Photos: Jane's Walk Weekend, Day Two

The story behind this garbage truck mural at Christie Pits Park in Toronto, Ontario was part of the "Dark Age Ahead" Jane's Walk on 2-May-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - This week's update to my photo site features the second day of Jane's Walk weekend, Sunday, 2 May 2010. Walks I participated in were the "Skyscrapers of the Financial District" with Kristine Williamson, "The Laneways of Runnymede" with Madeleine McDowell, and "Dark Age Ahead--The Wizard of Ossington" with HiMY SYeD.

Culture: Crombie on Walking

Member of Provincial Parliament Cheri DiNovo presented a certificate to Swansea Historical Society President Norm McLeod for the 25th anniversary of the organization on 5-May-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - The Swansea Historical Society reached a remarkable milestone this week--25 years of existence. The packed room at Swansea Town Hall included about a dozen people who had been with the organization from the very start, including President Norm McLeod. The event drew media figures, politicians, and other notables--Member of Provincial Parliament Cheri DiNovo even presented McLeod with recognition from the province.

The choice for speaker on this historic night was pretty obvious. David Crombie had grown up in what had been an independent village of Swansea (it was not annexed to Toronto until 1967) and went on, amongst other things, to be mayor of Toronto from 1972 to 1978, leading some in Swansea to say that "We took over Toronto; they didn't take over us." Crombie remains immensely popular in his home neighbourhood, and was well-received despite a double-booking that led to his late arrival to anniversary meeting.

Though often described as a "red Tory," Crombie was a Progressive Conservative when in Federal politics, so it seems a bit surprising to hear him say things that could have come out of the mouth of present mayor David Miller, who is closely linked with the New Democratic Party (NDP). Crombie pointed out that the things that define the neighbourhood--parks, trails, roads, and buildings like Swansea City Hall--are all public infrastructure, and that we should not lose sight of the government's role in enabling the building of communities that hold everyone together.


David Crombie spoke to the Swansea Historical Society during its 25th anniversary meeting on 5-May-2010

The bulk of Crombie's speech, though, focused on walking. He described how his uncle used to walk a significant distance to work each day (it would take me well over an hour to walk the route), and how the culture of Swansea was walking, since east-west public transit lines ran only at the far south end and north of Swansea proper. It was this background that made the ideas of Jane Jacobs--which Crombie had substantially embraced as mayor--so compatible with Crombie's world view.

Today, Crombie continues to structure his life around walking everywhere he can, taking transit for trips that are too long. When he needs to clear his mind, he will return to Swansea and walk through High Park and Rennie Park. He embraces the legacy of Jane Jacobs by leading a Jane's Walk through Swansea each year. He strongly encouraged everyone in attendance to walk at least two kilometers a day to help maintain their health.

Is it any wonder why I feel so comfortable in Toronto and Swansea? David Crombie made it all very clear with his speech emphasizing the past and present of walking in the neighbourhood of his youth and his city of today.

Transport: Pedestrian Infrastructure

Dylan Reid of Spacing Magazine pointed out the grooves designed to help the sight impaired find the crosswalks at King and Bathurst in Toronto, Ontario on 1-May-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - Arguably, there are some Jane's walks that should almost be mandatory introductions before taking any of the other walks. One is to go through the neighbourhood where Jane Jacobs chose to settle in Toronto, the Annex, including her home and a running commentary comparing her writings to features of the neighbourhood. The next is to walk the proposed route of the Spadina Expressway, which Jacobs famously led the effort to stop. This year, I think a third walk qualifies as a needed introduction--the King West pedestrian infrastructure walk led by Dylan Reid.


A rare functional and complete example of the infamous privately-owned garbage bins was found on King Street West in Toronto, Ontario on 1-May-2010

Reid, a senior editor at Spacing magazine, has served as co-chair of the Toronto Pedestrian Committee and thus has gained quite a bit of insight into how the city addresses pedestrians. Some on the walk were highly critical of the city, pointing out that only pedestrians have to put up with privatized infrastructure, citing the often non-functional garbage receptacles and poorly designed transit shelters that are supplied by a private contractor that gets to put advertising on them. Yet, in some ways, that is the least of the issues pedestrians face in the city.


