Illustration: Marlena Zuber

In the past century, Spadina Avenue has been an area of continuous change and constant remodelling, both commercially and demographically. From its origins as an industrial hub that manufactured such goods as tin and stationery, this area was transformed and popularized as the garment district by an influx of Jewish immigrants. Today the area is best known for the influential presence of Chinatown and Kensington Market while many of its former factories are now occupied by entertainment and design-based firms. Each community has left an indelible mark on Spadina Avenue giving it a richly interwoven, eclectic charm.

This cultural ambiance was threatened in the early 70’s when local politicians hoped to transform Spadina Avenue into the Spadina Expressway. Fortunately, grassroots efforts and the leadership of such community figures as urban theorist Jane Jacobs thwarted plans to remodel this neighbourhood into a megahighway.

Some striking efforts are now being made along the Spadina corridor to create spaces where office workers can escape their climate controlled environments. From green walls and vibrant rooftop gardens to pulsating prairie habitat, this tour will explore some of the places where thoughtful design and new technologies are used to actively carve out green space in the downtown core. Whether it is providing planting space for trees in parking lots or re-designing the tree pits on our city streets, it is possible to include nature in the urban planning process to benefit both city dwellers and passing wildlife.

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Tour stops

1. 1Shrouded in green
2. 2Green space for little sprouts
3. 3Crowning achievement
4. 4All roofs great and small
5. 5Tenacious T
6. 6Toronto’s hotspots
7. 7Thimble art
8. 8Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
9. 9The story of mulch
10. 10We get by with a little help
11. 11Spadina’s “Green Monster”
12. 12Build it and they will come

Contributors

Research: Emily Nixon, Erin MacKeen, Liz Forsberg, Susan Gulley

Writing: Liz Forsberg, Susan Gulley

Photography: Torie Gervais

Community Partners

urbanspace Property Group