[TrickyRicky]

Contractors for the water utility had to dig up a portion of the front lawn of a property I deal with. Asides from doing a horribly sloppy job both of the hydrant and water shut-offs, there machinery also depressed the concrete path causing a big puddle to form infront of the property every time it rains. I contacted the city and they were nice enough to agree that they are responsible for fixing it.

I followed up on this a few weeks later, as is essential whenever you are dealing with any kind of service particularly with large organizations (public and private). Someone had mistakenly closed the file. I proceeded to get them to re-open the file. The estimated repair window is 2 years.

This is the city we live in.

 

[interchange42]

Concrete path? So the building you are referring to is not along the section of sidewalk that is now made of granite? Can you give us any clearer hints please?

42

 

[mig174]

I don't get how what they're doing is useful. Are there before/after pics for this? This "revitalization" just seems useless. How is cement/asphalt bad to walk on there if it's OK everywhere else?

 

[MetroMan]

Look what Rob Ford brought in to UT...

mig, if you're not interested in urban development, you may be on the wrong forum. You might actually be in the wrong city in fact.

There are plenty of places that settle for less than a beautiful streetscape.

 

[adma]

Then again, I can see what it means, if it's analogous to my being circumspect about "Yonge Street looks like crap" arguments. (Then again, this is Bloor, not Yonge...)

 

[condovo]

Well, Rob Ford did win the election so mig may not be in the wrong city, actually. And s/he is entitled to his/her opinion.

 

[Irishmonk]

Look what Rob Ford brought in to UT...

mig, if you're not interested in urban development, you may be on the wrong forum. You might actually be in the wrong city in fact.

There are plenty of places that settle for less than a beautiful streetscape.

Ford's minion are truly pouring out of the woodwork now, and revelling in their utter cluelessness as to what makes a attractive, pleasant, walkable city.

 

[adma]

But, again--I'm in middle ground here. And if some of these urban-improvement schemes seem a little too Kyle Rae gold-plated for comfort...I can live with ordinary, plain-jane cement and asphalt. It's proven; it's universal. It's just not Ooh! Aah!

 

[taal]

But, again--I'm in middle ground here. And if some of these urban-improvement schemes seem a little too Kyle Rae gold-plated for comfort...I can live with ordinary, plain-jane cement and asphalt. It's proven; it's universal. It's just not Ooh! Aah!

At the end of the day this was a 5 million dollar loan by the city no? The BIA was the driver here.

 

[Torontovibe]

I don't get how what they're doing is useful. Are there before/after pics for this? This "revitalization" just seems useless. How is cement/asphalt bad to walk on there if it's OK everywhere else?

The war on cars is now over, while the war on beauty has just begun.

 

[adma]

Personally, I'd be more concerned if this was Ford 's preferred approach to "streetscape improvement"

Next to that, I'll take patchy sidewalks anyday.

 

[metropolis]

I wonder if this project would stand a chance under Ford leadership?

 

[Tewder]

Ford's minion are truly pouring out of the woodwork now, and revelling in their utter cluelessness as to what makes a attractive, pleasant, walkable city.

Well for all the talk of City Beautiful the two-term Miller administration didn't seem to have much of a clue either, in reality.

I really don't understand the melodramatic overreaction to Ford. It's as if Toronto has been Paris or something and the Nazis are marching down the Champs Elysées...

 

[Irishmonk]

I really don't understand the melodramatic overreaction to Ford. It's as if Toronto has been Paris or something and the Nazis are marching down the Champs Elysées...

Wait until he's been in the throne for a few months; the #^*@$ we've created with this boorish clown will be quickly evident. Anywho, I digress, this thread is a about a sidewalk, not a tragically misguided electoral outcome.

 

[Red October]

I really don't understand the melodramatic overreaction to Ford. It's as if Toronto has been Paris or something and the Nazis are marching down the Champs Elysées...

Nobody marches in Toronto. They all drive.
Plus he'd need to be able to march first.