From Al Carbone’s raised middle finger to the welcoming embrace of 34 new public spaces, King St. has come a long way.

Since it was redesigned last November to prioritize transit, the road has been a battlefield. On one side are those who want things the way they were; on the other are those who prefer the street now that it serves pedestrians and TTC riders as well as drivers.

Though the former outnumber the latter, Toronto has long favoured the private vehicle over public transit. It still does, but on King the city outdid itself. And as the current car-driven chapter of its history draws to its inevitable end, Toronto is rediscovering itself.

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The results are exciting. In addition to the projects on King, there are new public spaces on Queen and Bloor streets. Though not big, they loom large. Not all have appeared yet, but will during the next few weeks, months and years. They are quite literally all over the map, but every one speaks of a new attitude based on the idea that living in Toronto can be engaging, even fun, and that its streets must be more than just a way to get from one place to another.

Little surprise, then, that despite the outcry from a handful of local business operators, the King St. pilot has awoken Torontonians’ hunger for Toronto. City hall’s traditional preoccupation with potholes and parking has now expanded to include larger issues of the urban environment, in this case, the experience of Toronto’s streets.

We all walk, of course, whether for pleasure, to get somewhere or both. On King between Jarvis and Bathurst, pedestrians now have options. They can stride or stroll, sit and stare, catch a breath or take a break, hurry past or linger without fear of loitering.

The project here, which grew out of a fear that limiting vehicular traffic would hurt business, has instead reminded Torontonians that urban life does not depend on the automobile. As data from other cities shows, it’s the opposite. Reducing the number of cars and trucks on the streets is good for business. It may be different in suburbia, where cars remain a necessity, but even that’s changing. As internationally respected planner Larry Beasley said of his recently released report, Vision Brampton, 2040, “The people are ahead of their government when it comes to a contemporary suburbanism in this particular case — which was a surprise to me to some degree.”

Torontonians are also ahead of their government. There was a telling example a few weeks ago when city council delayed a decision to redesign Yonge from Sheppard to just north of Finch. What upset the mayor and his allies was the prospect of narrowing that stretch of Yonge from six lanes to four. For some reason what’s good for King is inappropriate in “downtown” North York. Who knows why? But residents there, like those in “old” downtown, want to inhabit their neighbourhood without having to fight off drivers at every turn.

Meanwhile on Queen West, new interventions — at Ryerson and Denison avenues — are more substantial. With their raised platforms, seating areas and large steel arches, they could be stage sets, backdrops to some urban drama that unfolds, sometimes planned, sometimes not. They’re also great places to meet, sit and, on a warm day, sleep. Sponsored by the Queen West Business Improvement Area, they occupy city-owned land formerly used by parked cars. This may not sound startling, but it is. That the local BIA would support a scheme that involves reclaiming 10 on-street parking spots is a sure sign that Toronto is coming of age.

Bloor will also share in the public space renaissance; next year, construction of four parkettes will begin on that street.

Downtown Councillor Joe Cressy calls the process “radical incrementalism.” As oxymoronic as that sounds, the term is apt. Incremental because this is, after all, Toronto. Radical for the same reason.

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“This is part of a fundamental shift,” Cressy argues. “Streets are public and for people.”

Sounds so simple, but we never fail to make it difficult. Still, change has started. It frightens some, but reassures others. And though we put much faith in traditional green spaces — parks — in the long run these small interventions will probably serve more people. Scattered throughout the city’s busiest neighbourhoods, they will enrich the lives of countless Torontonians, if only momentarily.