As Toronto continues to build up, sometimes it can overlook spaces that get overshadowed. One group is trying to shed some light on this, so to speak.
The Laneway Project believes laneways have the potential to be vibrant, living spaces, that can help create stronger communities. Now, its Light Up The Laneway demonstration project is looking to set a precedent for the privately-led planning and implementation of laneway lighting in Toronto.
For the first phase, the Laneway Project wants to add lighting to dark laneways in West Queen West and Bloordale Village to make them more accessible, by bringing these public laneways to life — or light, as it were.
While these areas may be bright enough for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists don't always come equipped with headlights. So if these laneways were better lit, the not-for-profit believes they'd be more accessible to the public at night.
To that end, the group aims to bring local stakeholders together from the development, business, and community sectors in a Toronto city-building first.
The Project says it has the support of Councillor Bailão, Councillor Layton, the Ossington BIA, Bloordale BIA, Ossington Community Association, Bloordale Community Improvement Association, Toronto Hydro, and the City’s Economic Development, Community Planning and Transportation Services Divisions.
This is not as simple as stringing together some IKEA Edison bulbs, however. For now, the goal is to raise an initial $30,000 by July 15, 2018. This will conduct the project planning, design and engineering for both communities.
Then, the planning and installation of the lights could cost between $55,000 and $175,000. So the group has turned to you, through GoFundMe.
