TORONTO — The City of Toronto has announced the winners of the Everyone is King streetscape design competition for King Street.
The competition was initiated as part of the pilot transit project launched last November that restricted private traffic on King Street from Bathurst to Jarvis streets, a recent media statement explained. The pilot project runs through the end of 2018.
Some 30 activations will be installed along King Street between Bathurst and Jarvis streets as a way to attract pedestrians to the street. The rollout of the installations has begun and most will be completed by the end of May, weather permitting, said the statement.
“This is another sign that King Street is open for business and ready for summer,” said Mayor John Tory in the statement. “I encourage all Toronto residents and visitors to come down to King Street to see these public spaces, enjoy the patios and support local businesses.”
The first winning project to be installed was a parklet called Face to Face/Tete a Tete.
The installation was designed by PLANT Architect Inc. in collaboration with Oriole Landscaping Ltd. It is located on the north side of King Street East between Victoria and Toronto streets.
A parklet is an accessible seating area or green space placed adjacent to a sidewalk in the curb lane, the statement explained. Two parklets will be installed.
The second parklet, called King Street Causeway, was designed and built by IBI Group in collaboration with PCL Construction. PCL Toronto built the parklet modules in its Agile manufacturing facility. The parklet was to be installed in the west end of the King Street Transit Pilot area in the Entertainment District.
Besides the parklets, other installations will include:
- 10 temporary public space installations such as the Present Moment design, featuring multicoloured Muskoka-style chairs, and the Woggle Jungle, with hundreds of colourful foam noodles creating a unique sidewalk mini-park;
- 12 City initiatives such as bicycle parking corrals, trees and Muskoka chairs;
- up to 16 business-operated outdoor cafe spaces and public seating areas; and
- four student and recent graduate projects from a City of Toronto and Ryerson University Office of Social Innovation partnership called ShapeLab.
The curb lane public spaces between Bathurst and Jarvis streets are currently delineated by planters. Local businesses were offered the opportunity to claim the public spaces on the block adjacent to their business for their use. Spaces not claimed were included in the competition.
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