For all it success, Toronto — the built city of Toronto — offers little. The neighbourhoods have their charms, but the main streets can be brutal. Even the liveliest are lined by little more than modest, often plain, two- and three-storey boxes of retail at grade, residential above. Generally speaking, boxes from the 19th century through to the 1920s and ’30s are the most architectural. That’s why older streets — King, Queen, College, etc. — are most sought after, Bayview and Mount Pleasant less so.

The one big advantage of the box is its endless flexibility. Every decade, it seems, let alone every generation, remakes these humble structures in accordance with its own tastes and desires.

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Danforth Ave. is no exception; though it has moments of grandeur, it is a dull and dreary artery saved only by stretches of unexpected vitality. The most obvious, Greektown, extends east along the Danforth from Broadview all the way to Pape, where it ends with surprising abruptness. Though pockets of activity can still be found, the further east you go along Danforth, the less appealing things become.

By the time you reach Canadian Tire at Main St. and the Target at Victoria Park Ave., Danforth is one of those leftover spaces that occur in cities, necessary but not wanted.

On the other hand, the subway that runs along Danforth should have brought growth — perhaps gentrification — with it. Isn’t that one of the reasons we suddenly all want underground transit so badly?

Interestingly, the subway seems to have had almost no impact on the Danforth; the building stock remains largely what it was decades ago. Usage has changed, but development has not happened except in the form of the odd infill project. The under-visited Chester station east of Broadview was considered for closing several years ago to save money.

There are specific reasons for this lack of investment; many to do with under-the-radar issues such as minimum parking requirements, height restrictions, emergency regulations and building codes. The result is that Danforth has never had the density it needs to sustain street life from end to end. On this major artery, three storeys is tall. Yet a road so wide — four to six lanes — could accommodate six to eight floors without problem.

As it is, Danforth is surrounded, north and couth, by lowrise neighbourhoods made up of small postwar houses.

One doesn’t dare suggest it, but perhaps Danforth would be better served by a streetcar — make that LRT. It might help knit the street into a more of a coherent entity and urban feature. A streetcar might also help bring down the invisible yet rigid boundaries that separate the various stretches of Danforth. Clearly, the subway hasn’t managed that.

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Still, for the organizers of the Danforth East Community Association, now actively seeking to “gentrify” the area between Greenwood and Main, the future looks good. Despite a serious problem with deadbeat landlords and bad development, the market has spoken. The renovators have arrived and the East End will keep them busy for decades to come.

The lesson lies in the relationship between transit and zoning; to keep everything the same regardless of the addition of, say, a subway, makes no sense. To unlock the huge potential of Danforth Ave. means the city must open it up to midrise development and higher, actually building over subway stations and creating densities that will enable the street to flourish.

The landscape of Danforth Ave. is one of conflicting priorities, missed opportunities and changing demands. It succeeds despite what it is, not because of it.