Toronto Central Waterfront / West 8 and DTAH

1)      Why did you choose this city?                                                                                                      Toronto is a very vibrant city and there are a lot of architectural innovations being made.                                                                                                                    

2)      What was the waterfront used from in the history?                                                                    The waterfront was once just open space next to Downtown Toronto, with a view of Lake Ontario. There wasn’t much of a use for the waterfront. 

3)      What caused the change at the waterfront?                                                                                    West 8 architectural firm wanted to bring about a connection between the city and the lake. The main priority was to make an accessible waterfront to the public.                                                         

4)      What are the new uses?                                                                                                                         The new uses of the waterfront are as follows:                                                                           Primary Waterfront – a continuous water’s edge promenade with a series of pedestrian bridges                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Secondary Waterfront – a recalibrated Queens Quay Boulevard with a new urban promenade and public spaces at the heads-of-slips                                                                Floating Waterfront – a series of floating elements that offer new boat moorings and public spaces in relation to the lake                                                                                                                                                                                                    Cultures of the City – connections from Toronto’s diverse neighborhoods towards the waterfront.                                                                                                               

5)      What are the transportation systems and the access to the waterfront?                                 The tram is highly accessible to the waterfront. People can drive there; and there are also bicycle lanes.                                                    

6)      Is there boat or water access?                                                                                                         There is no boat or water access

7)      How does the waterfront attract people?                                                                                           The waterfront is situated near the downtown business district of Toronto. This is a place where people can relax from the stress of everyday city life. Also, people can get a nice view of Lake Ontario as well as Downtown Toronto.

8)      What are the amenities?                                                                                                                    There are pedestrian bridges for people to walk on. Also people can ride their bikes on the bicycle lanes.

9)      What type of retail/commercial/residential are at the waterfront?                                           At the waterfront there are high-rise residential buildings . Since the Toronto Central Waterfront is located near the downtown business district, there are many high-rise office buildings.                                 

10)  What type of public spaces are there?                                                                                      Nearby public spaces include the Rogers Center for sports, and the CN Tower.

11)  Who uses these spaces?                                                                                                      Pedestrians use these spaces

12)  What is successful about this waterfront development?                                                        What is successful about the waterfront development is that it’s in at good location, near the downtown business district. This can attract many people.

13)  What is not successful about this waterfront?                                                                      N/A

"Toronto Central Waterfront / West 8 and DTAH." ArchDaily. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2014. <http://www.archdaily.com/111635/toronto-central-waterfront-west-8-and-dtah/>.