George, Water streets should be two-way, former planner says
Peterborough has a lot of changes and positive ideas being developed, says former Toronto chief planner Paul Bedford, but there are a few things it could consider to improve the community.
Some of those things included putting the potential Memorial Centre replacement downtown and restoring George and Water streets to two-way streets.
Bedford spoke Wednesday morning at the Downtown Business Improvement Area’s (DBIA) breakfast meeting to talk about ways to improve Peterborough’s urban design.
Now is the optimal time to be talking about the future of Peterborough, he said, because the city’s official plan review is ongoing and there’s a municipal election underway.
“What’s Peterborough’s place? Where is it going?” Bedford said.
He also had plenty of examples of initiatives in other communities that Peterborough could look to for inspiration.
Bedford, who has 48 years of planning experience, cited other business improvement areas in Toronto and across Canada for ideas on how to promote business growth and increase densities in core areas.
The Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Area, for example, did a study to see how to improve its core. Among the results of that study were recommendations to widen sidewalks, add more bike lanes, create pedestrian-only weekends on streets and revitalize subway stations.
The Danforth East Business Improvement Area, meanwhile, was prompted by residents to beautify the area by decorating vacant storefronts to suggest to potential business owners what could go there.
New ideas were implemented including taking shipping containers and repurposing them as food stalls, he said.
“The point here is experimentation is important,” Bedford said.
Single-floor buildings shouldn’t exist in core areas, he said, and that building upward and infilling are important to creating stronger and more dense areas.
Many of the ideas he presented blended residential and commercial, including the future apartment buildings that will replace Honest Ed’s in Toronto.
For Peterborough, Bedford made a few suggestions on how to improve the city’s design and further enhance the downtown, which he says is already vibrant and healthy, compared with other mid-sized cities he’s visited.
One suggestion is to place the proposed Memorial Centre replacement downtown — something the city is considering.
“I’m biased, but put it in the downtown, for sure,” he said adding there’s a reason Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena is downtown.
He also talked about Peterborough’s downtown streets, saying the city should consider taking the one-way streets and restoring them to two-way streets.
“George and Water Streets, for sure, should be two-way streets,” Bedford said.
The city planner adds two-way streets slow traffic while creating a healthier environment for retail.
Another idea he hadwas putting The Parkway plan to bed, and instead focusing on putting a rail line through the city.
“For that equivalent amount of money, you could probably have a Metrolinx station and a GO facility,” Bedford said.
Terry Guiel, executive director of the DBIA, called Bedford “an urban God” when it comes to planning and said his expertise is valued.
“I think he did a lot of confirmation of a lot of our desires for the downtown and a lot of the battles we’ve had,” Guiel said.
Bedford’s ideas are progressive and should be considered, he said, especially the downtown arena.
Those concepts put a priority on mass transit, bike lanes and “bold thinking,” Guiel said, and should be considered for Peterborough.