Learn more about the study process and related projects.
YongeTOmorrow has developed design alternatives and evaluated opportunities to improve pedestrian space and the way people move through and experience Yonge Street between College/Carlton Street and Queen Street. The study has been completed in accordance with the Schedule ‘C’ requirements of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (MCEA) process.
The Focus Area is the geographic limit of design work for yongeTOmorrow and includes Yonge Street from College/Carlton Street to Queen Street.
The Study Area, is bound by University Avenue to the west, Jarvis Street to the east, Roxborough Avenue to the north, and King Street to the south. The Study Area indicates the geographic limits of data collection and public consultation for yongeTOmorrow.
The Study Area extends north to Roxborough in anticipation of a future EA study (Extended Focus Area/ Phase 2 EA, Figure 4) that will focus on the design of Yonge Street from College/Carton Street to Davenport Road. Data collection has already taken.
A cast iron watermain constructed in 1889 exists beneath Yonge Street from Queen Street to College Street. This watermain is due for replacement and Yonge Street will need to be reconstructed to facilitate replacement of the water main.
South of Gerrard Street, the last reconstruction of the road base took place in 1954 upon completion of the subway. Yonge Street was resurfaced in 2014 from College Street to the Esplanade to improve pavement conditions.
There is an urgency to arrive at a long-term design solution for Yonge Street so that road works can be bundled with the watermain replacement.
For over a century, Yonge Street has been an iconic destination in the heart of downtown Toronto for both residents and visitors.
In recent years, growth and technology have dramatically changed the look and feel of our city. Today, Downtown Yonge is booming with development and activity during all hours and days of the week. There are more people using the street and their needs and priorities are shifting.
The area around Yonge Street is undergoing dramatic changes as a result of large numbers of new residential towers being built along and in close proximity to Yonge Street. The trend is continuing with numerous parcels under development or in the planning stages. There are approximately 20,000 residential units in towers over 15 storeys high within this area, with 10,000 new units in the pipeline based on current development applications made to the City. There are at least 2,800 hotel rooms, with 600 more being proposed.
The commercial face of the street is responding to the influx of new residents, becoming more service-oriented, while increasing retail rents are resulting in more chain stores. Ryerson University’s expansion out to Yonge Street in 2014 has also changed the character, bringing more students out to Yonge Street and creating a highly animated zone between Ryerson facilities, Dundas subway station, the cinemas, Dundas Square and the Eaton Centre.
For many years, community stakeholders such as the Downtown-Yonge Business Improvement Area (DYBIA) have been advocating for public realm improvements on Yonge Street to support the increasing residential and commercial growth, the number of special events taking place in and around Yonge Dundas Square and the volume of pedestrians using the street daily.
In 2018, City Council adopted the Downtown Plan (also known as TOcore) and the Downtown Parks and Public Realm Plan. Together, these Plans provide a policy framework and vision for parks and public realm in the core. They identify Yonge Street as one of Toronto’s Great Streets, a Cultural Corridor and a Priority Retail Street.
The goals set for Yonge Street in TOcore are to:
Between 1996 and 2016, there was a 73% increase in population to 55,000 and a 43% increase in employment to over 225,000 with growth expected to continue. Currently, there are over 10,000 proposed condo units within the Study Area. City Planning expects 400 residents and jobs per hectare by 2031 and projections anticipate the current population and employment numbers to further double by 2041. This in turn would place increased demands on Yonge Street.
While the number of pedestrians on Yonge Street has somewhat lessened during the COVID-19 pandemic, in the last several years, the sidewalks on Yonge Street have daily volumes which exceed 100,000 pedestrians per day. Pedestrian movement is slowed due to crowding especially near Yonge-Dundas Square.
50–75 per cent of people using the entire street are pedestrians, while less than 25 per cent of the right-of-way space is dedicated to pedestrian movement. Weekly pedestrians counts were studied over a four year period between 2014 and 2018 and pedestrian volumes are significant on Yonge Street throughout all 52 weeks of the year.
Between 1996 and 2016, there has also been a significant decrease in driving and an increase in alternative modes of transportation such as walking, cycling, and transit usage within the downtown area (Figure 3). Driving trips to the study area from within Toronto have decreased from 35% to 18%. Regional driving trips into the study area have decreased from 56% to 37%.Total driving mode share including local and regional trips has decreased from 39% to 22%. Meanwhile, walking and cycling have doubled to 24% and 5% respectively.
At this point, it is unknown how the COVID-19 pandemic and an increase in working from home will influence long-term changes in travel patterns across the region and into the core. However, there is a significant residential population in the yongeTOmorrow Focus Area which continues to experience growth and these residents predominately walk, cycle and take transit.
Yonge Street has long been a street for events and entertainment. It was the site of the first Santa Clause Parade in 1905 and is now the official route for the Pride Parade, Festival of India, and St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Yonge Street historically has hosted three annual running races, the Bike to Work Day Group Commute and festivals like Open Streets.
Since the opening of Yonge-Dundas Square in 2002, the neighbourhood’s importance as a tourism and entertainment zone has evolved. The square plays host to hundreds of events each year and includes major events like North by North East (NXNE), Illuminite and Canada Day Celebrations.
The Eaton Centre, national flagship stores for many retailers and theatres also draw visitors to the area. A 2014 Environics poll conducted by the Downtown-Yonge BIA indicated that 28 per cent of the pedestrian traffic in the Study Area are visitors to the area and a further 10 per cent are tourists.
In addition to the Yonge Street subway line, Yonge Street is served by the 97B bus weekday mornings and afternoons every 30 minutes in a northbound and southbound direction. The 97B route runs from Queens Quay to Davisville Station and serves approximately 390 passengers on a typical weekday.
Yonge Street is also served by the 320 Night Bus when the subway (Line 1 Yonge-University) is not in operation overnight from approximately 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. The 320 operates both northbound and southbound with headways of 3.5 minutes until 3:30 am Monday through Saturday and 15 minute headways at other times. On Sunday morning, due to the late opening of the subway, the night bus runs for an additional two hours, from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. with three-minute headways. This route serves approximately 1,400 passengers on a typical weeknight.
The design and operation of Yonge Street has remained unchanged since the early 1900s.
The existing conditions include a 20 metre right-of-way with four lanes of vehicular traffic (two southbound and two northbound) occupying 12.6 m and the remaining 3.7 metre on each side of the road shared by public realm elements (transit stops, subway entrances, waste receptacles, poles etc.) and pedestrians.
Throughout consultation, feedback from stakeholders and members of the public provided the following key insights and priorities:
