y W Cricket Club K Hogg's Hollow R A Parkwoods P Denlow Y p. 13 E L Ledbury Park L Teddington Park A V Bedford Park Don Mills N O Yonge Lawrence Village O'Connor Hills D Wanless Park Bridle Path WexfoWr Caribou Park Y Lawrence Park A W K R Lytton Park A P Sherwood Park Victoria Village Y Uptown Yonge E Wynford-ConcordeL L A V Allenby North Toronto N O Eglinton Way, The D The map sample Leaside Mount Pleasant Flemingdon Park displays a Chaplin Estates Davisville Village hierarchical ordering of the city’s Forest Hill areas, corridors, neighbourhoods, Thorncliffe Park main streets and places of interest. Topham Park Forest Hill Village This ordering ParkviewPa kv ew HillsHilllslss Heathbridge Park includes less Clairlea Deer Park formalized names, Bennington Heights such as those used Moore Park Y by BIAs and other Rosehill A Governor's Bridge W K groups. A BIA name R A Woodbine Gardenscould, for instance, Loma South Hill P represent both a Summerhill Y main street and the E Rathnelly L neighbourhood. Rosedale L Pape Village East York n Village Main A Street Annex-Dupont V A consolidated Rosedale GIS map base Oakrid N Crescent Town O will become an D important study Annex, The Yorkville Playter Estates asset and the data BloBlooBloor-oro Crossroads Of T YorkvYkYorkvilleorkvorkviilleillill Danforthwill Village form the basis of Danforth, The Danforth Mosaic oorr Annex AnneA ne BloorBlooB orr StreetStreeStrStrer ett a citywide Toronto Greektown On The Danforth Danforth, The HuroHHuronoonn map in Phase Two SSusSussexsex UpperUpper StSSt.t JJames Y of the project. Jarvis Town A Pocket, The Church- arbord Street W Wellesley Cabbagetown K Riverdale rd Village University Village R Hunt C of Toronto Queen’s Park A Upper Beach Church-Wellesely Cabbagetown P Village Cabbagetown Y E Gerrard India Bazaar L sington L ngton Market Cabbagetown A Discovery Ryerson South V Fallingbrook District Chinatown Downtown Garden Regent Park Yonge Beach, The District N Grange Leslieville xandra Park O Riverside-South Riverdale Park Trefann Court D Beach, The Moss Park Riverside Historic Queen Street East Queen Street West Corktown ashion St James Old Town istrict Financial District West Don Lands llington St. Lawrence St. Lawrence SCADDINCADDING AVE Place Distillery Toronto Market District Entertainment Neighbourhood District Union Station Cityplace East Bayfront D I N E R X Y E Waterfront,Harbourfront The ay Ward's Island Algonquin Island Toronto 360° Wayfinding Strategy p. 14 understanding 1.3 Case study areas Five case study areas were selected for detailed observation and urban analysis. The areas exhibit many of the city’s typical characteristics that define the quality of legibility and movement. The case studies identified a diverse range of Toronto’s wayfinding challenges and opportunities. The data collected was used to support development and testing of the wayfinding strategy. The areas demonstrated many typical characteristics of the A east downtown B downtown centre city—including barriers, edges, connections, and destinations— The Esplanade has a dual role, Pedestrian activity is generated to highlight the legibility and both as a leisure walk and as by employees, business visitors, walkability of the public realm. a key pedestrian and cycle service people and other office- link from St Lawrence Market related activities—particularly The areas also had to be to the Distillery District. around the Financial District. significant for tourists, transit users, and residents, and Internal and external Commuters from Union Station to include a concentration areas around St Lawrence combine with passengers from of amenities, destinations Market create pleasant other transit modes in central and activities. spaces that invite people downtown resulting in the to wander and shop. city’s greatest concentration Areas were all of a walkable of transit-related activity. scale (approx 1.5 km radius). High levels of activity to/ Locations are shown below. from on-street and municipal Retail and leisure activities parking was observed around generate consistently high the Distillery District area. levels of pedestrian movements perceived barriers on Yonge Street, Dundas Square 404 and the main shopping centres. 