With new developments constantly popping up in the news, it’s no wonder Toronto’s Waterfront has been unofficially dubbed ‘The One To Watch.’ One of the most exciting new projects in the area is the Under Gardiner Project – a public space set to inhabit 10 acres beneath the raised highway and include 1.75km of multi-use trail. We’re currently in the midst of a 4 month campaign – ‘Reclaim the Name’ – which began as an open call to the community to contribute ideas to name the space. The campaign is currently entering Phase Two – with more excitement expected to follow.
At this point in the campaign name submissions are officially closed, but the committee has received 884 suggestions – a whopping 480 coming from nearby schools. The task at hand is simple enough: create a name that is unique to Toronto and will stand the test of time. The public space spanning west of Strachan, across Fort York National Historic Site, to Spadina will serve to tie some of the city’s newest and most densely populated neighbourhoods together. The yet to be named space will be used to showcase Toronto’s history, music, food, theatre, visual arts, education, civics, dance, sports, and recreation for the community.
Phase Two of Reclaim the Name involved the naming of the jury – a diverse group of city dwellers that represent many different fields and causes throughout Toronto. Their task is a little more complicated than brainstorming an idea – they’ve been given the role of filtering through the hundreds of submissions and developing a shortlist of three to five names. Following the completion of the shortlist (expected in April), comes Phase Three, in which members of the public are given the opportunity to vote for their favourite name on the project’s site. Finally, once Toronto City Council has reviewed the public’s top choice, the winning name will be confirmed, along with an updated logo and look, to be announced in late June/early July.
We can’t wait to see the shortlist!