During my second year in landscape architecture at the University of Toronto I took a road trip to Boston with two other classmates. Though still cold in Ontario, Boston was enjoying an early spring with tree buds swelling and sidewalks clear of snow. I spent a good portion of that trip looking down at clay brick, granite curbs and painted footprints, the first incarnation of the "Freedom Trail ". The engraved, gold-leaf shop signs and gas lamps of Beacon Hill also left a lasting impression. More accustomed to Toronto?EUR??,,????'???s concrete side walks and boulevard patio pavers, this rich New England palette sparked an appreciation of street environments and an area of landscape architecture, which for me, had been overshadowed by the more urgent and serious concerns of ecology and the environment. Opportunities to try my hand at streetscape design came early working with a small urban design firm in Toronto. During the late 70?EUR??,,????'???s, the Ontario government, like many others, was looking for ways to counteract the decline of older, downtown business districts, usually the victim of competition from new suburban shopping malls. "Mainstreet" funding programs enabled merchant associations to organize and upgrade streetscapes, storefronts and parking lots through the use of special tax levies and matching funds. Recreating New England Style Anxious to recreate the old world charm of Beacon Hill back home, it was disheartening to discover that clay pavers from Massachusetts and Vermont granite were well beyond the meager budgets available for these projects. Clay brick was available locally and had some legacy as a road pavement, still seen occasionally underlying layers of asphalt on hilly residential streets. However the homegrown variety just weren?EUR??,,????'???t the same, being porous and prone to mid-winter cracking. Unaware of this tendency, or finding it a charming flaw, we and others put it use in a few, unfortunate sites. It is still used sparingly in the inner city streets of Toronto edging asphalt pavement to allow curb replacement with a minimum of roadway disruption. Granite was even more rare, seemingly reserved for banking establishments and headstones, presumably a result of transportation costs. The only common use of granite in Toronto was the cobbled streetcar track beds, apparently the beneficiary of off-loaded marine ballast, and there wasn?EUR??,,????'???t more of this expected soon. Curiously, just over the border in New York State, granite curbs are common, so it may simply be a result of local practice as much as anything. Even more disappointing were the alternatives. Still lingering from the modern extravaganza of Montreal?EUR??,,????'???s worlds fair was a precast concrete industry with an array of mostly pastel pavers and exposed aggregate products that didn?EUR??,,????'???t really suit Ontario?EUR??,,????'???s heritage settings. Similarly, illumination standards also demanded far more effectiveness than anything approaching an historic fixture might provide, leaving street lighting to the serious work of cobra-heads. There also seemed to be a widely held belief amongst the municipal public works fraternity that tree roots and subgrade utilities were incompatible, leaving boulevard street trees to the confines of raised sidewalk planters. Launching a New Streetscape Gradually local products and practices have evolved contributing to a regional character more closely associated with the open, wide-street vernacular of the mid-west than with New England. One of the defining projects of this evolution was Confederation Boulevard in Ottawa. Intended to link the two capital cities of Ottawa, Ontario and Hull, Quebec, it was hoped this urban design concept would create a cohesive capital of the two cities, bisected by the Ottawa River. This was to be accomplished largely with streetscape elements until completed with built form, not unlike the avenues of Paris defined by rows of trees before the buildings arrived. Launched by the robust development climate of the mid 80?EUR??,,????'???s, the project administered by the National Capital Commission, began with a quest for design and material excellence. The streetscapes included structural sidewalk pavements with aeration and subgrade irrigation for vast quantities of planting soil, granite curbs and pavements, wrought iron fencing, massive concrete retaining walls and custom castings for streetlamps, tree grates and other furnishings - all very much influenced by the neo?EUR??,,????'???gothic character of Parliament Hill. Post modernism was also riding a wave and it is with some relief that we collectively had as much restraint as we did. This owes as much to rigorous design review by the NCC, as it did to our self-control. Both time and context were positive forces in the enrichment of the streetscape concept. It was initially thought that because the ceremonial ring of streets was not classically axial like Washington or Paris, that we should use a tight, repetitive pattern of elements to strengthen design continuity. However, the arrangement and material palette was relaxed when it became apparent in the early construction phases that the visual impact of the streetscape elements was very strong. As a result, a lighter touch emerged through a more varied response to the changeable settings of Ottawa?EUR??,,????'