Transforming the campus with car-free pedestrian zones - Schools are unpaving paradise and creating a stronger sense of place

By Tim Johnson. A few years ago, Gould Street in downtown Toronto was a favourite shortcut, a two-lane fast-track out of the city core, used by stressed drivers as a way to circumvent the gridlock of Yonge Street and bypass its intersection with Dundas Street, one of Canada’s busiest corners. Now, Gould Street is the pedestrian-friendly heart of Ryerson University. Just one block northeast of Yonge and Dundas, two long blocks of Gould serve as an urban oasis, a sanctuary cordoned off from street traffic where nary a horn nor revving engine can be heard. More...