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.)

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    How much cooler would the campus be if there was a body of water? Ive had dreams aboutthis.