Toronto has a new council, historically this turns to disillusionment among the citizens quickly.

 

 

Toronto Civic art Guild 1920, opinion of city council

Toronto as Planned by Civic Art Guild. WILL TORONTO ever elect a body of men to its city council who will sacrifice politics and self- interest to the extent of the appointment of a permanent board with power to carry out a systematic plan for the beautification of the city? Much has been done in this direction in other cities, but as yet Toronto has done nothing more than inspect and criticize plans, and appoint a committee  for this purpose, which it has given no authority to either adopt a plan or carry out any scheme.

 

Despite the discouraging attitude of Toronto's city fathers, the Toronto Civic Art Guild proceeds to work out its suggested plans with an enterprising courageousness that is to be highly commended. Most of the members of this club who have given much of their time to this apparently  thankless work, can never ho|)e to see their plans completed, even though the city accepted their suggestions and proceeded to put them into execution at once.

 

The most recent scheme as presented by the Toronto Guild of Civic Art, has just been issued in the form of a splendidly ilhustrated and printed brochure, accompanied by their report. Accompanying the report is the plan of the proposed changes, showing by the use of colors what the guild aims at. In short, the plan shows two great diagonal thoroughlares from the centre of the city to the north-eastern and north-western suburbs. It is claimed that these, though costly, would more than pay for themselves.

These roads are calculated for four lines of tracks. Every street north of Queen street would be crossed by one of these diagonals, which would be 125 feet wide, with broad roadways and sidewalks.

A radial road project is one part of the scheme ol beautification, the other is the connecting of the various squares and parks by boulevards, driveways and Laneways. The seawall project is a "cardinal and important sectiim of the improvements." The president of the guild Mr. John A. Baldwin says "It will be the feeling of all who give any thought to the matter that m Toronto we are at the part- ing of the ways with reference to what the future aspect of the city is to he. It does not need a prophet to predict that the next ten or fifteen years wIll see radical changes in streets and structures." Instances and illustrations of what other cities have done are given at some length.