Etobicoke City Centre

[scarberiankhatru]

Walking around within SCC is quite easy, but walking to it from any of the surrounding areas is much more difficult than it should be.

 

[shumoon]

The interchange they have there is a serious barrier to improving the area. Now the NIMBYs that live there have gotten used to it and don't want them to get rid of the interchange.

Isn't this actually a case of "YIMBYs" rather than "NIMBYs"? In this situation, the locals want a major infrastructure project nearby them. A NIMBY would actually want to see the interchange disappear. I guess one should be careful when one calls other people names, especially when the label given to them may actually apply to one's self.

 

[Suicidal Gingerbread Man]

Isn't this actually a case of "YIMBYs" rather than "NIMBYs"? In this situation, the locals want a major infrastructure project nearby them. A NIMBY would actually want to see the interchange disappear. I guess one should be careful when one calls other people names, especially when the label given to them may actually apply to one's self.

I wouldn't make such a distinction. They're opposed to a project that would make the area more pedestrian friendly. It would be the destruction of the interchange but also the creation of something better. Its still NIMBYism.

 

[TdotTrickyRicky]

For some reason aesthetically I really like that picture with the hydro towers and parking lot. Some areas in Etobicoke really put to the test the concept of Toronto as a "built-out" uban environment.

Ah, Kipling station, the only time I use it is on the TTC express bus to Pearson. On the way back from a foreign land Kipling welcomes you home and embraces you with the craptastic-ness that is our Toronto.

 

[shumoon]

I wouldn't make such a distinction. They're opposed to a project that would make the area more pedestrian friendly. It would be the destruction of the interchange but also the creation of something better. Its still NIMBYism.

Suicidal:
I see the point you are making. Preservationists can be NIMBYs too. The folks you are talking about basically want to preserve the interchange from a project that would replace it. This certainly makes them preservationists. Your definition of Not In My Back Yard makes any local preservationist a potential NIMBY.

However, I do draw a distinction. I don't consider NIMBYs and preservationists to be in the same clique. Preservationists are against something being destroyed, while NIMBYs are against something being built. In situations such as the razing of the interchange to build a more pedestrian-friendly crossing, you could have a group who is opposed to destruction of the interchange, but not necessarily against construction of a pedestrian crossing (preservationists); while at the same time there could also be another group could be against building a pedestrian crossing, while not necessarily opposing getting rid of the interchange (NIMBYs). Their interests may coalesce in this situation, but I won't lump them into the same group.

 

[Ontarian1976]

I don't really see how you could eliminate that interchange with the number of streets that meet there. Anyway, I've always found it to be a very efficient interchange, though it can be confusing if you've never been there before.

 

[adma]

Maybe a traffic-circle-like reconfiguration as an urban-ensemble centrepiece?

 

[Ontarian1976]

It's an idea, but the change in grade would make it difficult (Kipling drops quite a bit right there).

 

[borgos]

I live in Islington Village and have been following the proposals for the area with great interest. Etobicoke City Centre has tremendous potential. Firstly, Dundas (and to a lesser extent, Bloor) between Islington and Kipling is quite urban and pleasant although the strip plazas west of Avonhurst need to be redeveloped. Secondly, there is an abudance of land that is being redeveloped. Most of the redevelopment is residential and some of it badly designed unfortunately(the Michael Power site was a lost opportunity but the Food Basics site looks promising). There is also the opportunity to consolidate municipal and recreational services at the city owned Westwood site when (if?) the property gets developed. That, in turn, is contingent on the relocation of the bus bay from Islington to Kipling and the redesign of the dreadful six points interchange. I don't know what's going on on that last front. There was a first public consultation meeting back in March, 2004 which was to be followed up by another in the spring of the same year. The second meeting hasn't taken place yet and I've only gotten the bureaucratic runaround about the almost 2 -year delay. I heard that the favoured option for replacing the six points interchange is an at-grade Dundas Street "loop". You can see it on page 18 of the following link (sorry, I don't know how to post that diagram here - if any of you know how to do so, it would be appreciated).

www.toronto.ca/wes/techse...lays_1.pdf

The excruciatingly slow progress of all of the foregoing is slowing sapping my enthusiasm.

 

[borgos]

I'd like to see some highrises on the south side of Bloor and Islington.

