Toronto's New Waterfront

June 2, 2006 - The Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation (TWRC) announced today the winner of its Central Waterfront Innovative Design Competition. The West 8 Urban Design and Landscape Architecture team beat out four other internationally renowned architecture and urban planning firms to win the competition. The competition had asked for designs to "provide the public with a continuous access across Toronto's central waterfront."

TWRC had gone all out in advertising this competition and in getting the public involved. In addition to a massive kick-off event at BCE place, TWRC also had the designs of the five finalists on display in shopping centres and public centres across the city. The Toronto Star went as far as having its own poll for readers to vote for their favourite design. The West 8 design had been the most popular.

The West 8 design calls for a continuous water-edge waterfront promenade and the transformation of Queens Quay into a pedestrian and transit friendly boulevard where the city and the lake will finally be joint together. Traffic on Queens Quay will be cut down from four lanes to two to allow for wider sidewalks and bike lanes. Streetcars would run along Queens Quay to join the different "villages" that would be developed throughout the waters edge. Along the water, a wooden boardwalk would stretch the length of the waterfront, along with rows of trees, floating piers, new islands, and parks. The project also suggests the Gardiner Expressway be dismantled. The West 8 design will create a new waterfront that's accessible, sustainable, and attractive.

I personally like the West 8 Design as well - I think it's a well thought out concept that incorporates transit, pedestrians, environmental sustainability, and visual impact. The project proposes what critics have argued for years: link the city to the lake. I especially like the slips - they would be covered by wooden bridges to create additional public spaces. The floating islands, in the shape of maple leaves, are spectacular as well. As for burying the Gardiner Expressway - as much as I would like to see that, I doubt it would ever happen in Toronto, not with our current politicians, who lack the political will to do anything controversial, and especially not with the high costs associated with the project (the Big Dug in Boston cost billions of dollars and had the support of the federal government). Perhaps an easier political move would be to shut down the Island Airport, but with Ottawa not really taking interest in Toronto issues, it would be a long time coming (if ever) for that to happen.

Construction for the new waterfront is to start this fall and the plan will take about 10 years (yes, 10 years!) to complete. Click here to check out the winning design.