I’ll admit it: I love Toronto. I’m a Toronto freak. I dream of subway lines on Queen St. and Eglinton Ave, and an express line along Bloor. It doesn’t help that I’m something of an optimist. Ideas like VeloCity and Nuit Blanche keep me going when I hear about budget cuts and gang violence.
It’s hard for me, though, to sit by and watch the painstakingly slow process of getting our waterfront in a condition that would be deemed enjoyable by more than the select few who own condos next to the Gardiner Eyesore, er, Expressway. I’m not here to demand that every inch of waterfront become public space. In fact, a dynamic waterfront depends on a mixture of residents, businesses, and tourists. Imagine if the only things south of Front St. were parks and shops-the entire area would empty as people went home for the night. Some residential buildings amidst the businesses create a safe mix of busy days and calm nights, while the safety in numbers will invite tourists to spend late nights strolling along the boardwalk, watching the stars over Lake Ontario.
On the other hand, too many condominiums will crowd out any space that parks might have to breathe. A successful waterfront can’t simply be public space, but it can’t only be private space either. A “middle ground” approach will make lakeshore development most successful.
The waterfront in Toronto isn’t horrifying, but it’s not world-class. The reality is that a long stretch of shoreline has to be cleaned up. A prime example is the East Bayfront district. Stretching from Jarvis St. to Cherry St., this piece of land looks like an industrial wreckage site, because that’s what it is. However, more is happening there than meets the eye. Imagine tree-lined boulevards, sustainable housing, and an expanded streetcar network-it’s all in the works, but it takes time. Land must be purchased, and leases must expire. A beautiful lake edge won’t happen overnight.
To help this kind of mixed development along, however, the Gardiner must be removed. This recommendation from the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation’s recent report is not at all fantastical. We do not need a raised expressway to bring people into our city to work. If anything, burying the Gardiner will encourage local commuting, creating vibrant city centres in Mississauga, Oakville and other parts of the GTA.
Once the Gardiner goes, Lakeshore Boulevard will become a boulevard again, and not the basement of a crumbling giant. Transit numbers will increase as workers decide that a 45 minute gridlocked commute every morning isn’t worth it. The dismantling of the Gardiner will also let sunlight reach places that haven’t seen the light of day since 1966.
We are a society of credit cards, fast food, and high-speed internet. It’s too bad that there is no drive-through waterfront store, or a high-speed tree service. The reality of construction and city politics is such that revitalizing the waterfront will take time.
During this long but vital process, we can look to events like Quay to the City and the Toronto Waterfront Marathon for inspiration, and dream that one day, the express subway line on Bloor will take us down to the world-class waterfront we all deserve.
