Queens Quay runs east-west parallel to the waterfront of Lake Ontario. The new world-class Queens Quay links major destinations along the water’s edge and has created a pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly public realm. Now a grand civic meeting place, Queens Quay has produced economic vitality and ground floor retail activity, while creating a lasting legacy for the city that is both beautiful and functional.

The redevelopment of Queens Quay is one of the sub-projects from the 2006 award-winning Toronto Central Waterfront Master Plan. Designed by West 8 in collaboration with DTAH and developed by Waterfront Toronto, this 1.7km (2 mile) waterfront boulevard was officially opened in June 2015.

The reconstruction of Queen Quay noticeably reorganized traffic: reducing the number of lanes of traffic on the street from four to two, placing a dedicated Light Rail Transit (LRT) Corridor in the middle, and adding wider granite sidewalks on both sides of the street. The Martin Goodman Trail (a multi-use recreational trail along the waterfront) has been extended and now runs along the broad south side of the street.

The generous pedestrian sidewalk, equally on the south side, includes a double row of 240 trees. All trees are planted inside a silva cell, a hollow frame that contains a generous amount of soil for the tree while supporting the weight of the pavement above. Built-in irrigation channels in the pavement steer rainwater to the trees’ roots and then the overflow into the sewer system.