Ed, there's an 11 storey building u/c at the SW corner. The former Bell building a little further west is being converted to lofts.

 

[radioheadmike]

Some pics after yesterdays storm.

 

[radioheadmike]

 

[Long Island Mike]

A good definition of NIMBYs as opposed to preservationists...

Suicidal:
I see the point you are making. Preservationists can be NIMBYs too. The folks you are talking about basically want to preserve the interchange from a project that would replace it. This certainly makes them preservationists. Your definition of Not In My Back Yard makes any local preservationist a potential NIMBY.

However, I do draw a distinction. I don't consider NIMBYs and preservationists to be in the same clique. Preservationists are against something being destroyed, while NIMBYs are against something being built. In situations such as the razing of the interchange to build a more pedestrian-friendly crossing, you could have a group who is opposed to destruction of the interchange, but not necessarily against construction of a pedestrian crossing (preservationists); while at the same time there could also be another group could be against building a pedestrian crossing, while not necessarily opposing getting rid of the interchange (NIMBYs). Their interests may coalesce in this situation, but I won't lump them into the same group.

Shumoon: I like this distinction and I agree that NIMBYs primarily are against any sort of change that may or may not directly
affect them...Some tend to use arguments such as property values as prime examples of personal opposition...

Preservationists would like to keep things as they are and as example preserving old structures that can be saved and renovated
can benefit everyone because in some cases once they are gone they are gone forever...

LI MIKE

 

[kram74]

1 this condo connects to the subway station. never have to go outside.

2 this was called the shipp building many years ago.

3

4

5

6

7

8 looking down bloor towards islington

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18 looking towards dundas

19

20 where the legion hall used to be

21

22 a picture i got from vintage toronto on Facebook showing the building of
islington subway station

23 legion hall is gone

24

25

26 a park for the condos

27

28

29

30

31

32

33 i love trains and train tracks

34

35 anytime i stand on train tracks i sing the song "stand by me"

36

37

38

39

40

41

42 all this work to keep the birds out

43

44

45

46

47

48

49 the birds are everywhere

50

51

52 this field has always been empty my entire life, the city puts all the
snow here in the winter

53

54 the crazy "spaghetti turn around"

55

56

57

58 another park

59

60

61 six point plaza

62

63

64

65

66 the crazy spaghetti turn around. even the people who live here find this
confusing.

67

68

69

70

71

72

73

74

75

76

77 a new path so people wouldn't have to walk up the dirt hill.

78

79 crazy people, they don't want to walk up the long path, so they made there
own path anyways

80

81 Mississauga busses that stop at islington

82

83

84

85

86

87

88 the CN tower is in there

89 on kipling looking north

90 looking south

91

92

93 kipling subway station

94 i went into a open house in a condo building on the tenth floor and got these
pictures. you can see the open field behind the police station

95

96 you can see the subway in the picture

97

98 subway station

99 westwood theatre

100 i remember driving pass this place as a kid reading what movies where
showing.

101 i went to see movies here all the time growing up

102

103

104 from the parking lot

105 behind the building

106 oh boy….. looks like some large animal wanted out

107 a hole is in the back of the building… anyone crazy enough to go in?
it is dark though.

108

109

110 where you went in after paying

111 where you payed to go in

112

113 a advertisement for its opening day

114 from the movie "resident evil"

115

116 inside

117 an old photo of bloor and islington from the 1930s
you can see dundas and bloor and Montgomery road as well.

 

[W. K. Lis]

...

99 westwood theatre
View attachment 11653

100 i remember driving pass this place as a kid reading what movies where showing.
View attachment 11654


101 i went to see movies here all the time growing up
View attachment 11655


102
View attachment 11656


103
View attachment 11657


104 from the parking lot
View attachment 11658


105 behind the building
View attachment 11659


106 oh boy….. looks like some large animal wanted out
View attachment 11660


107 a hole is in the back of the building… anyone crazy enough to go in?
it is dark though.
View attachment 11661


108
View attachment 11662


109
View attachment 11663


110 where you went in after paying
View attachment 11664


111 where you payed to go in
View attachment 11665


112
View attachment 11666
...

An Environment Day (see link) event will be held at:

Date: Thursday, May 9 By: Mayor Ford Location: former Westwood Theatre Parking Lot Address: junction of Bloor St. W., Kipling Ave., and Dundas St. W.