8/13/2019 Why U of T Needs a River
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Hed: Imagine U of T with a river again Dek: campuses usually
have water, and a U of T waterway would make studying
easier,beautify campus, and be a part of learningImage caption: U
of Ts motto is Like a tree through the ages. And where do the
treesgrow best? Near water.
Oxford has the ___. Cambridge has the ______. And their
new-world knock-offs Harvard,Yale, ___: all are beside rivers.
Waterways are part of the classic campus built form, a livingsymbol
for scholarly continuity, students flowing in, flowing through,
knowledge flowing out.
When it was founded in 18__ U of T was in fact deliberately
located beside a river, TaddleCreek, which flowed southward through
the centre of campus down to the lake. It even feda marshy pond
near where Hart House is now located. The Taddle still flows, but
belowground: since ___ they have been sunk beneath the ground and
channelled throughconcrete pipeways for flood control and land-use
reasons. Evidence of Taddle Creekremains in the shape of the
winding walkway known as Philosophers Walk (the creek flows
beneath it and the ditch to the east side of PW is one of the
lowest spots on campus), andthe pond lives on where a triangle of
concrete filled it in at Wellsely and Avenue. The pondis the reason
the street curves so much; it used to go around it.
U of T could bring the Taddle back; or build a ______. There is
a growing body of evidenceshows that proximity to water improves
the emotional and physical well-being of individuals
and students are some of the ______. A walk down to the river
would be a welcome breakfrom a cram session. And think of the
winter skating. Furthermore, there is the chance forthe university
to allow students to integrate a waterway into their studies in
biology, ecology,engineering, forestry, even literature (a
re-creation of the mythological crossing of the RiverStyx?). If the
university is going to spend $12 million to replace a natural lawn
with artificial
turf, it would be nice to see them invest in restoration or
recreation of a natural habitat thatis currently absent from
campus. Not an ___ challenge, waterway restorations
havesuccessfully been completed _______.
But until _____, even in the absence of natural flowing water,
hydrophilic students can stillenjoy the access to water at the
courtyard of the Bahen Centre, which has a wonderful poolof water
and a cascading waterfall. Though wedged into a ____ corner behind
differentbuildings, the space is serene and to make you feel like
you are chilling in a cottagewatering hole that has gotten lost in
the city. (Cool fact: the three concrete silos here areused for
collecting rainwater.)
