CATEGORIES: Streetscape Elements
Redesign or propose new pieces of infrastructure or street furniture that dot the roads and sidewalks of Toronto:
• bus and streetcar shelters
• bus and streetcar stop poles
• Transit City LRT stops
• subway entrances & subway signs
• info pillars or kiosks
• bike racks (utilitarian and sculptural)
• pedestrian wayfinding signs
• lamp posts / hydro poles
• traffic control boxes
• crosswalks
• manhole covers
• tree pit grates
• public ashtrays
• bollards
• art benches
• neighbourhood gateways
• drinking fountains
• water fountains
• sidewalk art
• sidewalk marking street name or intersection
Entries are not limited to listed items. Please feel free to invent your own.
Feel free to check out Spacing’s own thinkToronto Flickr set for more images.
The judges will look for evidence of some of the following:
• multi-seasonal usage
• imagination & ingenuity
• functionality
• usefulness
• attractiveness
• sustainability
• accessibility
• an environment inviting to a range of age groups
TRANSIT SHELTERS: Toronto’s next generation of bus and streetcar shelters will be rolled out in 2009, but there is still room in the public discourse for unique designs. Consider your proposal as either a city-wide design or one that fits into a certain location of the city.
• Results of “bus shelter” and “streetcar shelter” searches on Flickr
photo of London bus stop by Ann Brink
BUS + STREETCAR STOP POLES: The red stripes of bus and streetcar stop poles have been around for over 60 years. Create a new design for Toronto’s transit stops by building on this iconic style or by redesigning it entirely.
• Results of “bus stop Toronto” search on Flickr
photo by Sameer Vasta
TRANSIT CITY LRT STOPS: Starting in 2009, Toronto and the TTC will begin to build a large-scale LRT network all over Toronto known as Transit City. These LRT lines will be in dedicated transit lanes and run through mostly suburban neighbourhoods carrying more passengers than buses or streetcars, but less than subway trains. Create your own iconic design that can handle a large number of waiting riders.
• Results of “tram stop” search on Flickr
photo of Hanover LRT stop by Terby
SUBWAY ENTRANCES: Toronto’s current subway entrances are very utilitarian and uninspiring. If the entrance is not in a building or part of a TTC station, they are located at a street corner and a majority are uncovered, making them dangerous during the winter and rain storms. Propose how to adapt the existing entrances for both aethstetic and safety reasons.
• Results from “subway entrance” and “metro entrance” search on Flickr
photo of TTC subway entrance by Jason Rowe
INFO PILLAR or KIOSK: Kiosks often have maps, directions, or other pertinent information about the location or surrounding area. Info pillars are part of Toronto’s upcoming street furniture contract, but we want you to design kiosks that can be used in specific areas of the city.
• Results from “street kiosk” and “info kiosk” searches on Flickr
photo of Iowa City kiosk by Matt Blackett
BIKE RACKS: Toronto is famous for exporting its signature ring-and-post bike racks. We’re looking for bike racks that are both utilitarian and possibly sculptural.
• Results from “bike rack” search on Flickr
photo of Parkdale bike rack by Matt Blackett
PEDESTRIAN WAYFINDING SIGNS: Street signs are often designed for cars, but pedestrians are often left out when it comes to wayfinding signs. Propose a design for wayfinding signs that can help pedestrians (and tourists) find their way around Toronto and its neighbourhoods.
• Results of “street wayfinding” and “street sign directions” on Flickr
photo of Des Moines, Iowa wayfinding sign by Matt Blackett
STREET LAMP POSTS / HYDRO POLES: Toronto has a wide variety of lamp posts and hydro poles — this is due to the amalgamation of the six former cities that made up Metro Toronto. Some are ornate and colonial in appearance, while others are a tangled mess. Propose either a city-wide design or area-specific lamp posts.
• Results from “street lamp post toronto” search on Flickr
photo of Toronto street lamp post by Chris Smart
TRAFFIC CONTROL BOXES: At every intersection with a set of stop lights there is a traffic control box. Toronto’s versions are big, gray, metallic boxes that are often covered in graffiti tags and posters. But they could be used in a much more effective way: Victoria BC puts local areas maps on them; other cities decorate them with graffiti art. What would you do?
