J
JoeyCuppa
Guest
From the Globe:
STEAL THIS IDEA
GETTING HIGH WITH GRASS IN DALLAS
SHAUN PROULX
With Mayor David Miller receiving kudos for his local environmental initiatives in the May issue of Vanity Fair, could there be a better time for Toronto to pull parkland out of thin air?
That's the kind of green magic happening in Dallas, where Woodall Rogers Park is expected to be completed in 2010. To be created on a bridge atop a busy freeway, the park will form what officials hope becomes a major green space, something the Texas city lacks downtown. Officials anticipate the 6.8-acre swath of new parkland -- equivalent in size to four to six city blocks -- will help mitigate the freeway's impact on adjacent areas (read: reduce air and noise pollution), while also revitalizing the surrounding neighbourhoods and uniting three of Dallas's fastest growing areas: uptown, downtown and the city's arts district.
"Citywide we have the fifth largest park system in the United States, but downtown we are lacking in green space," explains Willis Winters, assistant director for planning, design and construction for the Dallas park and recreation department. "This park fills a critical need. Not only will it serve downtown . . . , but it will link to our burgeoning arts district and provide overflow space for festivals and other arts events."
The $60-million [U.S.] project promotes mixed-use development, using a current development dominated by vehicles. Sound familiar? A green stretch across roadways such as the Gardiner Expressway or Lake Shore Boulevard near the Exhibition grounds would unite those more desolate areas with the downtown core. It could also enhance British architect Will Alsop's much-talked-about plans for a pedestrian/cycling bridge over the CN rail line, a pinch of parkland to enhance his concept.
For a city sorely lacking parkland (according to www.toronto.ca, the majority of our current green space comes from residents' front and back yards), could the greening of our "clean city, beautiful city" actually include an idea such as this?
"It's a good idea that comes with lots of challenges," says director of parks Paul Ronan. "We already have initiatives like the green roofs program, where we create green space on top of buildings. It's absolutely something that with the right kind of thought and resourcing and design . . . we would look at, if asked to give our opinion. It's certainly a creative idea."
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A perfect idea for the Gardiner.
STEAL THIS IDEA
GETTING HIGH WITH GRASS IN DALLAS
SHAUN PROULX
With Mayor David Miller receiving kudos for his local environmental initiatives in the May issue of Vanity Fair, could there be a better time for Toronto to pull parkland out of thin air?
That's the kind of green magic happening in Dallas, where Woodall Rogers Park is expected to be completed in 2010. To be created on a bridge atop a busy freeway, the park will form what officials hope becomes a major green space, something the Texas city lacks downtown. Officials anticipate the 6.8-acre swath of new parkland -- equivalent in size to four to six city blocks -- will help mitigate the freeway's impact on adjacent areas (read: reduce air and noise pollution), while also revitalizing the surrounding neighbourhoods and uniting three of Dallas's fastest growing areas: uptown, downtown and the city's arts district.
"Citywide we have the fifth largest park system in the United States, but downtown we are lacking in green space," explains Willis Winters, assistant director for planning, design and construction for the Dallas park and recreation department. "This park fills a critical need. Not only will it serve downtown . . . , but it will link to our burgeoning arts district and provide overflow space for festivals and other arts events."
The $60-million [U.S.] project promotes mixed-use development, using a current development dominated by vehicles. Sound familiar? A green stretch across roadways such as the Gardiner Expressway or Lake Shore Boulevard near the Exhibition grounds would unite those more desolate areas with the downtown core. It could also enhance British architect Will Alsop's much-talked-about plans for a pedestrian/cycling bridge over the CN rail line, a pinch of parkland to enhance his concept.
For a city sorely lacking parkland (according to www.toronto.ca, the majority of our current green space comes from residents' front and back yards), could the greening of our "clean city, beautiful city" actually include an idea such as this?
"It's a good idea that comes with lots of challenges," says director of parks Paul Ronan. "We already have initiatives like the green roofs program, where we create green space on top of buildings. It's absolutely something that with the right kind of thought and resourcing and design . . . we would look at, if asked to give our opinion. It's certainly a creative idea."
---------------------
A perfect idea for the Gardiner.