Toronto Pan Am Village in the West Don Lands | ?m | ?s | DundeeKilmer | KPMB

We have done a number of front page stories about the retail. It will open when the area opens as a neighbourhood, pretty much starting a year from now.

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TheKingEast said:
Because we have to think about the dogs! It would be nice to enjoy a park without it being dominated by dogs. Gravel parks are not inviting for those who aren't walking a dog. It's a giant litterbox that smells like shit in the summer.
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I think you nailed it. We're not supposed to like these kitty litter "parks". Toronto the cynically practical.
 
Torontovibe said:
I love how Parisians don't just plant trees but they sculpt them to create perfect shapes. When was the last time you saw the city of Toronto put that kind of effort into making Toronto look beautiful?
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The French take an entirely different approach to parks, in which they attempt to tame and sculpt nature. The Canadian approach generally resembles that of the UK and especially Germany, which is to "recreate" nature within a park (give plants free reign).

(Please notice that I said "generally" before citing specific examples that contradict this.)
 
grey said:
The French take an entirely different approach to parks, in which they attempt to tame and sculpt nature. The Canadian approach generally resembles that of the UK and especially Germany, which is to "recreate" nature within a park (give plants free reign).

(Please notice that I said "generally" before citing specific examples that contradict this.)
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Not contradicting you per se but even the most deliberately 'wild' of English parks have more formalized areas given that not everybody in an urban context wants to sit down on grass or trudge through muddy plots on rainy days etc... besides, the real analogue here is not the likes of Hyde or Central Parks, it's the smaller urban parks or squares where people are just as likely to be passing through in dress shoes on a weekday as looking to sprawl out more leisurely on grass.

I agree that this park doesn't feel very 'Toronto' where we are used to casual ungroomed and largely undesigned urban spaces. We can definitely stand a little nudge in this direction though, and all the more so as Toronto becomes an increasingly dense urban place. We still have High Park, the islands and many other 'wild' spaces if that's what you want too!
 
How about a balance between natural parks and highly designed parks that are intended to bring beauty to a neighbourhood. Of course, nature can be beautiful but so can a well designed, sculpted park. Variety is the spice of life, why not enjoy the best of both? A few showpiece parks would add a bit of pizazz to our collection of underwhelming patches of grass & trees.

If I wanted grass and trees, I'd live in Midland or the other million towns and cities full of nature.
 
There's nothing wrong with the square pictured above beyond the fact that the trees are still small. For those who want grass and nature Corktown Common is literally across the street.
 
grey said:
If it's nature you're after, look no further than Toronto.
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I've been through much of Toronto's ravine system and it's a great (but unfortunately under appreciated and under developed) asset to have but I love urbanity, which is why I live in Toronto. I want more highly urban public spaces, with hard surfaces and lots of decorative features, along with high animation. Parks for walking in nature are nice but where are our great urban spaces? Even the few urban spaces we have, like Dundas Square, are quite modest in design. If we intend to be a world capital, we need to step up our game and spend some money on a few spectacular public spaces. Grass & random trees, just doesn't cut it in 2015 Toronto. We're the 4th largest city in North America and growing, it's time to start competing with the big boys. (in all areas of city building)
 
Torontovibe said:
I've been through much of Toronto's ravine system and it's a great (but unfortunately under appreciated and under developed) asset to have but I love urbanity, which is why I live in Toronto. I want more highly urban public spaces, with hard surfaces and lots of decorative features, along with high animation. Parks for walking in nature are nice but where are our great urban spaces? Even the few urban spaces we have, like Dundas Square, are quite modest in design. If we intend to be a world capital, we need to step up our game and spend some money on a few spectacular public spaces. Grass & random trees, just doesn't cut it in 2015 Toronto. We're the 4th largest city in North America and growing, it's time to start competing with the big boys. (in all areas of city building)
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I couldn't agree more.
 
Torontovibe said:
How about a balance between natural parks and highly designed parks that are intended to bring beauty to a neighbourhood. Of course, nature can be beautiful but so can a well designed, sculpted park. Variety is the spice of life, why not enjoy the best of both? A few showpiece parks would add a bit of pizazz to our collection of underwhelming patches of grass & trees.

If I wanted grass and trees, I'd live in Midland or the other million towns and cities full of nature.
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I want both. As our density goes up, we have to be more proactive about strategically buying or even expropriating certain properties.

grey said:
If it's nature you're after, look no further than Toronto.
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Great idea. I'm supporting that film, and would urge anyone who cares about our ravines to consider it too.

Torontovibe said:
I've been through much of Toronto's ravine system and it's a great (but unfortunately under appreciated and under developed) asset to have but I love urbanity, which is why I live in Toronto. I want more highly urban public spaces, with hard surfaces and lots of decorative features, along with high animation. Parks for walking in nature are nice but where are our great urban spaces? Even the few urban spaces we have, like Dundas Square, are quite modest in design. If we intend to be a world capital, we need to step up our game and spend some money on a few spectacular public spaces. Grass & random trees, just doesn't cut it in 2015 Toronto. We're the 4th largest city in North America and growing, it's time to start competing with the big boys. (in all areas of city building)
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I do think we need more, and more creative urban squares, but I wouldn't slag the ravine system for any reason. I live right on the Humber and love the escape from the city as much as I love the city itself. The bike paths in some areas need upgrades, that would be my only complaint about some of the ravines. Square-wise, I wish every subway station beyond the core had an animated square in front.

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Irishmonk said:
Why the hell did kitty-litter gravel become the default surface option for Toronto's new little urban squares? It's dreary, it's not fun to walk through--it always ends up in your shoes--and it's totally unsuitable for sitting or lying on. Oh, wait it's cheap, and it's grey so it doesn't clash with anything except one's inner joy.

Remember how much Anakin Skywalker hated sand? That's pretty much how I feel about gravel. So, unless we're grooming our urban spaces for some as yet undocumented master race of humanoid-cats, leave the gravel for the logging roads and construction sites. We should be able to tell the difference between a park and a parking lot. Rant over.
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Priceless post, Irishmonk. Hilarious but so true.
 
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