the East Bayfront, West Don Lands and the Port Lands.
There are a number of infrastructure, urban design and transportation
initiatives in this area that are required for waterfront revitalization - the
naturalization of the mouth of the Don River, flood protection for the Port
Lands, precinct planning for the area between Parliament Street and Cherry
Street and extending Queens Quay from Parliament to Cherry.
Until now, there has not been a comprehensive process to produce an
overall vision for integrating these various waterfront revitalization
projects and addressing the complicated infrastructure challenges this area
presents.
The goal of the Innovative Design Competition is to produce a unifying
and inspiring concept for this long-neglected area that can provide common
ground for three concurrent Environmental Assessments (EA's), including the
Don Mouth Naturalization and Port Lands Flood Protection EA; the Queens Quay
Boulevard Extension EA; and the Lower Don Transportation Infrastructure EA.
The intent is to produce a bold and compelling concept for the Lower Don
Lands that makes the river a central feature while at the same time providing
for new development and new linkages to the rest of the city.

<<
The objectives of the design competition include:

- Promoting Sustainable Development
- Naturalizing the mouth of the Don River
- Creating a continuous riverfront park system
- Enhancing the Martin Goodman Trail
- Providing for harmonious new development
- Making transit a priority
- Developing a gateway into the Port lands
>>

Following an on-site briefing on February 9, the teams will have eight
weeks to complete their designs. At the February briefing, the teams will
receive input from a number of stakeholders including the Toronto and Region
Conservation (TRCA), City of Toronto planning, parks and transportation staff,
the Toronto Port Authority and a community advisory committee established by
TWRC specifically for the competition.
The final designs will be on display from April 16 - 24, 2007 at the BCE
Place Galleria. A jury to be appointed by TWRC will select the winning design.
TWRC will announce the winner in early-May.

TWRC was created by the federal and provincial governments and the City
of Toronto to lead the $17 billion renewal of Toronto's Central Waterfront.
The development of the first new waterfront community, West Don Lands, is
scheduled to start in 2007.
For more information on the Lower Don Lands Design Competition, please
visit www.towaterfront.ca
 
glad to see it proceeding as I'm pretty sure this must be completed before the East Bayfront can proceed
 
mark simpson:

Not really - the plan for the western portion of East Bayfront is already done and received council approval; the eastern portion is pending the results of the Don Mouth Naturalization EA, which is going to be competed in the first half of 2008. I believe the winner of this competion will also have to conform to the formentioned EA.

AoD
 
And here is the summary of the meeting hosted by TRCA this past December, with updates of both the Don Mouth Naturalization EA process and construction updates for Portlands Flood Protection project associated with the West Don Lands.

www.trca.on.ca/water_prot...ebsite.pdf

AoD
 
Has there been any word on the timeframe for shovels-in on the E Bayfront? If the precinct plan is approved, it shouldn't be long...
 
allbootmatt:

I don't have any official word, but TCHC is in the planning phase for projects in the area. There is also an ongoing RFP for Sherbourne Park.

AoD
 
Is it just me or has the TWRC gone International Design Competition CRAZY this past year???

Every precinct plan and new park design has been turned over to a competition. I'm not saying its a bad thing, some of the world's best landscape architects are now working or bidding to work in Toronto.

My only concern is about the transition time from BIG winning concept to actual construction. So far, its all been nice talk, fancy renderings and repetative public meetings, but no real work on the ground.

Toronto still needs that BIG BOLD statement that stuff is happening on the waterfront.

Louroz
 
Like a giant maple leaf floating in the harbour?
 
My only concern is about the transition time from BIG winning concept to actual construction. So far, its all been nice talk, fancy renderings and repetative public meetings, but no real work on the ground.

[/quote]


the process/ public consultation is going much faster than I ever anticipated and indeed construction work is underway on many project plans - I think your concern is a lack of patience
 
lack of patience?

The TWRC was established in 2001 during the Olympic Bid. If we had won that bid, we would have had a revitalized Portlands built and ready by next year. Instead we are in the year 2007 and we are still in the "design" stage for many projects?

It is my lack of patience, or the lack of political leadership and will in this city?

Louroz
 
Isn't that an issue for Torontonians to worry about?
 
I take great offence to that.

While my future political ambitions are in Mississauga, my community involvement and passion to build a great city-region do not stop at the Etobicoke border.

I partly grew up in Toronto, went to post secondary school there, worked for the provincial government downtown, appointed by the city of Toronto to sit on committees, attended countless public meetings, use both the TTC and GO systems daily, I socialize, entertain and promote Toronto. I believe I have stake and say in it's future.

Louroz
 
Can't we all just agree Toronto will annex Mississauga within 20 years and call us all Torontonians today?
 
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