WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENT INTERFACES

Abstract

The Metropolitan Toronto region is characterized by many natural features including the Lake Ontario shoreline. In Toronto, the waterfront is more than just a significant natural feature; it is the place where urban Toronto began. Toronto is where it is and what it is because of its waterfront.In 1965 the Metropolitan Toronto Planning Board commissioned a study to prepare a Waterfront Plan for the Metropolitan Toronto planning region. This plan, 3 years in preparation, was presented in late 1967 and provided the basis for most waterfront development which has gone on since. It was a document with vision which projected a return to the lake, back to the vast park and recreational opportunities which lay at the doorstep of a bustling and expanding metropolitan region.In 1970, the Metropolitan Toronto and Region Conservation Authority was designated as the implementing agency for the Waterfront Plan for all sectors in which it had jurisdiction except the central harbour area.Since 1970, forty-four million dollars have been spent; much in acquiring remaining undeveloped waterfront lands, and the balance in developing a land base through landfill. Four major waterfront recreation areas have been opened, one in each sector, and shoreline erosion control projects have been carried out. Much remains however, to be done in establishing facilities on the land based acquired over the last 10 years. The future will place greater demands on the waterfront and its water related opportunities. The cost of travel will encourage park users to visit facilities closer to home, and the increasing priority being given to waterfront access by waterfront municipalities make continued, orderly development of the waterfront a necessity.