Mississauga City Centre Update - June 2006

[officedweller]

Here's a question -
Has Mississauga designated certain streets to be pedestrian shopping streets (or districts?) and left the other streets to be townhouses or whatever the developer will build? Especially in a suburban core, I doubt that retail would be sustainable on all streets (let alone all major streets).
Likewise, with NYCC, is Yonge Street the designated retail street? If so, it will be difficult to "tame" such a wide street to be pedestrian friednly. Typically, pedestrain streets are narrower and smaller scale.
Suburban core planners have to realize that the major thoroughfares are not going to support a pedestrian shopping street - and instead, they should focus retail on a smaller side street. The problem in MCC of course, is that the blocks are huge megablocks with few continuous side streets.

 

[Ed007Toronto]

I'd argue the retail along Yonge in NYCC is already successful and its only getting better.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

"NYCC doesn't really *feel* like a real downtown either."

That's because it's only one long, narrow strip of towers...go more than 1 block east or west and you hit bungalows and McMansions, and you can see this drop off in density and energy every time you look down a side street.

"IMO, the problem with NYCC, MCC and the like is the degree of incoherence among the building projects, particularly with regards to urban design. Stylistically, these projects often vie for attention when viewed afar, while neglecting pedestrian level experience."

I've said this several times before, but one main reason for this is that Yonge and the side streets do not meet each other at right angles. The same is true for Yonge & Eglinton, but there's really only a handful of towers on Yonge itself, not 4km of soon-to-be-continuous towers (and this is also why University south of Queen is underwhelming). The ringroads also change the dynamic.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with some of the towers (Ultima (really, the whole Elmhurst to North York blvd block) and Empress Walk do just fine at street level and prevent Yonge from turning into Bay Street North) but the angles make them more visible than they otherwise would/should be, so that they compete and their flaws are exposed. The area is still quite fragmented - 3 corners of Yonge & Sheppard are parking lots (and the fourth suffers from being half a storey out of phase with the street) and there are still lots of construction sites and 1-2 storey buildings between the new condos.

Mel's civic improvements are actually some of the low points as far as pedestrians and urban design along Yonge are concerned. The performing arts centre was inexplicably placed ridiculously far from Yonge and looks stupid now that it's blocked by the Transamerica building. The office building at Yonge & Park Home suffers from one of those granite archway awnings that kill Bay Street. Mel Lastman Square is kind of cluttered and has too many vertical layers.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

"Likewise, with NYCC, is Yonge Street the designated retail street? If so, it will be difficult to "tame" such a wide street to be pedestrian friednly. Typically, pedestrain streets are narrower and smaller scale."

Yonge is the only retail street. It does not need to be tamed and it's not oppressively scaled. It's not at all difficult to cross and the only reason it would need to be narrower is if people were jaywalking across any and every point but since there's nothing down any of the side streets, there's really no need to do so.

"I'd argue the retail along Yonge in NYCC is already successful and its only getting better."

Years ago I thought all the retail would be killed when the condos and stuff went in but, you're right, the amount and quality of the retail has not dropped. Yonge north of Empress is still lined with small independent stores while the Empress to Sheppard stretch is now home to all of the usual chain suspects.

 

[adma]

The office building at Yonge & Park Home suffers from one of those granite archway awnings that kill Bay Street

It only suffers in the "stylistically dated" sense. Actually, that whole office complex (incl. the Moriyama library) is 80s retro at its best...

 

[scarberiankhatru]

Oh, I love the library, and the atrium is nice, too, but I was just referring to the street presence. The granite awning (even though it does have a bank and at least one other vacant storefront) is just too overbearing in this case...did Moriyama design the office building? I wouldn't think so looking at it from the sidewalk along Yonge.

I've always wished that Moriyama & Teshima's plan for the Scarborough Centre area was fully realized, ideally with their own buildings. I can't find the plan right now, but here's one proposed building:

I haven't been to Square One since I was little...I really want to visit MCC now but it's just such an epic journey for me.

 

[Observer Walt]

Scarberian: You can get a GO bus from the terminal on Bay St. opposite Union Station; you don't have to take the subway and then Miss. Transit. Alternatively, GO Lakeshore trains go to Port Credit and the MT Hurontario bus from there is pretty direct.