Author Archives: Jake Tobin Garrett
The Aesthetics of Juxtaposition
As the days begin to get warmer, I am looking forward to spending some time at Sugar Beach, one of the newer waterfront public spaces that is part of Waterfront Toronto’s ambitious revitalization of the Toronto’s shoreline. The beach owes … Read More
Posted in Aesthetics, Identity, New York, Toronto
Tagged Adaptive Reuse, Evergreen Brick Works, heritage, High Line, industrial, New York, Sugar Beach, Waterfront Toronto
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Planter Personalities
Walking around New York this past summer, I began to notice something as I moved from neighbourhood to neighbourhood. On each street, at regular intervals, street trees protruded from well-tended and uniquely-designed mini gardens. Each of these trees had their … Read More
Posted in Accessibility, Aesthetics, Identity, New York, Toronto
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The Importance of Being Movable
Maybe I’m lazy, but the first thing I do when I get to a park, plaza or other public space is look for a place to sit down. But it’s amazing how many public spaces get seating so wrong. It’s … Read More
Posted in Aesthetics, New York, Social Cohesion, Toronto, Vancouver
Tagged High Line, New York, public space, seating, street furniture, Sugar Beach, Toronto, Vancouver
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Experiencing the City through its Street Patterns
Nothing gets you quite as acquainted with a city’s street system than by being a tourist. This summer I had the opportunity to hit up a few different North American cities–Vancouver, Montreal, New York, Boston, and Minneapolis–each with their own … Read More
NYC’s High Line Park Theatre
If you’re like most who have been reading about urban projects in the last year or so, you’re probably sick to death of reading about New York City’s amazingly successful High Line Park. You’ve probably heard all about how it … Read More
Look Up to Find the People in Downtown Minneapolis
I found myself in the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota this past summer during the kind of weather that is more like a setting on an oven than anything natural. This extreme heat was combined with enough humidity that meant you … Read More
Posted in Accessibility, Minneapolis, Social Cohesion
Tagged Climate, Minneapolis, pedestrians, Skyway, Streets
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Vacant Stores Turned Art Galleries in Brooklyn
Walking down a pretty barren stretch of downtown Brooklyn, I noticed something strange in the windows of the shops lining Willoughby Street. Although the stores seemed to be closed, the windows displayed eye-catching and colourful displays. Closer inspection revealed that … Read More
Posted in Aesthetics, Economics, New York
Tagged Art, Brooklyn, business, Graffiti, New York, Street Art
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It’s All in the Details For Vancouver’s Sea Wall
Vancouver has always been good at paying attention to the smaller design details that work to make up the larger picture. A walk along the lengthy, winding and continuous seawall that envelopes the downtown core and parts of False Creek … Read More
Posted in Aesthetics, Vancouver
Tagged benches, cyclists, design, False Creek, landscape architecture, Olympic, pedestrians, sea wall, seawall, street furniture, The Village, urban, urban design, Vancouver, walking, wave deck
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Making Connections at Richmond Street West
401 Richmond in downtown Toronto is an adaptive reuse of an old tin factory into a hub of artist studios and galleries. Located at the corner of Spadina Ave and Richmond St West, this huge brick building extends its exterior, … Read More
Posted in Accessibility, Aesthetics, Safety, Toronto
Tagged 401 Richmond, bicycle, design, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, parking, pedestrian, sidewalk, Spadina, streetscape, Toronto, urban, Urbanspace, Walking Strategy
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