York Quay Revitalization

James Lima assisted Waterfront Toronto and Toronto’s leading arts organization, Harbourfront Centre, in developing a concept for the revitalization of Toronto’s most central downtown waterfront district, at York Quay. The assignment was to identify funding strategies to transform a large surface parking lot fronting Lake Ontario into a public park, construct an underground parking garage, and protect parking revenue streams that support local cultural arts programming run by Harbourfront Centre. The consultant team, led by the design firm West 8, conceived of a destination that would first and foremost appeal to area residents and workers, and also to the 12.5 million visitors to Harbourfront Centre events at the site. In 2013, two new public spaces opened on the site—Canada Square, a lakefront civic space, that welcomes pedestrians and orients them toward sweeping water and skyline views and Ontario Square, located on the upland third of the site, an informal multi-use public plaza atop the underground 300-stall York Quay garage. A third section of the site was developed into a low-rise cultural arts cluster of artisanal shops, cafés, artist studios, and offices. The revitalization of York Quay demonstrated an innovative approach to infrastructure and public realm design, introduced arts to the park experience, created higher real estate values, and generated a sustained funding stream that strengthed activities of the adjacent cultural hub.