Join us for laneway launches in the Bloordale, Ossington & St. Lawrence Market neighbourhoods!
With help from communities and donors, we've been hard at work on three Toronto laneway transformations. Come out and see how we've improved these forgotten public spaces for local residents and new visitors alike.
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Bloordale Light Up the Laneways Launch on Sept 24
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Our #LightUptheLaneways pilot project began in 2017 when we teamed up with communities to plan, design, fund and install new lighting, inspired murals and large planters in two Toronto laneways. The revitalizations will help make these shared "back-of-house" spaces better and safer for employees on break, pedestrians and cyclists taking a shortcut home, and anyone who enjoys a good wander.
We're about to put the finishing touches on the Bloordale laneway and are having a launch party to celebrate! Murals by artists Peru143, Victor Fraser and local resident Rob Kittredge will be going up September 8-20, with the final planter and lighting installations taking place later this month. Come see what we've been working on from 6-8pm on September 24 at the official unveiling of the upgraded Bloordale stretch of laneway, just north of Bloor between Brock and Pauline. We hope to see you for some light snacks, music, and more.
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Ossington Light Up the Laneways Launch on Sept 26
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There's no doubt that Ossington is the cool kid on the block. We've been working with locals to make the trendy neighbourhood's public alley space better for school kids and restaurant owners, tourists and Instagrammers, and everyone in between. As part of our #LightUptheLaneways pilot project, we're installing new planters and lighting in the next while and have something special planned for the art in this Ossington alley.
We are excited to announce that, in a Toronto first, we will be working with British artist Ben Eine to bring his world-famous Alphabet City murals to the six. The typographic art will be in place on walls and garage doors along the laneway just west of Ossington between Queen and Humbert by September 18. If you're in the area, look out for new custom planters with hardy plants going in around September 15; the new lights will be added by September 22, just in time for our September 26 launch from 6-8pm!
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Nicholson Lane Launch on Oct 2
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#NicholsonLane is getting a makeover! For the past 18 months, we've been working with the St. Lawrence Market community to plan, design, fund, and install brand new LED lights and planter gardens in Nicholson Lane. Featuring serviceberry trees and native grasses, the striking new planter gardens will soften and help beautify the alley. A well-loved back street just south of Front Street East between Princess and Berkeley, this slice of public space is currently being transformed by a large-scale mural painted by artists Nyle Miigizi Johnston and Monica Wickeler.
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"From the flowing river systems that are our veins, to the cedar tree that is our brain stem, the patterns of connectivity are not only beautiful but also inspiring."
—Nyle Miigizi Johnston, artist
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The gorgeous new mural will use aurora-inspired colours to illuminate pictographs representing the story of creation as passed on over generations. Enjoy food, music and more on October 2 from 6-8pm at the community celebration of the updated laneway.
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Dreaming of a laneway transformation near you?
Get inspired with our Laneway Tooklit.
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Whether coordinating an entire laneway revitalization or simply making a small improvement to your nearest alley, we encourage you to use our Turning Laneways into Public Places guide as a resource for inspiration.
This toolkit, created in collaboration with Dr. Shelagh McCartney of +together design and City Planning at Ryerson University, lays out a process for analyzing your laneway and identifying its type based on physical characteristics. From there, the guide suggests revitalization strategies and actions that tend to be most effective in each laneway type.
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