???s formal avenues, the Ottawa River valley, former industrial lands and Hull, Quebec?EUR??,,????'???s City Centre. Trial and error also played a key part in refining the details. Oddly fragile granite paving slabs were replaced by surprisingly good precast pavers, tree planting details were simplified, snow shovel friendly stone tree grates replaced the cast iron originals, and bright, repetitive globe lights were spread out to quiet the night landscape. As it turned out, plain old poured concrete, handled with care, was both a durable and convincing material for sidewalks and crosswalks. This is not to minimize the final result. What has emerged through the efforts of many Landscape Architects, urban designers and civil engineers is an elegant, well-executed and often understated street environment, which enhances and clarifies the reading of the Capital. As the primary venue for ceremonies, the display flags, banners and pageantry transforms the picturesque Capital to welcome visiting heads of state, enrich the tourist experience and to celebrate national events. A narrative of the nation is also communicated through public art, interpretive displays and commemorative installations linked by the ceremonial route. At the smaller scale, recipients of the "Mainstreet" programs and subsequent interest in downtown renewal achieved mixed results. Many retail cores were saved and renewed by these programs while others only slowed a seemingly inevitable decline or shift in focus. As much as I would like to think that award winning streetscape design was the primary catalyst of change, most successful downtowns benefited by possessing a well preserved or not overly defaced heritage building stock, the good fortune of a healthy local economy and a dogged sense of civic pride. Others seemed defeated before getting out of the blocks, the loser in a battle with free parking and cheaper socks and underwear at the mall. Still, good design never hurts. Local Renewal Our planning and design successes have generally been the result of focusing on a local strength. For example, in Belleville, Ontario, the Farmers Market provided the springboard for renewal of a parking lot next to City Hall. Formerly used for market days, the parking lot was reconfigured as a civic square surrounded by market shelters and a terrace adjoining to the heritage building provided either shaded seating or an impromptu stage for events. Roughly half of the parking spaces were retained for non-market days. I t would be going to far to say that this project renews the core, but it has breathed some new life and civic pride into the heart of the community. Recalling the seminal text of Gorden Cullen?EUR??,,????'???s "Townscapes", a primer on streetscape design, it is interesting to re-examine his sketch and photo examples of notable street environments. Very few have anything other than well composed building facades, a simple, humanly scaled ground plane, the occasional tree or grove and couple of bollards for good measure. North America doesn?EUR??,,????'???t often provide the gentle and idiosyncratic building backdrop indigenous to Great Britain, but the lessons of editing the content of street design shouldn?EUR??,,????'???t be lost on us. For Brampton, Ontario, we recently completed streetscape guidelines for the historic central business district. Not the first, but a refresher of sorts, this time dealing with the context for public art, open spaces and civic structures, such as rail bridges, which define the heritage community. Public art, seldom without public reaction, enriches and defines a community. Our role was relatively simple ?EUR??,,????'??? to locate sites and propose basic guidelines for the settings. The hard work left to those who must choose and defend the selections. For the bridges, we proposed various ways of adding both punctuation and additional functions to basic structures at the downtown entrances, a task which might have been be easier if integrated in the orginial construction of the more recent structures, but not without merit. Streetscape Challenges One of the greatest challenges in streetscape design, at least for the designer, is too much interest in what you are up to. This is to say that after the focus groups, stakeholder input and citizen support is digested, sooner or later someone has to hold the pencil. It is difficult enough to maintain some level of credibility with transportation and civil engineers (landscape architecture not being regarded by some as either an empirical or serious profession) much less have to share the creative heartbeat with well meaning collaborators. Which brings me to Spadina Avenue. Spadina Avenue runs through the heart of Toronto?EUR??,,????'