A city not built for the cold

[jozl]

Last weekend as I was walking around downtown, freezing and daydreaming about warmer weather the reality of the -9 degree temperature and icy wind made me wonder if there was anyway to make the city streets any warmer during our long winters. Certainly, we have found ways to make it colder with wind tunnels, wind swept intersections, freezing cold concrete, steel banisters and door handles and a dearth of awnings canopies and sheltered public areas. For example, couldn't Dundas Square have been designed with some colour and texture so it at least looks warm on cold grey days? It's almost as if we get amnesia every spring and summer and forget that we have at least four months of really nasty cold winter to deal with every year.
I'm not thinking about gigantic crazy schemes like covering the city in a dome or placing heaters on the streets. I just wonder why no one ever considered building some relief from the cold into our "exterior city". I wonder if it's even considered in our building codes?
We could have streets with canopies and wind baffles to keep pedestrian walkways a little dryer and warmer. They could easily be designed to be quite beautiful and add some character to the city. Perhaps moveable reflective panels along rooftops to reflect sunlight toward the street during the winter. I wonder if there is a composite that could be added to concrete and/or asphalt that absorbs and retains heat. Imagine sidewalks that resisted icing up. I'm not proposing big cumbersome expensive systems. I'm talking about simple things that could be done that, collectively, would make a difference. I'm just asking for streets that are a few degrees warmer, a little less windy, offer a little more shelter and a bit more light and colour.
But maybe I'm just dreaming.

 

[jeicow]

Some of the new GO bus shelters at Mississauga Central Terminal have heaters built in. I'm not sure if they're working yet but I find the idea cool. Simple, yet effective. I'd love to see all of the shelters in Mississauga be like this.

 

[spmarshall]

I think that's one of the main ideas behind PATH.

I've been to far colder cities, and really, there's not much difference between them and here. Apart from a few heated shelters, a tiny PATH and tiny "Plus-15" system, Winnipeg has little to offer its residents in that freezing city. Same with Quebec City, or Montreal, which has an underground city, but again, little else specifically for the cold.

Timmins had (not sure if it still does) special 15-minute service on the majority of the routes during the winter period, while April to November, all routes ran no better than 30 minutes. That and car heater plug ins (common in Timmins, somewhat common in Winnipeg and Sudbury) were the only cold winter accomodations.

 

[Ed007Toronto]

You'd think we're living in Siberia or something. Dress well and you'll get used to the cold soon enough. And March is only 10 weeks away.

 

[miketoronto]

I do think we should have heated bus shelters, and heated waiting areas at major subway station bus terminals.

 

[cdl42]

The fact that Scarborough Centre bus terminal isn't heated is just absurd and kinda demeaning to transit passengers.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

^ It's not even fully enclosed.

In a perfect world, they'd deck it over and implement the rest of Moriyama & Teshima's plan for the area, which, unfortunately, is not entirely possible now because of where the new condos are going.

 

[wyliepoon]

I noticed after last week's big snowstorm that at most major street intersections in the city, big pools of water and slush were formed at the corners, right where the pedestrians cross the street. While I was waiting for a bus the day after the storm, a van sped right through one of those puddles, sending a wave of dark slush at the waiting passengers.

Heated bus shelters is a good idea. They cannot be used everywhere (such as at very isolated bus stops), but they could be installed at major intersections. Perhaps the shelter can share heat with a nearby building (the shelter would have to be fully enclosed, with heating piped in from the building). I designed a bus shelter once where the convenience store of a corner gas station was put right up to the sidewalk next to the bus station, so that the convenience store served as both a waiting area and a coffee shop for bus passengers.

I think another way Toronto is not "built for the cold" is that it does not celebrate winter like other cities. There's no winter carnival like Ottawa or Quebec. I think it would be nice if Toronto could build a massive ice castle/palace, or an ice hotel.

 

[boiler2000]

Toronto could possibly use some more arcades, and similar covered or semi-covered passageways - one problem, of course, is that our streets are too wide for easy covering.

A few central streets in Kyoto feature awnings over the sidewalk, to protect shoppers from rain. You can kind of see it in this picture:

 

[mark simpson]

Ever being to Ottawa?

I remember warming stations along Rideau Street which subsquently were removed due to the unwanted folks they attracted

 

[building babel]

I'm not sure we could have a winter carnival like Ottawa or Quebec. Maybe a Slush Festival.

 

[elook]

Heated bus shelters would attract full-time residents. There have been airconditioned shelters as well, as part of a ad campaign. As far as winter is concerned, hanging plastic strips like they use on commercial freezer doors would at least keep some of the wind out.

Maybe not bothering to mitigate the cold, but rather celebrating it would help. I'd love to see some colour around in the winter and having things like coffee/hot chocolate stands instead of hot dog vendors. Bring back the chestnut roasters - that would be cool (or warm).

 

[JoeyCuppa]

Oh, that would be fantastic. Coffee and HoCho and Chestnut vendors! I would buy some every day.

 

[wyliepoon]

having things like coffee/hot chocolate stands instead of hot dog vendors.

Tim Hortons appears to do that job very nicely. I buy hot chocolate from them all the time.

 

[FutureMayor]

Heated Bus Shelters

Actually, with the new Mississauga GO Shelters you have to press a button for the heat to turn on. So if nobody is using the shelter, energy isn't be wasted, also it would be impossible to sleep there if you had to press a button every few minutes.

Louroz