海角社区官网

Tourists wait for their open-top tour bus on painted concrete slabs facing away from the grey, mostly empty middle of the square 鈥� what a Star editorial once called a 鈥渉uman frying pan.鈥� They are surprised to learn, when approached by a reporter, that the square is considered by some to be the heart of Toronto.

鈥淭here is nothing attractive about it,鈥� said a Scottish woman, pausing to swivel her head around to try and find something nice to say.

The starkness of the space also means there is nowhere to hide the cracks.

鈥淪ometimes I see people who are sick or are in very bad shape,鈥� said Urdoh, his soft voice periodically drowned out by sirens.

But overall he enjoys seeing people from all walks of life coexisting peacefully.

鈥淭his is a miracle in itself,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is the pulse of the city.鈥�

That pulse, however, is in need of resuscitation.

Yonge-Dundas Square inspired by Times Square

The city designed Yonge-Dundas Square to be a major event space inspired by New York鈥檚 Times Square. It would replace a seedy section of the downtown east and revitalize the area. To cement the commercial focus, the city installed a volunteer board of management model for the square that includes representatives from the local business community.

But 20 years after it first opened, the square is in trouble.

In part due to rising security costs, it is both expensive to run and expensive to rent. A flagship corporate sponsor hasn鈥檛 signed on since 2021, there is little regular programming and the board expects a loss of $600,000 by year-end.

What happens to the heart of a city when the city is broke?

海角社区官网council orders review of the square

Coun. Chris Moise鈥檚 response has been to get council to order a governance review of the square, one that he hopes will be a way to reimagine what the square should be, and whether it should continue to be run by an external board or folded into the city like Nathan Phillips Square.

鈥淵onge-Dundas Square should be a destination,鈥� he said. But he鈥檚 been told by community groups, 海角社区官网Metropolitan University and others that the cost to use the space is prohibitively expensive. And last year, the square was 鈥渁ctivated鈥� with events for less than half the year 鈥� a problem acknowledged by the board as an issue, especially in winter.

鈥淚 do want the square to make money鈥ut that鈥檚 not the be-all and end-all. It鈥檚 a public square and a public space that should be used by all people,鈥� he said, adding that a more vibrant space could lessen the security concerns. 鈥淚 am excited about the possibilities.鈥�

Moise鈥檚 fellow councillor Jaye Robinson (Ward 15, Don Valley West) is more skeptical. She opposed the review, which she said was rushed through council, and argued that the current model has been a success but one that, like all event-driven spaces, has suffered due to the pandemic.

Requiring the board to hold off on making external funding agreements until the review is done makes its job even harder, she said. And if the city already has Nathan Phillips Square for community events, why would it try to duplicate that in Yonge-Dundas Square?

鈥淭he city is in a very difficult financial position,鈥� she added. 鈥淲hy would we be taking on more?鈥�

Square hit by pandemic, security woes

The square鈥檚 surroundings have changed since it first opened in 2003. It鈥檚 flanked by a revamped Eaton Centre, a Cineplex, the growing 海角社区官网Metropolitan University and dozens of big-box and smaller stores and restaurants on one of the busiest stretches of Yonge Street.

While the area around it bounced back more rapidly after pandemic lockdowns than other parts of downtown, according to data analyzed by University of 海角社区官网students, the same has not been true for events or sponsorships in the square. Foot traffic is still below 2019 levels, according to the local BIA.

Then there are the high operating costs, mounting security issues, unaffordable event fees, competition with other prime event locations and a growing residential population that abhors loud noise.

Currently, the square is projecting a $600,000 loss by year end and is being subsidized by the city. While it was assumed at its inception that the square could survive on event fees and permits alone, that has never been the case 鈥� instead the bulk of the revenue comes from advertising billboards and tour bus companies paying to use the area for pickups, according to the board.

The square once hosted free concerts (Nickelback, The Tragically Hip, John Mayer and The National have all played Yonge-Dundas Square 鈥� Beyonc茅 even performed at the Best Buy grand opening in 2006), movie nights and yoga. This was in part made possible by advertisers or major sponsorships, the last of which ended in 2021. (Attempts at obtaining a new major sponsor have failed, with 鈥渙ne or two brands鈥� who showed interest nixed because they don鈥檛 fit with the city鈥檚 values, according to the board.)

Right now, according to the most recent board meeting, it costs $6,000 a day to run the square with only $1,645 a day in revenue coming in. That comes out to about $2 million a year in expenses, about half spent on security and maintenance. The events in 2022 added almost $1 million in costs.

