Students explore Toronto by bike through a planner’s lens

This Planning Exchange Blog post is the continuation of an article that appeared in the Winter 2022 issue of OPPI’s Y Magazine. Read the full magazine online.  
In September 2021, more than 40 members of the planning community, including planning graduate students from Ryerson University,* took part in a bike tour of downtown Toronto.
 
The group explored the city while also meeting other planners in the field and listening to guest speakers talk about some of Toronto’s most exciting projects. Each of the guest speakers was generous with their time on a Saturday and offered networking advice and opportunities, answered questions, and heard feedback from students. The bike tour was also an opportunity for students to visit places in Toronto where they had never been before.
 
Led by Chris Drew, OPPI Candidate member, Ryerson alumni, and volunteer for the Ryerson Planning Alumni Association, the 2021 bike tour was organized by the Ryerson Planning Graduate Student Association (RPGSA) and used the hashtag #PlannersOnBikes. Students started the day at the School of Urban and Regional Planning, meeting each other off-screen for one of the first times and getting their bikes and bike shares ready to go.
 
First stop: The Bentway


 
The first stop was Toronto’s Bentway project, a unique public space created under the Gardiner Expressway. Here, students heard from alumni Gelila Mekonnen and Sam Carter-Shamai who both currently work for The Bentway. Gelila and Sam explained the unique organization and project, noting how The Bentway reimagines an underutilized space for everyone in Toronto. Students toured the art exhibits under the highway, hearing beautiful recordings of jingle dancer music and zipping by installations of public fun and games.
 
Second stop: Mirvish Village
 

 
At the next stop, students visited the ongoing construction site of the Mirvish Village development. Urban designer and planner Naama Blonder of Smart Density discussed her experience working as the urban design consultant for the project a few years ago during her time at Urban Strategies. Graig Uens, a senior planner in the Office of the Chief Planner of the City of Toronto, also spoke and shared his experiences and insights as the City’s community planner for the development application. Students heard about the innovative ways the project incorporates heritage, affordability, greenspace, and of course density, all within a stone’s throw of the Bathurst TTC subway and streetcar station.
 
Third stop: Underpass Park
 

 
Despite a warm and sunny start to the day, the group faced an unrelenting rainfall during Naama and Graig’s engaging discussion. However, that didn’t stop students from journeying on to their third and final stop at Underpass Park with Daryl Gonsalves from Metrolinx. Daryl talked to students about his role as a community relations and issues line specialist with Metrolinx, noting the importance of consulting with communities affected by the proposed Ontario Line and the benefits of the Ontario Line to the transit network.
 

 
The bike tour was a great success and offered students a wonderful way to connect with professional planners and one another. Students got to learn about some of the newest and most exciting projects happening across the city, all while experiencing cycling infrastructure, including some very new additions to the cycling network.
 
While the tour was conceived out of necessity during the pandemic as a socially distanced outdoor activity in 2020, it has continued to be a huge success that students and alumni hope to continue for years to come. In addition to the speakers, some of the guests from the planning community who joined the tour and offered great networking opportunities for students were Mike Collins-Williams, West End Home Builders’ Association, Lanrick Jr Bennett, 8-80 Cities, and Owen McGaughey and David MacMillan from the City of Toronto’s Cycling and Pedestrian Projects Unit and Environment and Energy Division. A short video of the tour can be found here, created by David MacMillan.
 
RPGSA would like to thank the 2020-21 cohort and all of the guest speakers for this great event, as well as Chris Drew for being a fantastic returning tour guide.
 

 
*Renaming in progress: In August 2021, the university announced that it would begin a renaming process to address the legacy of Egerton Ryerson for a more inclusive future.

All photos were taken by Chris Drew.