One small step for a pedestrian; one giant leap for Toronto. After more than a decade of trying, this is the week the city will finally close sections of several streets to cars and trucks. These two designated pedestrian zones — on the campuses of Ryerson and the University of Toronto — will change the neighbourhoods and the way they are used.

The big move comes at the corner of Gould and Victoria, which has been shut to traffic to create the main drag Ryerson never had. Though Gould won’t be closed at Yonge, the new pedestrian zone begins metres east at O’Keefe Lane and stretches almost to Church. Victoria is now closed south of Gould almost to Dundas.

At the U of T, Willcocks between St. George and Huron is also off-limits to traffic.

Bright and early Tuesday morning, crews showed up at Ryerson with a truckload of large plastic planters. They then began arranging them around the site to keep cars out but let pedestrians in. Sometime later this week, dozens of tables and chairs will arrive, along with a few umbrellas.

Total cost of materials on both locations is less than $100,000, which makes this just about the cheapest form of urban revitalization going.

“We began this about 13 years ago,” explains Ryerson vice-president of administration and finance, Linda Grayson. “Everything came together at the end. It was unstoppable, thank goodness. Shortly after we started the process, it got put on hold for the redevelopment of Yonge and Dundas. Originally, we wanted Gould open between Yonge and Church, but we decided against that because it’s better to keep everyone happy.”

Though it remains to be seen how the new space will work out, it’s hard to believe both won’t be successful, especially at Ryerson. This is the campus that has occupies a location in the heart of the city — but invisibly. Thousands of students cross Gould every day, yet until Tuesday, they did so at their own peril.

Though safety is a major factor, this move goes beyond that. Ultimately, it is a statement about the nature of the city and the public realm. It affirms Toronto’s growing understanding that streets aren’t just a way to get from A to B, but destinations in their own right.

This commitment to such an urban ideal couldn’t be more welcome or, to be frank, come at a better time. Given the city’s slide into darkness, this move reminds that not all is doom and gloom, and that, yes, things take forever here, but that flashes of enlightenment do emanate from city hall every so often.

At a time when we are being told over and over that Toronto is broke, the city is bankrupt, it’s worth paying attention to a program that costs so little and affects so many.

It resembles those projects in New York where downtown streets have been pedestrianized with not much more than a few cans of paint and some of the same ever-handy planters.

“The plan is for everything to be done by the end of the week,” says the city’s Mark van Elsberg. “It’s a joint venture with the universities. We provide planters, chairs and tables; they provide plant material and maintenance.”

The next few weeks and months will be interesting as students get accustomed to new ways of doing things. But that should be easy; the hard part will be unlearning the habits acquired in a city where for decades the car has driven the agenda.

Christopher Hume can be reached at chume@thestar.ca