The board is considering new ideas, from revenue-sharing agreements with fall and Christmas markets to busker permits to increasing commercial ad space.

Square wrestling with public space for all

But it worries that the 鈥渁ttractiveness鈥� problems of the area are putting off corporate events, which could easily choose a different location near the waterfront. The security reports on the square are kept confidential by the board, but concerns about staff safety and increase in assaults and property crime in the area 鈥� part of a downtown-wide issue 鈥� have sparked a proposal for a full security assessment.

After two decades the square is still wrestling with the role of a public space for all 鈥� not just the 鈥渄esirable.鈥� The location of a safe drug consumption site near one corner of the square has been one source of tension, though that space has since been sold to 海角社区官网Metropolitan University.

Having something like a 鈥溾�� or 鈥溾�� to support unhoused people, similar to projects in New York鈥檚 Times Square and in Portland, that offer free Wi-Fi, washrooms, basic items and even laundry facilities, is one suggestion. That all costs money, though.

And as the city enters next year鈥檚 tense budget cycle, the square is looking less like a jewel and more like a weight regardless of who is in charge.

鈥淭here is still an operating cost to having the square unless you want to pave it over and plant some trees,鈥� said board chair Mike Fenton wryly in the meeting. (Both Fenton and the square鈥檚 manager Julian Sleath declined interviews for this story.)

Square鈥檚 empty space seen as uninviting

Right now, the square is often seen as a place to walk by rather than a place to stop and linger.

That could be a feature of the design, said Cara Chellew, a PhD student in urban planning at McGill, focusing on public spaces, and the lead organizer with the volunteer group 海角社区官网Public Space Committee.

She points out the lack of year-round comfortable seating space and shade, and the fencing off of the stage area.

鈥淚t creates this really empty space that feels like the main purpose is for consumption and to advertise the surrounding stores rather than being like a town square,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not designed for human comfort.鈥�

She has some suggestions for ways to change that beyond adding comfortable tables and chairs 鈥� with backs. A no-brainer is a public washroom, she said.

By worrying about whether it could attract vandalism or the 鈥渨rong type of crowd,鈥� she said, the space becomes hostile to everyone.

She also supports public art installations, music, dancing, night markets and other ways to draw people into the space. 鈥淎 square brings people together鈥o celebrate, to mourn, to protest,鈥� she said.

Public space a way to connect with others

When the 海角社区官网Raptors won the NBA championship the square went from deserted to packed full of cheering crowds in a matter of minutes.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a way to connect with strangers, connect with that fellow sense of humanity,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat way we can start to bridge some of our divides.鈥�

And while providing arts and cultural events for free can seem frivolous in a time of budget crunches, she argues it is one way of lessening the burden of the affordability crisis on the most affected.

鈥淲e can use our collective power to create really amazing amenities and public spaces everyone can access,鈥� she said.

There is a dearth of public space in the downtown core, and as the waterfront develops more activity has moved away, said Karen Chapple, director of the School of Cities at the University of Toronto, who is researching downtown recoveries around the world. A solution that has helped Times Square is pedestrianizing the surrounding area, she said.

The city doesn鈥檛 plan to go that far. It is moving into the consulting phase in its plan to reduce that stretch of Yonge Street to two lanes and expand sidewalks and bike lanes, as well as 鈥渁ctivity鈥� sections for cafe-style seating. Construction is not expected to start for two years.

Chapple would like to see the area pivot away from big-box store 鈥渟treet-killers鈥� to small business store fronts that are pedestrian-friendly. But more than that, she suggests the vision for the square be focused on making it a gathering place and then seeing what fits around it.

Nearby residents see room for improvement

Vernadette Saguil and Ernesto Salas live in the area. Often they can鈥檛 find seating in the square, but on this day they鈥檝e found a cool spot under a tree with their dogs, Julius and Marcus.

Saguil wishes there was a more 鈥淓uropean-style鈥� vibe to the space with more to see and do, especially given the number of people that live in the area. (The square was actually billed to the city and public as a 鈥淓uropean-style鈥� square at the time of its launch.)

Salas suggests more greenery, and even a green roof above the shelter that runs along the north side of the square.

For Urdoh, a retired journalist, the grittier side of the square is part of the heart of Toronto, and forces into the open problems we鈥檇 rather not face.

Yonge-Dundas Square 鈥渋s a place of contrasts, representing the joy and the suffering of the city,鈥� he said.

He believes it is possible to mend the city鈥檚 broken heart.