Toronto’s Waterfront Undergoing Massive Revitalization

If you have not been down to the Toronto waterfront recently, you are missing the boat on the largest urban renewal project this city has ever seen.

Toronto’s waterfront has figured prominently in the city’s history, back to the days of the Town of York (the forerunner to the City of Toronto), which was established along the north shores of Lake Ontario in 1797.

In the 1800s the waterfront was a busy port lined with warehouses and industry. The railway dominated most of the prime real estate near the waterfront, in order to transport goods inland from the bustling port. But that meant that while industry flourished along the waterfront, Toronto’s residents were essentially cut off from their city’s greatest asset.

In 2001, a new direction for the area was ushered in when the federal, provincial and municipal governments unanimously agreed that the waterfront – what should be the crown jewel in Canada’s largest city - must be revitalized and returned to the people. Toronto’s waterfront revitalization is being touted as one of the largest urban renewal projects in the world. It is expected to take 25 years to complete and investment of $27 billion from both the public and private sectors.

The goal is to make Toronto’s “blue edge” a people-first place that will feature beautiful new parks, public spaces and neighbourhoods. These will all be built and designed within the context of a new green, and more sustainable, environment where Torontonians can live, work and play.

This massive makeover of Toronto’s waterfront is already well underway. A major highlight so far has been the addition of the Spadina and Simcoe WaveDecks. These are part of a series of public gateways designed to reconnect Toronto residents with their waterfront. Water’s-edge promenades at both John and York quays have also been completed. There will soon be a new waterfront park called Sugar Beach located at the foot of Jarvis Street, and improvements have been made to the recreation Martin Goodman Trail along the waterfront.

Toronto’s waterfront revitalization is the largest urban redevelopment project in North America and one of the largest initiatives in the world. This is where Toronto began as a city more than 200 years ago; it has now come full circle, once again embracing the waterfront as it embarks on a new era of innovative and dynamic growth. Now more than ever the place to be is down at Toronto’s waterfront.