Saturday, April 19, 2014

AN ICONIC TRANSIT GATEWAY

In my opinion the Yonge-Eglinton crossroad deserves an “iconic” treatment, forming a significant transit “gateway”. Something which is iconic has “a form that suggests its meaning”. If Yonge-Eglinton Gateway can be emblematic of its importance all the better, because it is a significant crossroads both below and above ground, as well as at grade.

What we have today is a hodgepodge legacy of uninspired standalone buildings, fidgeted into an out of date rudimentary planning framework, which has resulted in Yonge-Eglinton's current awkward configuration and sense of place. [see Urban Branding, Marketecture]

Over the next decade all four corners of the Yonge-Eglinton crossroads will undergo a complete transformation encompassing an area the size of Nathan Phillip Square. The change-makers include: the new Eglinton LRT along with the overhaul of the existing Yonge-Eglinton Station, and then new developments alongside both sides of Eglinton and Yonge Street extending more than 200m.


Yonge-Eglinton will experience a doubling of population reliant upon public transit, requiring a high-volume-capable pedestrian dispersal system with pathways interlacing with the high density surroundings.

In ascribing to an iconic solution... I'm not intending anything less than pulling into focus a tailored – fit-to-purpose – legible solution for the Yonge-Eglinton crossroads.  

1 comment:

Patrick Smyth said...

Leaving the complex planning for the YE Intersection 'til the last seems risky. Seems also that inconvenience for all will be a residual consideration. It doesn't have to be done this way.