海角社区官网

Into this landscape 海角社区官网architecture and urban design firm DTAH created a Lower Don Trail in 2013 that the new park is based on. It鈥檚 an ambitious plan for the valley between Taylor Creek by Don Mills Rd. and Lakeshore Blvd., an area that includes the Evergreen Brickworks, Todmorden Mills, Corktown Commons and both the east and west sides of Riverdale Park.

The park comes with new signage currently being installed both along the trail and in the adjacent parks. In Riverdale Park West in Cabbagetown, there鈥檚 one by the corner of Winchester and Sumach Sts., 200 metres from the valley鈥檚 edge. The signs reach into the city like octopus tentacles inviting people into their valley. Some signs have maps and historical or ecological information on them; others simply tell people how far they鈥檝e come and how much farther it is to landmarks and exits.

There are also big infrastructure improvements on the path. The most impressive and complex piece is the new Belleville underpass. Previously a narrow and dark corrugated steel tunnel that invited collisions, the new underpass is wide and includes large-scale photographs of the Don Valley from the archives. It gets its name from the disused 鈥淏elleville Subdivision鈥� rail line it passes under. Disused, but not abandoned, that is. The line could become part of a Metrolinx transit plan, so it had to be rebuilt anticipating future use which contributed to the delays in opening the park.

There鈥檚 also a new cycling and pedestrian bridge crossing the Don at Pottery Rd. that connects to a new protected cycling lane along Bayview Ave. that runs south to Rosedale Valley Rd., providing an additional ravine connection. In the middle of that path is the Brickworks, a hub for the park. The Chorley Park switchback path adjacent to it is finally under construction too, delayed for years by Rosedale NIMBYs. It will provide essential wheelchair access to the Brickworks and valley itself and a short route to a nearby stop on the TTC鈥檚 82 Rosedale bus. The network is knitting together despite confounding resistance.

There鈥檚 also new public art. 鈥淢onsters for Beauty, Permanence and Individuality,鈥� by Duane Linklater, is 14 concrete copies of bits of Toronto鈥檚 architecture scattered about a clearing in view of the Prince Edward Viaduct. By an Omaskeko Cree artist from Moose Cree First Nation north of North Bay, the work comments on Toronto鈥檚 commitment to its own history as well as using places such as the valley for resource extraction to create what we sometimes treat as temporary architecture.

Also beginning Oct. 29 and every Sunday until Nov. 29, 海角社区官网performance art duo 鈥� perhaps the best named performance art duo around 鈥� will float a life-size replica of the King Edward VII statue found at Queen鈥檚 Park down the Don River. As reckoning over historic and colonial statues is an ongoing public debate, the work is timely. More art is planned for the future. As ever, there鈥檚 a lot to see in the Don Valley, but there鈥檚 also a lot to feel. Bumps, that is.

The most disappointing part of the opening of the park is the state of the trail itself. Despite being closed for so long, it remains in as awful shape as ever, with gaping holes, bumps up to 10 centimetres high caused by tree roots and orange spray paint to serve as warnings for all the rough parts. It鈥檚 embarrassing. The trail itself should be the most important part of the rehabilitation and grand opening, but it鈥檚 emblematic of a city administration that likes to make announcements about shiny new things, but ignores that the details need attention too.

Mayor John Tory cheered the park鈥檚 opening last month, but the subsequent phases of the master plan haven鈥檛 secured funding yet. These details include staircases to the trail from Gerrard and Dundas Sts., an access ramp in Riverdale Park and trail widening in the narrow southern part between the rail corridor and river.

With the trail closed for so long, it鈥檚 not unreasonable to have hoped most of it could have been repaved. The mayor receives a lot of good will and political capital launching a park, but insists that this wealthy city can鈥檛 raise money to pay for the things it seems to want.

The current shiny mega-project the mayor and others are supporting breathlessly is Rail Deck Park. It鈥檚 not a bad idea to create needed park space over rail lines, and cities such as Chicago and Melbourne have done just that. But if it ever gets built here, how will we treat the details and ongoing maintenance? Look at how the broken 海角社区官网Island Ferry system continues to make getting to Toronto鈥檚 gem difficult each summer. After watching Ontario Place decline over the decades, its architect Eb Zeidler聽said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 like if you get a fantastic Jaguar, and you run it into a ditch.鈥� That鈥檚 the 海角社区官网way it seems.

Here鈥檚 a challenge for all the Rail Deck fanboys and girls who want it to happen: be as vocal about the state of good repair of our existing parks as you are about the new one. And let鈥檚 make sure the rest of the Don River Valley Park comes to fruition too.