Toronto Ontario Square and Canada Square | ?m | ?s | Waterfront Toronto

[adma]

A fifty-foot statue of *what*?

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Maybe a statue of PET? I am sure the current government would stand for that kind of "nationalistic iconography", as much as the character fits in both description.

AoD

 

[UrbanFervour]

How about a statue of Lurleen Harper in her floral-print dress & green sash.

 

[Riverdale Rink Rat]

spaced:

To be fair though, maple leaf isn't the same as stars and stripes considering that it's also a natural motif that reflects the plantings.

AoD

What spaced actually said was, "Great point. If you went to an American city and the streets were designed in Stars and Bars, what would you think about the design?" And, I'd say I was in the Deep South and it was a deeply racist park (as the Stars and Bars is actually the tag for the old Confederate flag).

Anyhoo... I like the Maple Leaf motif. It's handsome and gives a reason to not allow the place deteriorate into asphalt patching over the years.

 

[Tulse]

I like the Maple Leaf motif. It's handsome and gives a reason to not allow the place deteriorate into asphalt patching over the years.

But any other obvious motif would have had the same impact on future patching. The maple leaf is just such a tired cliche in Canadian design, such a banal thoughtless symbol of generic tepid nationalism. I'd have been much happier if, for example, we had the pavement design propose for "Canada Square" used along the York Quay pedestrian sections instead.

 

[AHK]

Looks like the York Quay site is now fenced off and the parking lot closed. Perhaps things are about to start....

AHK

 

[tkip]

Looks like the York Quay site is now fenced off and the parking lot closed. Perhaps things are about to start....

AHK

Yeah, noticed this last weekend while down there enjoying a concert during the hot and spicy festival.

 

[ganjavih]

Maybe a statue of PET? I am sure the current government would stand for that kind of "nationalistic iconography", as much as the character fits in both description.

AoD

How about these boys? Surely they deserve some hometown recognition by now!

 

[interchange42]

Fenced, yes, but they don't seem to be rushing...

42

 

[DSC]

From WT August Newsletter:

York Quay Revitalization Update


Work is getting underway on the construction of a new 302 space underground parking lot next to Harbourfront Centre. This garage will free up a prominent waterfront location for two public squares and a future cultural village featuring neighbourhood-scale shops and restaurants, and open space for Harbourfront Centre’s public activities.

A construction manager, Ellis Don, has been hired and shoring and excavation work is expected to begin in October. Until then, Ellis Don will continue to mobilize the site to prepare for construction. Site mobilization includes installing construction hoarding, clearing the 1.4 hectare site of objects and structures, and installing site trailers that will be used as construction offices during the project.

Meanwhile the design team is finalizing construction documents for the underground garage and is furthering the design of Canada Square, a lakefront plaza characterized by large growth metasequoia trees and a spectacular view of Lake Ontario. Learn More About the Project

Read the minutes and report from the first public meeting for the York Quay Revitalization Project.

 

[Mongo]

Meanwhile the design team is finalizing construction documents for the underground garage and is furthering the design of Canada Square, a lakefront plaza characterized by large growth metasequoia trees and a spectacular view of Lake Ontario.

Metasequoia

Metasequoia (Dawn Redwood) is a fast-growing, deciduous tree, and the sole living species, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, is one of three species of conifers known as redwoods. It is native to the Sichuan-Hubei region of China. Although shortest of the redwoods, it grows to at least 200 feet (60 meters) in height.

While the bark and foliage are similar to another closely related redwood genus Sequoia, Metasequoia differs from the California redwood in that it is deciduous like Taxodium distichum (Bald Cypress), and like that species, older specimens form wide buttresses on the lower trunk. It is a fast-growing tree to 40-45 m tall and 2 m trunk diameter in cultivation so far (with the potential to grow to even greater heights).

 

[Tulse]

That sounds like a potentially spectacular species, but I wonder why they are using a deciduous tree rather than an evergreen, given that the square is intended for year-round use.

 

[Edward Skira]

Park folks generally avoid evergreens. They take up more space and block views at ground level and can be more dangerous as bad folks can easily hide behind them.

 

[egotrippin]

Wow, that sounds like a pretty awesome tree choice. While I'm sure I'll be senile or dead by the time they've fully matured, can you imagine 200' trees on the waterfront? They'd be taller than a lot of the buildings down there.

 

[EnviroTO]

I walked by the site the other day... this one is under construction. Hoarding is up, the small building is gone, the site is dirt.