Permanent Streetscape Improvements along King Street

With the King Street streetcar corridor being made a permanent feature of our city and neighbourhood, we have failed to make any meaningful, permanent upgrades to the public realm to reflect the new usage of King Street. At various points along King Street between Yonge and Parliament there have been installations to try and improve the public realm, but they their uses are confusing and hence they provide little to improve the pedestrian experience, and they lack the substance to signal the appropriation of public realm for pedestrians on a permanent basis.

I would suggest a plan to make permanent upgrades to the public realm, including widening sidewalks (or making improved raised deck pathways along the sidewalk if reconfiguring the sidewalks is too costly), permanent landscape features and other improvements that would enhance the pedestrian experience along the entirety of this corridor. If possible given the constraints of the participatory budgeting process, the project could be undertaken in a phased manner, with appropriations from this process being used to fund the planning and execution of this work over time.

I would suggest proceeding under one of the two processes:

1. Individual block personalities. Use the funds from this year's participatory budgeting process to sponsor a design competition for a single block section of King Street (possibly single side (north or south) depending on estimated cost), and pay for the work required to complete the improvements based on a plan that receives the best public feedback. Proceeding in this manner will allow each block to express a unique character and personality, and may see the project proceed more quickly. Opponents of this approach might suggest that it could lead to a disconnected visual aesthetic across blocks. This might fit better with possible constraints of the participatory budgeting process, as a single phase could be designed and built with one year's funding. If the effort were successful, community members would presumably support spending future years' budget to continue the project in other blocks.
2. Consistent corridor personality. Alternatively, a solicitation for proposals covering the entire span of King between Yonge and Parliament could be solicited, with a view that the work would be completed incrementally over time. For example, this year's budget could be used to run the design competition and pay some of the design fees, and if funding permitted, commence construction of some limited area. Future participatory budgeting amounts could be used to pay the cost of implementation on a block-by-block basis as funding permits. This could allow for a more homogenous and congruent personality across King Street thru the neighborhood, although might lack opportunities to engage a broader array of voices in the design and execution process.

I would suggest that the area to be improved first be the north side of King Street along the south edge of St. James Park. In this area some temporary artistic and landscaping improvements were made, however, they are underutilized, unappealing, and appear like temporary installations. Plastic planters are scattered on the street with no care. The artistic installations generate little engagement and merely take up space. Decking with plastic Muskoka chairs looks cheap and not executed with intention. Taken all together, it looks like we're afraid to make real investments because we might want to return cars as the primary occupant to King Street in a year or two.

With an ongoing commitment of funds, attention to our budget, and careful planning and consideration of the design of this corridor, the King Street streetcar corridor could end up being one of the defining features of our neighbourhood, with a public realm that inspires and engages the community for decades to come.