The Great Beautification Thread

[Hipster Duck]

Is Toronto the world's worst in this category?

Does it matter if it's the worst in the world? It's pretty damn bad and unacceptable to many Torontonians regardless of whether there's another city out there that's even worse.

 

[junctionist]

I think postering has great potential for free speech. Consider this: if you have an opinion about subway expansion you can always come up with a poster and place it somewhere downtown where your message will be seen by thousands every day, for free. But I think that all postering should be limited to purpose built structures like the special cyclinders located at strategic places across the city for community purposes.

Toronto with most of the refinements already listed in this thread wouldn't look sterile. The bicycles parked on every arterial, the random market-like storefronts and the mix architectural styles would keep things engaging.

 

[MetroMan]

Consider this: if you have an opinion about subway expansion you can always come up with a poster and place it somewhere downtown where your message will be seen by thousands every day, for free.

The thing is, nobody will see it. All the "noise" of surrounding posters completely cancels each other out. When I see our streets plastered in posters, I see the clutter, I don't see individual messages.

 

[junctionist]

It depends on the poster. Music event ones tend to have busy graphics and a lot of information about bands and artists so one might not notice them. But walk around the U of T campus, and there are definitely some that are memorable like a Jane Jacobs talk or essay writing services. The "$300 divorce" posters were even references in a Nuit Blanche event once.

 

[Second_in_pie]

I think postering has great potential for free speech. Consider this: if you have an opinion about subway expansion you can always come up with a poster and place it somewhere downtown where your message will be seen by thousands every day, for free. But I think that all postering should be limited to purpose built structures like the special cyclinders located at strategic places across the city for community purposes.

Toronto with most of the refinements already listed in this thread wouldn't look sterile. The bicycles parked on every arterial, the random market-like storefronts and the mix architectural styles would keep things engaging.

Some sort of casual public billboard area would be so great. Preferably built so it can easily be stapled on, and staples can be ripped out easily. Durable, and monitored so people can't abuse them. It could actually be really nice and useful.

 

[renvel]

Wooden utility poles

Lets concentrate on those ugly wooden utility poles elimination in Downtown!
It is already 21 st CENTURY!
Toronto deserve it!

 

[renvel]

Wooden junk poles elimination.

Toronto deserves to get rid of this disgrase!

 

[kettal]

Does it matter if it's the worst in the world? It's pretty damn bad and unacceptable to many Torontonians regardless of whether there's another city out there that's even worse.

I say we embrace our status as most postered city. This can be our claim in the record books, and this time Dubai won't steal our title!

 

[TrickyRicky]

Those are all fine beautification initiatives. I'm all for making improvements and investments in all these areas. From an aesthetic perspective however is the visual experience of the city not dominated by the private buildings, not the public sphere? That is, the form, design and state of repair of privately owned structures that face the street. This is not even something you need to mobilize collective sentiment or resources to. How does the front of your house, apartment building, apartment window, business, place of employment, present itself to the city?

 

[Northern Light]

First I'd like to thank everyone for their contributions to this point.

Next I'd like to add my observations, most particularly, I'm fascinated by this anti-postering fetish.

I have to say, I don't care for the clutter myself; but having said that, I've never considered the serious form of degradation of public space that some here do. It just doesn't glare out at me the same way, I suppose. I don't oppose efforts to reduce postering, but I just can't say it would make my top priorities either.

I also find it interesting how many folks are desperate to bury all the hydro wires.

While this is higher on my list that postering, and something I would like to see done, I suggested everyone limit their 'priorities' to a 40M budget for a reason. I want to see what we can actually get done, not just dream about.
And at a cost of between 1.4 and 2.2 Billion dollars to bury all of Toronto's hydro wires everywhere (ROWs excluded) I don't think its at all realistic that it will be done in the next 10 years, even 30 is highly optimistic.

Sticking to my own suggestion of the next 40M.

I would probably focus on the Grand Boulevards/General Streetscape.

Meaning focus on getting 2 or 3 key stretches of sidewalk up to a new and improved standard comparable to Bloor or St. George etc.

I would likely go for either Yonge (narrow to 2 lanes, add bike lanes, widen sidewalks, add trees in continuous trenches wherever room permits) or do similar work on Bloor/Danforth, extending the top tier streetscape east to Broadview and west to Bathurst.

But I'm not stuck on those roads or stretches, just seems a good, high-impact, needs the work set of places to start.

