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Don Valley: An Urban Park?

Whoaccio:

I don't think the "hybrid" model is very practical or attractive. I cannot believe that the planned FPL will be pleasant in the least. There will be a lot of goose shit, some dodgy "beech" and will stink. Maybe a "brown soggy mound" would be more accurate than a "brown soggy field", but I still doubt we will see the verdant rolling knolls or whatever the renderporn shows.
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We'll just have to see now, don't we? Renderporn is one thing, it isn't like naturalized parks have to look like crap - why take the worst of the lot when you can have high park? Now if I wanted to be really sarcastic, I would suggest using astroturf and plastic flowers, but I don't think I am that cynical yet.

AoD
 
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AlvinofDiaspar said:
golodhendil:

Only the first two images you've posted are the from the winning proposal - the third and the fourth is by DTAH that didn't win the commission.

AoD
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I know, but they just looked pretty and I decided to tag them along :p
and besides, being just renderings of a plan, the real thing will probably look nothing like either
 
You must have been down on the Don in the winter

Torontovibe said:
I'd like to see a nice canal, from Bloor all the way down to the lake. Right now, it just sits there, ignored by almost everyone. I rarely see anybody down in that valley, except for a cyclist every now and then. That River & valley could be a great asset for the city. It's a wasted opportunity, left as it is. Even mother nature has not been kind to it. That's a nasty mass of tangled trees down there. Clean that sucker up, at the very least!
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There's a surprising amount of traffic (bikers, walkers, joggers) on the Lower Don Trail. For bikers, it's also the access to Leslie Spit or Cherry Beach or Martin Goodman. I'd say that the river valley looks/feels great from about Don Mills south to Gerrard (Riverdale Parks and Farm). South of Gerrard to Queen is a straight run and pretty dodgy, but then the first hints of construction of the new park are tantalizing.

Given the parameters, I'm very enthusiastic about the amount of green we're going to get: the berm, then the river mouth. The timeframe... well, a little slow for my taste. ;)
 
Funny I should bump into this thread; I've started working on a fantasy proposal which essentially buries the DVP from the pedestrian bridge at Riverdale Park to the Queen st. bridge. With this I have a very long, thin strip of land which will be a mid-rise mixed-use neighborhood featuring a long promenade/boardwalk along the river (I'm pretending the river is clean).

This proposal is bold and expensive, but hey, its a fantasy;)
 
MBS said:
Funny I should bump into this thread; I've started working on a fantasy proposal which essentially buries the DVP from the pedestrian bridge at Riverdale Park to the Queen st. bridge. With this I have a very long, thin strip of land which will be a mid-rise mixed-use neighborhood featuring a long promenade/boardwalk along the river (I'm pretending the river is clean).
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And I believe there is a prohibition on development within the floodplain. There's a reason why we now have all these undeveloped ravines in Toronto.
 
But if you put it all on stilts...

Asterix said:
And I believe there is a prohibition on development within the floodplain. There's a reason why we now have all these undeveloped ravines in Toronto.
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You could have potentially one of the GREAT disaster movies of ALL TIME!!! The dam breaks up north due to Hurricane Hazel II, the onrushing water takes out the Viaduct, pancakes the houses on stilts right THROUGH the river into the underground DVP!!

All to be filmed, of course, at FilmPort... ;)
 
South of Gerrard

With respect to the lower valley, there are indeed plans, including naturalization works.

However, north of Eastern and south of Gerrard these will be very limited.

The reason is straight forward, lack of room, and a clear order to the planners than any changes made to the river or adjacent areas can not increase the 2-year flood risk to the DVP.

That means the changes being contemplated in the Eastern to Gerrard area (between the DVP and Bayview) are largely limited to replacing the existing retaining walls with something more natural in appearance (ie. armourstone), as well as some fish habitat projects and a small amount of new planting.

The water quality should also improve through new interceptor tunnels being built, both in the lower Don and along side a portion of Taylor-Massey Creek.

South of Eastern, Bayview is being relocated to the west side of the new berm which effectively give you a much larger 'valley' type area, albeit one subdivided by the railway tracks.

There are a few other sites in the area likely to be worked on; but these are on the west side of Bayview or the East side of the DVP.

Examples, the restoration of the old Don Incinerator lands; a new trail beside the rebuilt Bridgepoint hospital, linking Gerrard St to the valley and to Riverdale Park, and probably something at 777 Dundas St. East, which is currently privately owned, but is on the City/TRCA wish list. That site is south side of Dundas, west side of Carroll.

There's no real room to anything 'programmed' in most of this space, nor are there any plans for it.
 
Deer spotted south of Pottery Road

The Saturday Morning Jog (tm) took me down Pottery and back along the Lower Don Trail to the Riverdale bridge. On the part of the path where it climbs up to the DVP and is well above the river, there were two black-tailed deer with small, velvety racks have a drink in the Don.

About 10:30ish. They had drawn quite a crowd of admirers, but didn't seem to be moving too quick, if anyone wants to go take a look.
 
That's one of things I love about Toronto. The ravines. They're like a peice of national parks in the middle of the city. Leave it be! Turning it into a planned organized park is a horrible idea.
 
There is a great semi-hidden mountain bike path there in the Don Valley, that ranges from moderate difficulty to advanced. I cut my mountain biking teeth there, by going after work a couple of times a week for a few short rides.

The best part is the fact that it only gets moderate usage since it doesn't directly connect up with the other bike paths.
 
Riverdale Rink Rat said:
The Saturday Morning Jog (tm) took me down Pottery and back along the Lower Don Trail to the Riverdale bridge. On the part of the path where it climbs up to the DVP and is well above the river, there were two black-tailed deer with small, velvety racks have a drink in the Don.

About 10:30ish. They had drawn quite a crowd of admirers, but didn't seem to be moving too quick, if anyone wants to go take a look.
Click to expand...

If you take the GO train through the don valley, you're pretty much guaranteed a deer sighting.
 
Most of the section between Danforth and Lawrence is forest, and a good bet. You should get on at Oriole station if you go in the AM.
 
I've often thought this area could be Toronto's equivalent of Central Park. Currently, it has too much of an abandoned, neglected feel and looks run down and shabby. It's perfect for running, hiking, mountain biking, canoeing, kayaking, etc. A balance should probably be struck between keeping a Canadian wilderness sort of feel to it and a beautified or cleaned up aesthetic that will act as a magnet for activity. As an added benefit, high-density development along its sides will be a natural consequence of tidying it, which would make it even more attractive and popular.
 
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