New projects
The newest project in the waterfront series is a $25 million endeavour to create trails, connections, and cultural spaces under the rapidly aging Gardiner Expressway from just west of Strachan Avenue to Spadina Avenue. The funding for the project was garnered through a philanthropic partnership with Wil and Judy Matthews, the City of Toronto, and Waterfront Toronto. The new trail will connect pedestrians and cyclists with many of Toronto’s biggest attractions, including:

• BMO Field;
• revitalized Queens Quay;
• Harbourfront Centre;
• the CN Tower, Roger’s Centre, and Ripley’s Aquarium;
• the Air Canada Centre; and
• the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal

Waterfront Toronto will be leading a public engagement and consultation for the project, inviting Toronto residents to participate in the design process and development of the programming vision. Construction is set to begin the summer of 2016, with the initial phase of the project aiming to be completed the following year.

This project, along with many of the previous work cited in this article, will include a public art program. This  ensures public art is incorporated on city streets and in parks to beautify the spaces. The art is integrated early in the planning processes, rather than as an afterthought, to ensure the art is a fluid part of the space. Each piece chosen reflects the site’s industrial past as well as its vibrant, sustainable future.

Review Panel
In 2005, Waterfront Toronto introduced a design review panel to provide objective, professional advice to designers, developers, and governments. This review panel meets monthly to discuss all the projects at their various stages and votes to determine whether the project has support before it can move onto the next stage. However, if a project has conditional support or non-support, the design team must amend its proposal and return back to the panel at a later date.

The panel is not designed to take away Toronto’s regulatory approval process, but rather to ensure the projects have raised design standards to create beautiful, functioning spaces for the public.

A list of the panel’s members can be found on the Waterfront Toronto website.

While the waterfront has already made strides in becoming a more public friendly place, there are still many projects yet to be completed. Waterfront Toronto still has many years to go before all the projects are completed.