 

[Northern Light]

As I did with the transit thread, I think its good to show people what actually is happening or is planned for:

Grand Boulevards/General Streetscape

Bloor (Jarvis to Avenue) - Underway
Roncesvalles (full length) - Underway
Queen Street (Parkdale) - concept approved, funding pending
Parliament (Cabbagetown) - concept approved, funding pending
Queen's Quay (full length) - concept approved, funding approved * 2011?
Front Street (Union Station precinct) - conc. approved, funding approved
York Street ( Front to Queen) - conc. approved, funding approved
Jarvis Street (Richmond to Bloor) - conc. approved, funding approved

Transit City - Streetscapes

The applicable sections of Finch West, Sheppard East, and Eglinton (where the LRT is surface) and due for a massive streetscape overhaul as part of the project. All will get bike lanes, sidewalks with decorative paved curbs and/or tree-lined boulevards.

Road Redesign - Streetscape elements

Six Points in Etobicoke - concept and funding approved (2014)
Downtown North York - concept and funding approved

General Public Realm Management

- All street furniture to be coordinated, includes shelters, waste receptacles and NEWSPAPER BOX combo units, benches, and info posts and toilets.

- New street signs, standardized city-wide (sadly their ugly)

- New street lights, to be standardized city-wide, decision on type of light, bracket/fixture is pending

- All grass boulevards to have trees if utilities permit (should be compete by 2011 or so on arterial roads)

- All new road reconstructions and bridges to contain at least 1% for beautification.

Past approved concepts

The Official Plan and various past beautification documents show a list of 'Green Intersections'. By this they mean areas with large traffic islands or peninsulas which can be landscaped.

- Richmond/Jarvis complete
- Adelaide/Parliament complete
- Bay/Davenport - no progress
- Coxwell/Dundas -no progress
- Keele/Annette - no progress
- Victoria Park/St.Clair - no progress

(and various others)

- Gateway streetscapes were also approved for:

Vic Park/Eglinton
Next to 427 (at Eglinton??)
Yonge/401

As yet all unfunded.

Finally - Public Realm Unit

The new public realm unit - funded by the street furniture contract money
is busy working on its first few projects

At the top of the list are:

Gould Street, Victoria to Church (probably pedestrian zone)
St. George/Willcocks (could be closure of Willcocks, could be something more)

 

[Towered]

I was just thinking the same thing after having read fiendishlibrarian's post.

I admire his/her fierce advocacy for improving our public realm, and while I certainly stand behind many of those ideas, others border on the absurdly draconian. Removing postboxes and newspaper kiosks? I think I recall in the Then and Now thread, fiendish was also condemning the "unnecessary payphones" in the Now shot? I can't say I'm eager to relinquish public sidewalk amenities in an effort to create a sterilized, Disneyland-like public realm for neat freaks. With this kind of precedent, we'll soon be vilifying those pesky benches, public art installations and restaurant patios that spill out onto the sidewalk and clutter it up.

Keep in mind also that in Fiendish Libararian's fantasy world, he would have everybody's tattoo's lasered off.

 

[junctionist]

It's all about the details. The street furniture hasn't turned out very impressive, and the City hasn't emphasized burying the overhead wires, which is clearly the biggest improvement possible. It's just not in their culture, they just ignore it. Ask a city official about it and the answer is always an instinctive "I don't...we'll have to ask Hydro about it...there's the matter of the cost". People have been asking for it for generations!

 

[Irishmonk]

Considering those pesky hydro poles I suggest forming a local single issue political party or movement dedicated exclusively to that concern. A catchy acronym is important. Something along the lines of OWEP--Overhead Wire Elimination Party, or WBM-Wire Burial Movement.

Of course, the perfect acronym would be WIRE but I haven't come up with the appropriate full length names for that one. Any suggestions?

 

[Northern Light]

Considering those pesky hydro poles I suggest forming a local single issue political party or movement dedicated exclusively to that concern. A catchy acronym is important. Something along the lines of OWEP--Overhead Wire Elimination Party, or WBM-Wire Burial Movement.

Of course, the perfect acronym would be WIRE but I haven't come up with the appropriate full length names for that one. Any suggestions?

How about EESH! (Eradication Everywhere of Surface Hydro)?

OR

Surface Hydro Elimination Everywhere Today! (SHEET)

CH(i)RP: Coalition for Hydrowire Removal, Pronto!

or

WIRE-U, Wise Intellectuals Require Electricity Underground!

Ok, I'm getting too silly. Have to stop posting today!