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I spend a lot of time in Toronto because of work. I think they have done some good things but overall the quality of urban planning is poor and much weaker than Vancouver. It is very surprising in a city that aspires for world class status. This is so disappointing. The city of Toronto deserves better.
If I recall correctly, the area around TO’s roundhouse has been very very slow to develop. The Metro TO Convention Centre expanded underground nearby creating a relatively barren park space on its roof at grade. So it makes sense that the RFP process wasn’t more successful.
But based on the news article, it’s is the City (as landlord) that is unwilling to take the risk of the “thematically appropriate” proposal. But then again, Vancouver (as landlord) has recently had a similar financial disaster with the failed Storyeum project.
Discussion on this topic on the Urban Toronto Forum:
http://www.urbantoronto.ca/showthread.php?t=5576
Disgraceful – sorry, words fail me.
It’s not as if there aren’t examples of other cities who have used old roundhouses so much more imaginatively. There are roundhouse theatres in Camden (London UK), Washington, Brisbane – and that’s just the first three that popped up in a Google search.
And transport museums are key attractions in places like Covent Garden (London again). Didn’t the CPR build Canada?
It also occurred to me that Vancouver’s Roundhouse had some of its sheds demoished, as this 1982 photo will show:
In place of the demolished sheds, the retail podium of the Penninsula condo tower now offers up sushi, dental services, an optometrist, a video store and medical laboratories flanking the railway turntable.
http://www.globalairphotos.com/large/BC/Vancouver/Downtown/1982/089/2
http://www.globalairphotos.com/large/BC/Vancouver/Downtown/1982/010/2