An example of a nice 2.1 metre-wide "clearway" was found on King Street West in Toronto, Ontario on 1-May-2010

One of the plethora of tidbits that came up over the course of the walk was that pedestrian spaces are supposed to be at least 2.1 metres wide. However, there are many examples of shelters, restaurant patios, planters, and other obstacles that cause the sidewalk to be much narrower. Furthermore, at locations such as jogs in streets and at the edge of parks, the city has generally done a poor job of designing "desire paths," or the shortest routes to where pedestrians will want to go, leading to unofficial routes across grass or private property, leading to not just livability concerns but safety concerns.


A "desire path" was noted for pedestrians to walk across the grass at Clarence Square Park directly to a crosswalk on 1-May-2010

One of the liveliest conversations of the walk came up in discussing crosswalk signals. It turns out that though Toronto has installed countdown timers across the city, the laws have not been updated. A pedestrian has the right-of-way in a crosswalk if they entered it when the "walk" signal was still lit, regardless of how long they take to cross. But, if they enter during the flashing stop, they could receive a ticket, even if they clear the intersection before the countdown expires. Provincial law would need to be updated to change that. Furthermore, the default pedestrian activation system used by Toronto (called "PS2MVG" for "Pedestrian Signal 2 - Minimum Vehicle Green") will automatically do a countdown regardless of whether an opposing path is desired--and if no vehicle or pedestrian requests an opposing move, it will return to the default pattern and turn green again after the countdown. This practice is incredibly annoying for pedestrians, who stop at the flashing stop only to receive a green and be able to continue--cars face no such needless delays.


Dylan Reid closed the King West pedestrian infrastructure walk at Clarence Square in Toronto, Ontario on 1-May-2010

Jane Jacobs emphasized walkability as a key to creating a livable city. The King West Pedestrian Infrastructure Jane's Walk was a great way to learn more about how a city becomes friendly to pedestrians, and to how well her chosen city is doing in that process.

Margin Notes: Jane's Walk Moments

A black cat sat on a porch on Roxton Road in Toronto, Ontario, not long after the Jane's Walk passed the Il Gatto Nero restaurant on 1-May-2009

TORONTO, ONTARIO - There are always moments on a Jane's Walk that just don't seem like they should have happened. A mild example came on my first Jane's Walk on Saturday. After the Garrison Creek walk passed the the Il Gatto Nero restaurant in Little Italy at College and Crawford (which, for the record, is about the only restaurant in Little Italy that didn't impress me when I sampled it while living in the neighbourhood), we soon passed a house with a gatto nero (black cat) sitting on a porch.

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I didn't draw my camera in time for a surreal moment during the pedestrian walk on Saturday led by Dylan Reid. As the group was gathered along King Street West listening to a discussion of street furniture, a Hummer--I kid you not--pulled up alongside, waiting for traffic to clear. The woman in the passenger seat had her window rolled down, and immediately reached over to turn off the car radio in order to hear what was being stated, then seemed very disappointed after the light turned and the Hummer had to move on.

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The Grange Park Jane's Walk gained entry into the courtyard of the Phoebe Street Apartments on 1-May-2010

The Grange Park Jane's Walk was not planned to go beyond the borders of the park originally, but thanks to popular demand, Max Allen led us through the neighbourhood, and thanks to quick, impromptu negotiation by a local following the walk, we gained entry to the gated courtyard at the center of the Phoebe Street Apartments--appropriate, considering that under the original agreement with the city, this was supposed to be a public space anyway.

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A street hockey game was stopping to clear the laneway for the passage of the Lanes of Runnymede Jane's Walk on 2-May-2010

My favorite moment of the whole weekend came during the Lanes of Runnymede walk. Leader Madeleine McDowell had warned us that the walk would be like street hockey--when someone yelled "car!" it was time to clear the road. So, what do we encounter on one of the first laneways but an actual game of street hockey. As if we were a car, the young players removed the net from the laneway. I happened to be near the head of the group at the time, so I thanked the child that had held the net to the side and he asked me, "What is this, anyway?" It probably was the most people to wander down that laneway at one time in its history.

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A man worked on his very Greek house on Shaw Street in Toronto, Ontario as a Jane's Walk stopped to discuss the scene on 2-May-2010

Probably the best moments are the chance meetings with people in their own communities as the walk goes by. In my final Jane's Walk, we happened upon the owner of the above house working on his ornate Greek decorations. Why does he do it? "Why not?"

