There are approximately 250 kilometres of untapped public space in Toronto and it’s all in the form of laneways, more than 2,400 to be exact.
So how can Toronto tap into this underused resource? Mark Garner, the executive director of the Yonge Downtown Business Improvement Area (BIA), believes it’s by transforming laneways into "programmable spaces."
"We have to start looking at these thoroughfares as public realm space and be treated like sidewalks and roads," he said in reference to using them as connections to different parts of the Yonge downtown area.
Garner added the laneways could be used as spaces to have a strip of cafes similar to what’s seen in Melbourne, Australia or as an entertainment space for bands during certain festivals. It’s a step toward transforming the current laneways from garage pickup locations and delivery spots into vibrant community destinations.
Garner, along with five other speakers – Dylan Reid, the co-founder of Spacing Magazine; Brandon Donnelly, a real estate developer from TAS Design Build; Philip Bliss, chief strategy officer and co-founder of Perceptible Inc.; Victoria Taylor, the founder and principal of Victoria Taylor Landscape Architect; and Jonas Spring owner of Ecoman, a residential landscaping and gardening business – presented their ideas for Toronto’s laneways at the first Toronto Laneways Summit, Engaging In-between Spaces, on Thursday, Nov. 20 at the Great Hall on Queen Street.
The summit was hosted by The Laneway Project, a Toronto-based non-profit organization.
"You would think with a topic so specific and niched as laneways that there isn’t a lot of people interested but in fact there’s a lot of people that are really passionate and care about it," said Mackenzie Keast, one of the partners of The Laneway Project.
During Donnelly’s presentation, which had a real estate angle, he showed how garages in laneways in residential areas could be, and have been in some cases, transformed into laneway housing.
"Laneway housing and laneway redevelopment is the only way we’re going to create new low rise housing in any sort of scale within the existing city boundaries," Donnelly said.
"We’ve completely neglected laneways. Most people don’t even know they can serve for more than just cars and garages. It’s a hidden layer that most people overlook in the city."
With less land available and more condominiums springing up across the city, Donnelly isn’t surprised some residents have turned to their own backyards for housing options.
From Bliss’s point of view laneways would be a great for a temporary art installation space for artists, while Taylor and Spring pitched to the public its laneway puncture infrastructure strategy. It involves creating greenspace by allowing the natural ecosystem that already exists to be a part of the design phase with the help of an incision made along the central drainage system channel of the laneway. This could create a new park or community garden, according to Taylor.
As these ideas bounced around the audience had a chance to ask questions and make suggestions. One comment, which Queen and Lansdowne resident George Emerson termed the ‘get real’ moment of the evening, was regarding keeping laneways as is. To the father of three it’s one of the few places kids can play in downtown when they become too big for playgrounds and parkettes.
"I raised three boys in Parkdale and they grew up in those laneways," Emerson said.
"Most of us grown-ups might ride or drive through them once or twice a day, but they are hours-long play spaces for children of Parkdale."
To which Reid responded that it’s crucial for communities to take ownership of the space and voice what they would like see done with it, while Garner emphasized the importance of community involvement to discuss the use for the space.
According to Keast, he was glad that point was brought up during the summit and called it a fair criticism.
"I can understand that if you’re in a sleepy residential neighbourhood and see these ideas and think that it’s going to come and destroy the character of the community," he said.
"That’s not what we’re all about. It’s about supporting the residents in the communities and other groups that want that change to happen, it’s not about imposing it on anyone."
Keast said he’s willing to work with those who wish to keep their laneways as is, as well, because they are users of the laneway too.
He said the next steps for The Laneway Project is to continue to work with various groups, BIAs and councillors to help them bring to fruition the laneways that communities envision.
"Our on-going goal is to support and transform laneways across the city," said Keast.