It is time to shift the focus. The debate about the waterfront and its connection to the city has most often centered on the most obvious barrier: the elevated structure of the Gardiner Expressway itself. We widen that focus to include the rail corridor and - most importantly - confront the north-south connections between the lakefront and the urban hinterland as a matter of priority.
This proposal takes two of Toronto's most under-considered elements - the northsouth streetscape routes and the rail berm - as the starting points for developing a series of civic gateway linkages. By concentrating upon the spatial quality and character of the north-south routes we are able to fulfill the need and desire for a fully connected urban fabric to the water's edge.
With the framework of a 'replace' option, this strategy unfolds a spectacular urban extension of the central district towards the east that is born from these connections - a series of legible north-south figures within the urban fabric. The grain of this new urban tissue will be dense and diverse, but of a smaller scale, in sharp contrast to the verticality of the skyline.
The result is the unlocking of new territories and potential to the east. Here, a new format for urban living in contact with water can be produced that is rivalled perhaps only by the Toronto Island community. At the mouth of the Don, a canal district that is fully connected by transit to the core, binds together formerly fragmented neighbourhoods from the West, East, Lower Don and Portlands to the Lakefront.
(From competitor's text)
The design teams were given a detailed briefing which included information on existing conditions and concurrent studies before they began work. Half way through their assignment, design teams presented their work to technical and stakeholder committees for feedback.
Two design teams were assigned to three of following four options to be studied in the Environmental Assessment known as Alternative Solutions.
West 8 + DTAH / Cecil Balmond AGU were assign to "Replace" with a new above or below grade expressway.
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