Photos: Jane's Walk Weekend, Day One

Ward 19 city council candidate Karen Sun led a Jane's Walk near Stanley Park in Toronto, Ontario on 1-May-2009

TORONTO, ONTARIO - This week's update to my photo site begins coverage of Jane's Walk weekend. The walking season opens each year with Jane's Walk weekend, with 120 walks across the Toronto, Ontario area. I only managed to make six; on Saturday, 1-May-2010, these were Garrison Creek led by Karen Sun, pedestrian infrastructure led by Dylan Reid, and the Grange Park neighbourhood led by Max Allen.

Margin Notes: Walks, Buses, Robin Hood

Madeleine McDowell (with library bag) led a nearly 100-person group on her Jane's Walk through the "Laneways of Runnymede" in Toronto, Ontario on 2-May-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - After six Jane's Walks and at least thirty kilometers by foot, I've pretty much expended all the energy I have for this weekend. Interestingly, the first walk I went on Saturday morning began at Christie Pits Park and the last walk I went on Sunday evening ended at Christie Pits Park, lending some symmetry to the experience.

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There were a lot of references to divine interventions by Jane Jacobs over the course of the weekend. One has to wonder if she had anything to do with the fact that the first time I took transit this weekend, avoiding a trek downtown to attend a "Skyscrapers of the Financial District" walk, the subway was shut down. Decide not to walk somewhere, and see what happens. With clever detouring, I was only five minutes late to the walk.

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I never did ride a bus all weekend, but I discovered that I had not been paying much attention to the bus fan web sites. I was surprised to see diesel Orion VII "Next Generation" buses, numbered in the 8100-series, running on the 29 Dufferin route. The 2010 order for 120 low-emissions diesel buses is well underway.

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Spring colors were still readily visible at High Park in Toronto, Ontario on 29-April-2010

I didn't walk through High Park during the weekend, but I was there earlier in the week to find the Japanese Cherry Blossoms gone, but still plenty of spring colors to observe as seen above.

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One might find Robin Hood not out of place in High Park, but instead I found people dressed as Robin Hood in Union Station. They were there to support a tax on banks known as the Robin Hood Tax. The group behind it, called At The Table 2010, has a surprisingly wide set of progressive groups behind it, likely explaining how they could afford to be lobbying in Union Station.

Politics: One of Jane's Legacies

Max Allen spoke during a Jane's Walk at Grange Park in Toronto, Ontario on 1-May-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - This weekend, all over the world, people are remembering the legacy of urbanist Jane Jacobs by participating in Jane's Walks. Toronto, Jacobs' chosen home and the origin of the Jane's Walk just three years ago, will have 120 mostly neighbourhood-based walks to partake in this weekend. I managed to participate in only three today.

One of the delightful things about Jane's Walks is that one never knows what one will learn. From a possible renaming of Harbord Park to what kind of pedestrian signal activation is preferred by the city of Toronto (PS2MVG--I'll get around to explaining that in some future post) to the fact that Grange Park is actually owned by the Art Gallery of Ontario, there were a multitude of interesting facts that I would not have otherwise learned had I not gone on these walks today.

The most unexpected revelation came during the "360 Degrees: Grange Park as a Time Machine" walk in the evening with local resident association chairman Max Allen. In the course of explaining how the Ontario College of Art and Design's famous stilted building, he launched into an explanation of how development is normally accomplished in Toronto, and then went into a sidebar on how Toronto Ward 20 Councillor Adam Vaughan has tried to change it.

I had heard about the standard process plenty of times before, which could be summarized as back-room dealing between the local councillor and the developer usually leading to the local residents going before the Ontario Municipal Board in an attempt to stop the project. I hadn't heard that Vaughn decided that was all backward, and tried to change it. Rather than cutting a deal with the developer himself, he forces a community meeting and public buy-in before he will endorse the project. What usually happens is that the residents don't outright reject the proposal, but tell the developer to go back and do it better, and then they go and do it. The improved design is not only accepted by neighbours, but tends to be more attractive and thus sells better for the developer. Why don't developers do this by default? In the opinion of Allen, it's because they were never asked to before. When they are so challenged, architects usually love the chance to do something interesting.

Jane Jacobs fought to establish livable communities. If Max Allen is correct, Adam Vaughan has stumbled on one way to help make that happen, and it is as simple as deviating from the normal development process to get public input earlier.

Jane's Walks continue tomorrow, in cities all over the world; see the official website to find out if there are any where you are located.