???s former garment district and defines the west edge of the University of Toronto. A diverse and constantly evolving community, the street currently exhibits Asian and European influences shared with a strong artistic and academic presence. To say that the community has an independent streak and an entrepreneurial spirit would be an understatement. The recent reintroduction of streetcars in a reserved right-of-way presented the opportunity for reorganizing circulation and reconstructing the street. As is too often the case, the streetscape design was a post traffic and transit planning olive branch to calm concern for the traffic-friendly plan, despite the streetcars. The streetscape master plan process included an extensive program of public involvement and resulted in design guidelines and a framework for public art. Committee work included special concerns of the disabled and controls for sidewalk retailing. In it?EUR??,,????'???s democratic manner, the City of Toronto parceled off final design to 3 design firms, the lights and shelters to the transit authority and public art to more than a dozen artists, which in turn added more design firms when the installations were integral. No lack of talent there. Now complete, the project is a curious and unique product of it?EUR??,,????'???s many contributions. The broad stroke of the streetcar line is convincing. The curb line and light pole arrangement is irregular, the result of a frustrating struggle to share road and sidewalk space. The tactile qualities are disappointing but a self-directed layer of use has softened the edges. Streetscape design for large, formal avenues is often thought to be an exercise of precision and control. In the case of Spadina, attempting to do this would have been like herding cats. Some streets are just like that. The New Streetscape Interestingly, aging suburbs are now fertile ground for new directions in streetscape design. Regional shopping malls, once the unchallenged territory of the automobile, are urbanizing as development economics begin to support higher building densities and structured parking. Well, perhaps "urbanizing" is an overstating it, but pedestrian friendly precincts are slowly gaining a foothold in edge cities. The modern architectural settings of the 50?EUR??,,????'???s through 70?EUR??,,????'???s also seem to be a rediscovered resource, free of the heritage stranglehold on most street retail environments. We have had the good fortune to be part of the expansion and renewal of Square One, a large regional shopping center next to the Civic Centre of Mississauga near Toronto, a progressive city of 300,000 comprised of an amalgam of former villages and new suburban growth. Initially envisaged as a new urbanist growth model with new streets and blocks surrounding the existing complex, expansion has taken the form of retail expansion of the interior mall. The difference lies in the outward, public face of the architecture and the attention to the quality of the streetscape and open spaces. The new retail frontage addresses City Hall, the performing arts center and a library. On other edges, office buildings ring the mall with structured parking as place holders for future buildings. The new streetscape includes modern trellis structures and light towers to define street corners where buildings cannot be justified yet. Forecourt and shoulder landscapes extend the open spaces of the civic buildings. Though seemingly suburban, these open spaces are intended to be the anomalies in the future urban fabric. Time will tell. The design palette is contemporary. The primary elements are tinted concrete paving, free flowing concrete seat walls, galvanized steel and cedar structures and a variety of ground, step and pole top lighting. The boulevards have granite paving trim and trees are generally located in the landscape, where they are happier. Not exactly a shopping street, and no longer a parking lot, these settings are fertile ground for streetscape design. North America often seems content with the early to mid-twentieth century ideals of urban design - something about a kinder, simpler time. Undeniably there are some basic lessons of pedestrian comfort and priority, which were ignored for a while, but I for one would like to move forward. Design on all fronts seems to have found its feet again after a long spell of looking back. Maybe it?EUR??,,????'???s climate change or two-headed fish on the Simpson?EUR??,,????'???s that have us once again looking for better answers. For Landscape Architects there are few areas which touch on so many central aspects of city building - urban renewal, transportation, urban forestry, and civic design to name a few. I?EUR??,,????'???m of the belief that good streetscapes are vitally important to our towns and cities - places where we increasingly spend more time. About the Author: John Hillier is a Partner at Du Toit Appisopp Hillier, a firm located in Toronto.