The redesigned Queens Quay, with the WaveDecks visible at right, is a vibrant contribution to Toronto?s public realm. Photo: Nicola Betts
I?ll often go out of my way to see a notable building, and sometimes even detour to glimpse a construction site. Recently, I?ve been swinging far south when I cross downtown Toronto by foot, bike or transit. Not for a building?but for a street.
The new Queens Quay is perhaps one of Canada?s finest streetscapes. Not long ago, the waterfront road was a confusion of traffic lanes along both sides of streetcar tracks. Pedestrians were relegated to cramped and cracked sidewalks.
Now, the streetcars have a separated right-of-way to the side of the cars, whose share of the road has been cut down to one lane in each direction. The extra room is used for a two-way bike trail and widened sidewalks. This emphasis on the pedestrian realm is transformative: in the warmer months, the boulevard is full of people strolling between the parks, galleries, theatres, concert venues, boat cruises, restaurants and shops that line this 1.7-kilometre stretch of Queens Quay. ?When we reopened Queens Quay, it was just filled with pedestrians, on a scale the waterfront never was before that. There was pent-up demand for that space,? says Chris Glaisek, vice president of planning and design at Waterfront Toronto, the agency that commissioned the renewed street.
Adds Glaisek, ?When we first set out to do this, people said ?you can?t do anything about Queens Qua...