400 E 401 Gardiner Expressway, Lakeshore DON VALLEY PARKWAY E 427 Drive and railroad underpasses perceived barriers C A GARDINER EXPY D B as barriers to the Waterfront. Lack of active frontages in Construction sites and the financial centre, with A uninviting sidewalks around activities and convenience retail C happening below grade (PATH). B development sites. Connection to waterfront: D intimidating underpasses and sidewalks. Wayfinding System Strategy (Phase One) for the City of Toronto understanding p. 15 It was intended that one or more of these areas would become Pilot Area(s) for Phase Two of this project. See pages 42-43 for more detail on the selected interim Pilot Areas (East Downtown and Morningside). C queen/spadina D liberty village E morningside/military trail Retail activity dominates Pedestrian activity around Pedestrian activity around in Queen Street with a Exhibition Place is limited the residential area is mainly concentration of active to special events and sports practical trips to/from main frontages and high number venues—otherwise activity streets, bus stops, and local of pedestrians. Strong is almost exclusively car destinations such as schools. pedestrian activity was also dominated. The area is a Students generate much of observed in Chinatown. destination, not a link, so it feels the walking activity to/from/ The Kensington Market and abandoned when not in use. around the campus. This Chinatown areas encourage Commuting activity was includes movements from local leisurely strolling around observed to/from GO parking lots and bus stops. the sometimes narrow Exhibition Stop and from Leisure walking and dog walking sidewalks and stalls. the Liberty Village area. were observed in residential The area has many individual The area has continuous, if areas and local parks. theatres and cultural institutions not intense, pedestrian traffic perceived barriers that act as destinations generated by local retail. Non-existent sidewalks. generating one-off or infrequent (weekday observation) Long walking distances. trips from visitors and residents. perceived barriers perceived barriers The railroad separates Liberty Negotiating residential areas Village from West Queen West. (mostly for visitors). Long walk distances On-street obstacles related to between areas of interest. retail/street market activities. Toronto 360° Wayfinding Strategy where am i ? where am i ? where is ______? how do i get there? understanding p. 17 1.4 Wayfinding opportunities The nature of the city’s street layout, together with the many urban and natural characteristics that are particular to Toronto, provide a generous resource to explore and incorporate in a formal wayfinding system. orientation statement buildings The CN Tower and downtown highrises Toronto has many civic and cultural provide intuitive wayfinding reference buildings with bold architectural features points from much of central Toronto. that make them recognizable city- Definition of the city’s southern edge by Lake wide and as local reference points. Ontario along with unobstructed views to the Recognizable landmarks are an important asset downtown combine to aid pedestrian orientation for the construction of a wayfinding strategy and and understanding of walk distances. help users to build their mental map of the city. The outer highrises pin-point more remote street names / corridors areas for walkers with greater local knowledge— Many streets in Toronto, not only Yonge “the particularly along the Yonge corridor longest street in the world”, run for miles comprising Deer Park/St Clair, Eglinton Ave/ in the same general direction and—more Uptown Yonge, North York/Willowdale. importantly— retain the same names. On- The highrises and flat/clear views offset street, roads are generally well labelled and Toronto’s lack of distinctive natural form links for short pedestrian trips as well features such as numerous hills. as longer car/transit/streetcar journeys. clear boundaries neighbourhoods / bias The Lake Ontario shore limits the city’s southern Neighbourhood and BIA names and logos are edge and defines its layout. Toronto’s street grid incorporated across street name plates, signs acknowledges this feature and is laid-out mostly and banners, as well as less obvious street parallel and perpendicular to it resulting in a furniture such as litter bins and newspaper street grid that is almost exactly aligned N.S.E.W. dispensers, making it relatively easy to know the Elevated highways—such Gardiner Expressway names of places when walking in central Toronto. and Macdonald-Cartier Freeway (401)— The cultural heritage of neighbourhoods are clearly visible and act as distinctive and formal BIA initiatives have also shaped landmarks aiding mental mapping. the urban landscape, making many places Natural features, such as the Humber and in Toronto instantly recognizable. Don valleys, run mostly north to south and Institutional districts are also well labelled and delimit central Toronto. Boundaries with contribute to a network of recognizable, named the wider GTA are less obvious. A downside areas. There would appear to be minimal conflict of these strong edges is that they can between historical, BIAs and “new” names. form perceptual barriers to movement. Toronto 360° Wayfinding Strategy p. 18 understanding 1.5 Streetscape