THE PATH
The unprecedented Pan Am Path: A metaphor for an integrated city,
The Pan Am Games may be over, but they have left a legacy that is helping to connect a disconnected city, postamalgamation.
The Pan Am Path is an unprecedented citywide initiative that has found common ground among advocates for the environment, health, transportation, culture, business, government and philanthropy — serving as a metaphor for a connected, integrated city.
It also serves as an example of what’s possible when multiple players put special interests aside and come together to create a healthier, more active and better-connected city.
In early 2013, a group of artists and community leaders created Friends of the Pan Am Path to propose the concept of a citywide trail as part of the Host City Showcase Program for the Pan Am Games (built upon the existing trail network and connections identified in the city’s 2012 Bikeway Trails Implementation Plan).
Toronto City Council approved the Pan Am Path concept in July 2013 with support from Parks, Forestry and Recreation; Economic Development and Culture; and Transportation Services.
The 84-kilometre continuous trail for walking, running and cycling physically connects Torontonians from east to west. The hope is it will also connect people in deeper, more meaningful ways — linking Toronto’s diverse neighbourhoods with opportunities for sport and recreation, art and culture, and tourism and commerce.
“Physically, we’ve had a trail system in this city for a long time, but it was pretty fragmented,” says Tobias Novogrodsky, director of strategic planning and implementation for the 2015 Pan/Parapan Am Games with the city manager’s office. “We don’t have enough connective tissue that takes us from one part of the city to another.”
Aside from improving that connective tissue, there are also benefits to promoting active transportation and healthy living, he says. Indeed, the newly released Vital Signs Report from the Toronto Foundation found 50.7 per cent of Toronto adults in 2014 reported being overweight or obese, up from 43.8 per cent in 2012. And only 46.1 per cent of youth and adults report being at least moderately active during their leisure time.
There’s a need to promote programs that strengthen a sense of belonging in this city, as well as promote healthy living to tackle obesity — especially among children, says Novogrodsky.
“When you look for support for a project, often support is nested in one ward, pitting one ward against another,” he says. The Pan Am Path, on the other hand, goes through 22 wards — so it turned out to be an easy sell.
The trail stretches from the Claireville Reservoir in the west end along the Humber River down to the waterfront, traversing the Martin Goodman Trial to the Don River, continuing north along the Gatineau Hydro Corridor in the east and ending on the shores of Lake Ontario at Rouge Park. Much of the route lies on existing trails and pathways that are being improved and connected by the city; construction will continue through 2017.
The path cuts through diverse neighbourhoods, “helping to make visible parts of the city that sometimes don’t get the attention they deserve,” says Novogrodsky. “It’s not just ‘build 80 kilometres of asphalt.’ ” He expects the path will encourage residents (and tourists) to look at the city in a different way and perhaps lead to more investment in highneed communities.
What started as an infrastructure project for the city of Toronto has also opened doors to new ways of working across bureaucratic silos.
“It was a great partnership, both internal and external,” says Cathy Vincelli, project director for the 2015 Pan/Parapan Am Games Operations with Parks, Forestry and Recreation. “People bought into it because it really was a great concept, to link communities, connect communities — it brought together art, sport and culture.”
Not only did government departments work together, but they also worked in partnership with Friends of the Pan Am Path, as well as other organizations such as Evergreen Brick Works, the Trans Canada Trail Foundation and the Toronto Foundation (which has committed support for the path over the next 10 years).
“The Friends wouldn’t have been able to do what they did without the city and vice versa,” says Vincelli. “Each was equally important.”
Toronto philanthropist John Currie had been looking to invest in a “visionary” project that would connect the city on a number of levels, and the Pan Am Path captured his attention — and support.
“When they talked about the Pan Am Path, it seemed to be one of those projects that could — if it’s done well — increase a sense of community and increase people’s enjoyment of what the community has to offer,” says Currie, who feels strongly about helping build a sense of community, particularly for children at risk.
“When one lives in a city one frequently does not take much advantage of the wonderful things that the city offers — we travel to foreign cities,” says Currie. “Hopefully this will help to build connections between different parts of the city and (give people) a better appreciation of it and . . . try to break down these clusters we have.”
Visit panampath.org for more information.