It’s tough to argue with 80 acres of pristine parkland suspended above the congested downtown core, especially when it would visually transform the look of the crumbling Gardiner Expressway, while sheltering it from the rain, snow and salt that’s slowly eating away at its steel core.
The problem for Les Klein — the critically acclaimed Toronto architect behind the Green Ribbon proposal — is that nobody is arguing either for or against it at city hall as the debate over the future of the waterfront-adjacent roadway rages on.
Klein’s Green Ribbon concept would see a freestanding green roof built over the seven-kilometre elevated portion of the Gardiner.
The roof would shelter drivers from weather and glaring sun while providing a literal green ribbon of parkland across the south of the city.
His budget estimate of $600 to $800 million, he claims, is firmly in step with alternatives being presented by Waterfront Toronto and city staff. An official recommendation on the future of the Gardiner is expected at the March public works and infrastructure committee meeting.
“I’m tired of the debate being framed as either keep it up or tear it down. The most green step we can take is to reuse or recycle rather than throw away,” says Klein.
His firm, Quadrangle Architects, has an impressive track record of refurbishing derelict buildings that includes the Citytv building and the Toy Factory and Candy Factory lofts on Queen Street West, as well as the BMW showroom at the foot of the Don Valley Parkway.
An environmental assessment being studied at city hall suggests that tearing down the Gardiner in favour of a wide, ground-level boulevard with a central median would be most beneficial to the public.
“That would create a massive barrier between the city and the lake. We already have an example of Waterfront Toronto having torn down the eastern-most portion of the Gardiner from the Don Valley to Leslie Street,” Klein explains.
“I dare say that is not a bustling pedestrian-oriented boulevard, but rather a wasteland. It has been for over 10 years.”
