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Canadian Urbanism Uncovered

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3 comments

  1. Yonge Street has always been the most significant street in Toronto for me. One that attracts pedestrians from all walks of life. Many cities have lost their Yonge Street and have had no success whatsoever trying to recreate it.
    It has always worries me when people influential condo developers, or even Ryerson’s president degrade it and talk about how their sterile projects will be the catalyst to remake the entire street. This is not to say that all of the condo developments have been negative, but I think that Yonge Street would be a lot more like dull Bay st (Bloor to Queen) if most of the original mixed use retail blocks had been redeveloped.

  2. Echoing Roger’s opinion – aesthetically, many of the old, low-rise buildings on Yonge are a bit shabby, and that’s why I love them. You get really interesting, independently owned stores inhabiting them. I didn’t welcome Ryerson’s incursion into what has long been a strip devoted to commercial uses. Condos will have an even worse effect. Let’s keep them on Bay St.

    If we remake Yonge, we should be drastically reducing the role of the motor vehicle and using the road space gained to expand sidewalks AND provide dedicated, safe cycling facilities. Talk about ‘shared space’ tends to be a euphemism for refusing to bite the bullet when it comes to restricting cars. Pedestrians and cyclists should prevail on the downtown sections of Yonge. Space should be shared with cars only minimally.