If there is one area of Toronto that deserves a rethink, according to one group, it could be the back laneways that snake through the city’s urban neighbourhoods. Instead of sketchy, rundown alleys with rusted-out garages and an atmosphere of impending doom, a local group would love to see the largely ignored areas put to good use as sites for laneway homes, public art and community engagement.
Such are some of the recommendations outlined by the Toronto Public Space Initiative (TPSI) in a new report entitled Prospects for Animated Laneways. People at the grassroots level are beginning to take notice, which could mean our local government might get in on the act before it is too late. The organization hopes to convince decision-makers to embrace the opportunities provided by laneway development.
“We need a city-wide laneway strategy that incorporates public input and good urban planning to make laneways more of a priority and to guide local projects,” says Jayme Turney, chief executive officer of TPSI.
In other municipalities, such as Vancouver, laneway homes are not only the accepted norm, they are downright trendy after the city established laneway housing regulations and guidelines back in 2009.
Not that we aren’t trying. In 2008, Superkül Architects designed an award-winning laneway home in a midtown Toronto neighbourhood, converted from an industrial shed. Additional laneway homes are few and far between and always done as one-off projects thanks, at least in part, to prohibitive regulation.
B.streets is another project that would see laneway homes as part of a condo along Bathurst Street in the Annex neighbourhood. And interest isn’t just localized. Jake Fry, of Vancouver-based Smallworks, one of the builders that lobbied for new regs in 2009, is very interested in expanding operations to Toronto.
Last year, Graeme Parry organized four walking tours of laneways throughout the city, including laneway homes, graffiti alley and other “hidden homes and spaces.” Clearly, there is interest. Action in a broader context is what is missing, claims Turney.
“The city can do a lot more to invest in its future prosperity through laneways, but this requires financial resources,” says Turney. “We could permanently lose this opportunity.”