The Gardiner
The Gardiner
Expressway was one of the first projects undertaken by the newly formed
government of Metro Toronto, built in segments from 1955 until 1964. It has
since acted as a major physical barrier between the city and its waterfront,
together with the Railway Lands, a wide rail corridor along the edge of lake
Ontario. Starting in the 1990s, with new large scale redevelopments being
approved by the city for the Railway Lands and the Harbourfront, several
proposals have been made to dismantle or replace the central elevated section.
Lack of municipal funds and political will have repeatedly stalled such plans.
This photographic exercise attempts to show how the structure of the expressway
and the city at a pedestrian level have become more and more intertwined over
time, suggesting new spatial and programmatic opportunities made possible by this
often very interesting “edge condition”.
The Gardiner
The Gardiner Expressway was one of the first projects undertaken by the newly formed government of Metro Toronto, built in segments from 1955 until 1964. It has since acted as a major physical barrier between the city and its waterfront, together with the Railway Lands, a wide rail corridor along the edge of lake Ontario. Starting in the 1990s, with new large scale redevelopments being approved by the city for the Railway Lands and the Harbourfront, several proposals have been made to dismantle or replace the central elevated section. Lack of municipal funds and political will have repeatedly stalled such plans. This photographic exercise attempts to show how the structure of the expressway and the city at a pedestrian level have become more and more intertwined over time, suggesting new spatial and programmatic opportunities made possible by this often very interesting “edge condition”.