With private home development crowding many of the waterfront areas next to Lake Ontario in Toronto, locals and parks advocates are left with few access options.
"The waterfront property here is private. So is much of the land between Colonel Samuel Smith Park, the next major waterfront park you'll come to, and Humber Bay Park, the park after that."
"They paved the waterfront, put up some parking lots – and houses and apartment buildings, stores and No Trespassing signs. Unless you live or work here, you can't get close."
"Downtown, east of Yonge St., the problem is the same. From Yonge until Tommy Thompson Park, the Waterfront Trail would more appropriately be called the Barbed Wire Fence Trail."
"'We lack a unified vision about how we access our waterfront lands,' says Urban Strategies Inc. partner Pino Di Mascio, who has worked with Waterfront Toronto for six years. 'And that's beyond just the central waterfront but right into the west beaches and the others. There's just too much disparity.'"
FULL STORY: A waterfront so near yet so far
Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?
Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?
Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.
Updating LA’s Tree Rules Could Bring More Shade to Underserved Neighborhoods
A new USC study finds that relaxing Los Angeles’ outdated tree planting guidelines could significantly expand urban tree canopy and reduce shade disparities in lower-income neighborhoods, though infrastructure investments are also needed.
California's Canal Solar Projects Aim to Conserve Resources and Expand Clean Energy
California’s Project Nexus has begun generating electricity from solar panels installed over irrigation canals, with researchers and state agencies exploring statewide expansion to conserve water and boost clean energy production.
HHS Staff Cuts Gut Energy Assistance Program
The full staff of a federal program that distributes heating and cooling assistance for low-income families was laid off, jeopardizing the program’s operations.
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