Streetscape
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How Exhibition Place got the retro Dufferin Gate
You can tell a lot about a place by how it greets its visitors. The goofy lights at Honest Ed’s tell customers “there’s no place like...
By Chris Bateman -
The modernist Bloor-Danforth line at 50
The Bloor-Danforth line turned 50 today. Five decades ago, on February 25, 1966, the first section of Toronto’s first east-west subway opened...
By Chris Bateman -
Pour one out for the Toronto Coach Terminal
The Toronto Coach Terminal is a sorry sight. Marooned a significant distance from the city’s main railway station, disconnected from other forms of...
By Chris Bateman -
MESLIN: While other cities embrace street murals, Toronto staff reject it
It’s been seven months since I wrote about the Regal Heights street mural, a community-driven art project painted by neighbours of all ages on...
By Dave Meslin -
The cold war siren system Toronto never used
At Dundas West and Shaw, near Trinity-Bellwoods Park, there’s a conspicuous piece of Canada’s Cold War history. On top of a 15-metre pole sits...
By Chris Bateman -
Balancing vibrancy and accessibility: new rules for sidewalk patios
In the current issue of Spacing, I mention sidewalk patios as an example of the dual role of sidewalks, as both a place and a corridor. Patios can have a...
By Dylan Reid -
How the Eaton Centre nearly wrecked Old City Hall
Ever since Toronto city council moved over the street in 1965, Toronto hasn’t quite known what to do with Old City Hall. The exquisite heritage...
By Chris Bateman -
How to stop billboard proliferation along our highways
As the Ontario government considers allowing digital billboards on Ontario’s highways, community activists from across North America are gathering...
By Dave Meslin -
Why we need youth-created art in public spaces
At the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal on Queen’s Quay West, a colourful, 80-foot mosaic stretches the length of the pedestrian walkway. Fragments of glass...
By Lana Hall -
Complete Streets Photo Contest
Take a photo of a street. It could be anything really, from anywhere: an artistic element you like in Barcelona, a creative use of curbside in Corktown...
By Nathaniel Basen -
GARDINER EAST: Using the rail corridor to crack the highway riddle
The Gardiner East Follies returns for yet another extended run at City Hall beginning on Tuesday morning, when city officials present three scenarios for...
By John Lorinc -
The mysterious case of the grave of Stella Vanzant
When little Stella Vanzant died of causes unknown some time in the early 1800s, her bereaved father interred the girl’s young body in a six by...
By Chris Bateman