The Space We Take Up Matters

Metrolinx and the Ontario government are tearing up half of the city to build a new subway line. This series focuses on the construction and destruction that is happening in the Pape Village neighbourhood. The community is heart broken. From Pape and Danforth all the way to O’Connor, people are being forced out. Aside from all this strife there is the fear of what will replace these neighborhood icons on the large city block that was torn down to build the station. One is a 49 storey apartment building which is being fought by the community. Right in the middle of a relatively quiet, residential neighbourhood, the idea of this looming condo structure is unthinkable. Locals are outraged. This community is being torn up with the promise of a better future. When will they get this so-called ‘better future’? How long will their streets be in shambles? How long will their friends and businesses be displaced? The space they take up is important. Tearing down blocks for new projects is not always an improvement.