University Avenue (History and Future Redesign)

[dahusbandofbath]

I really don't think the aim has to be to create some kind of pedestrian shopping/dining street or anything like that. I think you're really missing the whole "park" part of the proposal - it's like rail deck park but way cheaper, in that it creates huge amounts of new green space where it is sorely needed in the core. There is no reason why institutional land uses can prevent University Ave from becoming a great green space.

Queen's Park has no businesses on its periphery and yet it's a green and treed oasis in the middle of the city that is well used. The first several blocks of the Champs-Élysée has treed walking paths on either side and institutions further back. It's beautiful.

 

[afransen]

I see no reason why University can't be made more like Champs Elysees. University is a bit narrower, closer to 50-55m vs 65m for Champs Elysees. But, it has more traffic lanes than we might need on University. I recall the traffic being absolutely horrendous despite the number of lanes.

 

[ssiguy2]

None of this will ever come to pass {remember we are talking about a city that can't even manage to widen the sidewalks on Yonge} and we all know it. Any city funds will go to Rail Deck which is a far better use of money.

The one street where this could truly come to fruition is Queen. This is because of the OL meaning the entire Jervis to Spadina section is going to be torn up regardless. The OL gives the city a clean slate and what's more it means that a rebuild of Queen will automatically get funding from Queen's Park and Ottawa {assuming they contribute} and this project probably wouldn't and certainly not to the amount the OL will.

 

[daniel_kryz]

None of this will ever come to pass {remember we are talking about a city that can't even manage to widen the sidewalks on Yonge} and we all know it. Any city funds will go to Rail Deck which is a far better use of money.

The one street where this could truly come to fruition is Queen. This is because of the OL meaning the entire Jervis to Spadina section is going to be torn up regardless. The OL gives the city a clean slate and what's more it means that a rebuild of Queen will automatically get funding from Queen's Park and Ottawa {assuming they contribute} and this project probably wouldn't and certainly not to the amount the OL will.

Just so you know (not trying to get off topic), the city is moving forward with a project that would make Downtown Yonge St a pedestrian/bike-oriented street. They're halfway done with the design.

 

[afransen]

Wouldn't rail deck park be an order of magnitude more expensive?

 

[Tony]

Let's just do this to every major street between Parliament and bathurst and turn all of downtown into a big park. (I know this isn't practicle).

 

[Towered]

None of this will ever come to pass {remember we are talking about a city that can't even manage to widen the sidewalks on Yonge} and we all know it. Any city funds will go to Rail Deck which is a far better use of money.

The one street where this could truly come to fruition is Queen. This is because of the OL meaning the entire Jervis to Spadina section is going to be torn up regardless. The OL gives the city a clean slate and what's more it means that a rebuild of Queen will automatically get funding from Queen's Park and Ottawa {assuming they contribute} and this project probably wouldn't and certainly not to the amount the OL will.

Rail Deck park is not a better use of money - if anything, that project is a pipe dream. Also, the costs involved for that are far higher than this, so not really comparable.

Secondly, I don't think the OL will necessarily involve tearing up a large section of Queen Street. Since the line will be very deep, I'm guessing it will be tunneled and the stations mined to minimize surface disruption.

 

[W. K. Lis]

None of this will ever come to pass {remember we are talking about a city that can't even manage to widen the sidewalks on Yonge} and we all know it. Any city funds will go to Rail Deck which is a far better use of money.

The one street where this could truly come to fruition is Queen. This is because of the OL meaning the entire Jervis to Spadina section is going to be torn up regardless. The OL gives the city a clean slate and what's more it means that a rebuild of Queen will automatically get funding from Queen's Park and Ottawa {assuming they contribute} and this project probably wouldn't and certainly not to the amount the OL will.

The "tearing up" of Queen Street would occur only at the station box locations. The rest would be tunnelled bored under the street. Except for Moss Park Station on the Ontario Line, where the station box would be located in the Moss Park itself, so almost no "tearing up" there.

People forgot that the University Avenue section of Line 1 was also "bored" from north of Queen Street West (Osgoode Station) to just south of Museum Station. Seems to be not much with photographs of that section, because there was not much to see from the surface.

 

[Johnny Au]

People forgot that the University Avenue section of Line 1 was also "bored" from north of Queen Street West (Osgoode Station) to just south of Museum Station. Seems to be not much with photographs of that section, because there was not much to see from the surface.

The major evidence of that section being bored for most people is the fact that Queen's Park and St. Patrick station have curved walls.

 

[Tony]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1330153539813957641

This is what I was thinking along the lines of. Hidalgo is stealing my ideas!

We can't undo much of the ugliness that the condo boom has brought upon us, but creating a more beautiful, natural, and livable public realm downtown would, in my opinion, undo some of the damage this ugliness has caused to our perception of the city.

 

[allengeorge]

Globe editorial: How Toronto can turn University Avenue into Canada’s most innovative park

Done right, it would be Toronto’s La Rambla. Price tag? An estimated $230-million. The ambition is sizeable, but the cost is not

www.theglobeandmail.com

This photo is from the article. If it doesn’t demonstrate how much of a failure University Ave’s public realm and condition is - I don’t know what will.

 

[allengeorge]

Anne Hidalgo is driven, and has the vision and power to make her plan a reality. It honestly sounds wonderful, and I envy Parisians.

 

[Tony]

Anne Hidalgo is driven, and has the vision and power to make her plan a reality. It honestly sounds wonderful, and I envy Parisians.

Agreed. I'm very hopeful that the successes of Hidalgo, and the renewed interest in greater public space in the post pandemic world will encourage Keesmaat to make another run for mayor. I know Tory will likely run (and win) again, but I can dream.

 

[Northern Light]

Anne Hidalgo is driven, and has the vision and power to make her plan a reality. It honestly sounds wonderful, and I envy Parisians.

I too laud Ms. Hidalgo's plans.

I too would love to see some of that same ambition here.

But I would caution; when all Ms. Hidalgo's plans are fully rolled out; if she achieves every last one; Paris will still be a far-less green City than Toronto.

Not less walkable, mind you; but less green.

I don't know if you have been to Paris; but having had the pleasure, let me say there is much to recommend it; but outside of the Grand Boulevards and a few select parks; trees are a rarity in Paris.

Most of the park space, and there isn't much, is devoted to formal gardens with 'keep off the grass' being a motto (a la Francais, bien sur)

I don't want to take away from the value of Parisian visions of green; nor fail to note that Toronto isn't nearly as pretty or walkable as it might be.

We can and should do better.

But lets not oversell change in Paris, or fail to recognize its shortcomings; and lets not undersell our City; for all its genuine shortcomings, one of the very best places to live in the world.

 

[bgobgo]

Regarding that G&M article, they say the price tag to turn one side of University Blvd into a park would be an estimated $230M compared to the $1.7B required for the proposed 20-acre Rail Deck Park. That is a big cost savings!

However, my one main concern with the University Blvd proposal is all of the East/West cross streets that will interrupt the park. Costs would go a wayyyy up if they buried those cross streets under University. Plus the University Blvd park wouldn't be that wide so no fields per say to play on.

What type of park do we need downtown? One that is cheaper but has less flexibility or the more expensive but potentially slightly wider park over the rail deck? Tough call.