{"id":48700,"date":"2014-08-05T12:00:08","date_gmt":"2014-08-05T16:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/?p=48700"},"modified":"2014-08-07T12:48:19","modified_gmt":"2014-08-07T16:48:19","slug":"bridge-building-building-bridge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2014\/08\/05\/bridge-building-building-bridge\/","title":{"rendered":"Bridge Building \/ Building Bridge"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"feature-ravines<\/a><\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s note:<\/strong>\u00a0This is the\u00a0twelfth post in a\u00a0series<\/a>\u00a0by students at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design. Each piece features an idea for an architectural intervention that would\u00a0to better connect Torontonians with their ravine system. The\u00a0designs in this series were created as part of Professor Brigitte Shim\u2019s Thesis Research Option Studio or final Thesis Studio. The work and text in this post is by Francesca Joyce\u00a0<\/b>whose bio you can find below.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park \u2014 1950s developments of the Toronto post-war housing boom \u2014 were designed with mixed housing types\u00a0and vast open green space to be supported by local shops and services. The original design also included\u00a0community spaces, but due to economic circumstances these were never realized.<\/p>\n

\"Untitled-1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

As one drives along the Don Valley Parkway one can see the tall towers of each apartment block community engulfed by the vegetation of the Don Valley ravine. Cutting through the communities, the ravine system could provide ample centralized park space for\u00a0a population that is now twice the size of that which the original development was designed to sustain.<\/p>\n

\"04_FrancescaJoyce_Historical<\/a><\/p>\n

Both Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park are\u00a0separated by the steep topography and vastness of the ravine. Seen by many as dark, difficult to access, and purposeless, the ravine has many features that inhibit members of both communities from trekking down to the valley floor. The sole existing connection between the two communities \u2013 the Charles H. Hiscott Bridge of Overlea Boulevard \u2013 is\u00a0considered unpleasant due to heavy volumes of vehicular traffic and\u00a0little consideration for the pedestrian.<\/p>\n

Bridge Building \/ Building Bridge<\/em> intends to connect these neighbouring communities, which\u00a0have been\u00a0isolated from one another by the challenging topography of the Don Valley ravine system.<\/p>\n

\"Print\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"Print\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The intention of this project is\u00a0to connect members from both neighbourhoods by revitalizing the Charles H. Hiscott Bridge. Bridge Building \/ Building Bridge<\/em> responds to the high rate of unemployment, lack of space for community activities,\u00a0and\u00a0lack of outdoor space. The project uses multiple strategies including: the development of access to the existing ravine system; the creation of classrooms, studios, and retail space; and the addition of\u00a0athletic facilities. The goals is to provide space for outdoor and group activity and to create job opportunities.<\/p>\n

\"05_Francesca
\nA\u00a0multipurpose community centre built into the bridge would connect Flemingdon Park and Thorncliffe Park physically and socially.<\/p>\n

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Francesca Joyce<\/strong>\u00a0is graduate of\u00a0the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto. Her architectural interests focus\u00a0\u00a0on community development through the revitalization of existing\u00a0infrastructure.\u00a0Her\u00a0<\/wbr>thesis aims to\u00a0reconnect\u00a0the Toronto communities that\u00a0neighbour the\u00a0city’s ravine systems\u00a0through the\u00a0repurposing of\u00a0existing\u00a0sites and\u00a0infrastructure. \u00a0Daniels Facutly member, Professor Brigitte Shim was her thesis advisor for her Thesis Research Option Studio in the Winter of 2013 and her Thesis Advisor in the Fall 2013.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Earlier posts\u00a0in this series:<\/strong><\/p>\n