Harbourfront
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- This page concerns the development near the waterfront in Toronto, Canada. For the waterfront site in Singapore, see HarbourFront MRT Station.
Harbourfront is a waterfront tourist, residential and cultural real estate development on the northern shore of Lake Ontario within the downtown west side of the city of Toronto, Canada. Harbourfront extends west from Yonge Street to Bathurst Street along Queens Quay.
Facilities
Harbourfront is the site of the Toronto Islands ferry terminal which provides transportation services to the Islands, and the location of Harbourfront Centre, one of the city's many cultural venues. Queens Quay Terminal next to Harbourfront Centre is a shopping centre designed for high-end retailers. However, the limited parking in the area and the fact that the neighbourhood is separated from the rest of downtown Toronto by the elevated Gardiner Expressway resulted in insufficient clientele. Today, the mall houses some stores and restaurants, predominantly catering to tourists.
Development and Criticisms
There was extensive condominium development at Harbourfont in the 1990s. Some critics argue that other cities such as Chicago or Boston have done a much better job of developing their waterfronts than Toronto. Nevertheless, the many condominiums in the area provide beautiful views overlooking Lake Ontario, the islands, and the many pleasure boats winding their way through Toronto's Inner Harbour. This area is therefore considered to be prime residential real estate and has been developed almost to capacity, largely by the building of high-rise condominiums.
Plans to redevelop the Harbourfront, many of which included the demolition and burying of the Gardiner, have been discussed for many years. Toronto's failed bid for the 2008 Summer Olympics included a proposal for a redeveloped Harbourfront, which would have added an Olympic Village on the existing Docklands, and a trail along the waterfront. The trail would have run from Scarborough to Etobicoke and beyond. Once the 2008 Games were awarded to Beijing, critics have since suggested the city will simply continue to ignore further development of Harbourfront.