• Results of “traffic control box toronto” search on Flickr
photo by David Till
CROSSWALKS: Toronto has some of the most dour looking crosswalks. Since most are strung up by wires, they often appear brittle and neglected. Propose a new look of how Toronto crosswalks should appear (the province of Ontario mandates that the big black X be used).
• Results of “crosswalk” search on Flickr
photo of Toronto crosswalk by Natalie Brahan
MANHOLE COVERS: Increasingly, cities across the globe are using manhole covers as a way of expressing the city’s identity. Propose a manhole cover design that could be used city-wide or customized for specific neighbourhoods.
• Results of “manhole cover” search on Flickr
photo of Budapest manhole cover by Claude Covo-Farchi
TREE PIT GRATES: Toronto’s tree pits, for the most part, are covered with cement blocks that allow very little water to seep through. Other cities, like the above image from Vancouver, are using tree pit grates to help denote specific neighbourhoods while at the same time giving their street trees a fighting chance to survive in a harsh urban environment. Propose a design for Toronto’s tree pit grates.
• Results of “tree grate” search on Flickr
photo of Vancouver tree grate by Matt Blackett
PUBLIC ASHTRAYS: Since Toronto passed a no-smoking bylaw in bars and restaurants, smokers have been pushed outside onto the sidewalk to get their fix. The result has been good for patrons inside, but bad for the cleanliness of Toronto’s sidewalks. Propose a public ashtray design that can be used street-side.
• results of “public ashtray” and “street ashtray” searches on Flickr
photo of Iowa City ashtray by Matt Blackett
BOLLARDS: These poles are often used to help distinguish a sidewalk from the road when a curb doesn’t exist. They protect pedestrians from wayward vehicles and keep the impatient driver from using sidewalk areas to get around things. Toronto has a few customized bollards with the City’s logo on them, but bollards are not used with any kind of regularity in the city. Propose either a city-wide design or a design specific to a neighbourhood (Kensington Market would be a good example).
• Results of “bollard” search on Flickr
photo of London bollard by Melanie Major
ART BENCHES: Liberty Village in Parkdale is the only neighbourhood in Toronto that has multiple benches that double as art installations. Propose bench designs for specific parts of the city.
• Results on “art bench” search on Flickr
photo by Ian Muttoo
NEIGHBOURHOOD GATEWAYS: Almost all cities have gateways that signify that you’re entering into their turf, and a few cities have neighbourhood gateways (such as San Diego’s historic Gas Lamp area shown above). In Toronto, the City and BIAs have neighbourhood names on street signs or hang vinyl signs from lamp posts to indicate the part of town you’re walking or driving through. Propose neighbourhood gateway designs for specific parts of Toronto.
• Results of “gateway sign” search on Flickr
photo of San Diego by Matt Barnes
DRINKING FOUNTAINS: The advent of bottled water has reduced the use of public drinking fountains. Toronto still has a number of drinking fountains in parks, but most were designed in the 1970s. Propose a new style of drinking fountain that can be used in parks or on sidewalks.
• Results of “drinking fountain” search on Flickr
photo of San Jose drinking fountain by Chris Cowan
WATER FOUNTAINS: Toronto has its share of attractive water fountain displays. Do you think there is an intersection, park, or area in Toronto that could use a water fountain?
Results of “water fountain” search on Flickr
photo of CNE fountain by Jimmy Scott
PERMANENT SIDEWALK ART: Sidewalk surfaces are often used for things like “Walk of Fame”-type installations. Toronto does this on Queen St. W. for the Toronto Book Awards and the city’s own Walk of Fame on King St. W. in the theatre district. Are there other parts of the city that could use permanent sidewalk art?
photo of Washington DC memorial by Christopher Thomas
STREET NAME / INTERSECTION IN SIDEWALK: A lot of cities use the sidewalk to indicate the intersection you’re approaching. Toronto has only a few of these type of markings. Propose a style and design that could be used throughout the city.
photo of Vancouver by Matt Blackett
Also view the Specific Area Design challenges of thinkToronto.
