Urban Design in Yorkville

Yorkville may be a Yuppie's hang out, but its residential design is certainly inspired by an older, more mature and timeless style.

One of the most desirable places to live in downtown-Toronto, Hazelton Avenue's row housing and semi-detached houses are the perfect balance between quaint, old-fashioned charm and lavish, modern luxury. New landscaping and fine finishes on windows and doors accent rustic old brick and wooden sills well. The arguably understated luxury of the exterior design is quite deceiving - I'm sure the interior's extravagance more than compensates for that void outside.

And my favorite feature is obviously the bay windows.

Only a few steps away from Hazelton is a small urban parkette on the South side of Cumberland, where people can congregate and sit on a wide variety of surfaces - a massive rock, several benches along the water installation, or on the concrete sitting areas surrounding each individual tree.



While I am usually quite critical of these types of urban parks, I think this one did a satisfactory job in terms of its design (which is quite beautiful and sensorial), location (it gets sun for a significant portion of the day and happens to be at the epicenter of a commercial and business district, which assures its use) and provision of seating (civic space doesn't get used if there is no where to sit!). Part of the park's natural popularity, however, has less to do with its design and more to do with the fact that it is the best place to people watch in Yorkville!

The meandering path surrounded by tall vegetation is lovely to walk through, and sort of reminiscent of High Line Park's design in New York's Meat Packing District.

Also, the water installation, though only seasonal, is both aesthetically pleasing and helps to mask the noise from traffic.