Bloorcourt: A study in the perfect 'hood
I never really understood the whole neighbourhood pride of Toronto growing up. I loved the whole city. Yeah I am proud to be from the West End but I love the beaches in the East, the bustle downtown and the space and views from the North. What was great about Toronto was that we had access to it all.
However, since moving back to the city I have fallen completely and totally in love with my new neighbourhood. To me, Bloorcourt represents the best of everything Toronto has to offer and remains one of the most underrated neighbourhoods in the city.
Often called one of Toronto's most diverse neighbourhood, Bloorcourt represents about a ten block radius along Bloor between Christie Pits Park and Dufferin Street. Its filled with Ethiopian, Nicaraguan, Greek and Indian restaurants, hip bars that make it on Top Ten lists and local boutiques. Close to Little Italy, Little Portugal and Koreatown and a long standing hub for immigrants families, Bloorcourt is a place that feels very representative of the greater Toronto population.
Like many other Toronto neighbourhoods housing pressures downtown have begun to drive up local prices and the demographics of the area have become increasingly Caucasian. However unlike nearby Annex, Bloorcourt seems to managing the change and preventing outright gentrification: the streetscape is still primarily local businesses and immigrant families do still make up the bulk of the residents, just now they live alongside young Caucasian families, students and young professionals. Also, despite the increase in housing prices in the area Bloorcourt is still home to a number of shelters that have become just as vital part of the landscape as other local business.
One big changes has been how the rest of Toronto views the area. When I first mentioned where I was moving a lot of people where either like "wtf, where is that?" or " oh is that safe now?". Bloorcourt, had a history of being less safe neighbourhood, especially around Ossington which had a history of gang violence. Now Bloorcourt is more commonly associated with the plethora of restaurants that make it onto BlogTO lists or by the abundance of parks.
To me, Bloorcourt is a love song about all things that make Toronto great. On any given Saturday I can chat with the Greek owner of my favourite coffee shops where I stop on my way to the public library, on the way back I will buy beautiful flowers from a Chinese-Canadaian owned convenience store, grab a second hand book, vintage dress or all natural bath bomb at one of the many boutiques and grab take out Indian from Banjara which I will then eat in Christie Pits park surrounded by guys playing basketball, kids learning to ride bikes and adults doing Ta Chi.
After work, I bike home using the bike lanes along Bloor and Harbord, pass people-filled patios and grab ramen for dinner.
My other favourite thing about the area, which is a favourite of mine in Toronto in general, is that steps away from the bustle of Bloor are tiny, tree clad streets filled with semi-detached houses with porches. Taking refuge in the shade of these streets you forget you are only a handful of subway stops from downtown. New York City may have red brick, Georgetown as brownstones and Montreal has walk-ups but to me nothing is more beautiful than a Toronto Victorian semi-detached.
Bloorcourt is a place where being a bank teller requires you to be tri-lingual, where streets close down for entire days so neighbours can have block parties. There is a Tim Hortons but there is still no Starbucks in sight. For drinks, you can have $15 hand made cocktail at Civil Liberties or a $5 beer at one of the many local bars that go ham for their team during FIFA. For food I can walk to one of three (!) local butchers, an institution that feels increasingly like its just a fairytale, fill at my mason jars at the local bulk food store or buy gourmet cupcakes at Baker Bots. There is an old school barber shop and one of the best hairdressers in the city within walking distance.
And, unlike Toronto in many cases, these differing businesses or residents of the area don't bicker; they don't compete for supremacy. Old residents don't blame new ones for rising prices and new businesses don't try to run out old ones. In fact, the Bloorcourt BIA has a specific program in place to pay homage for business owners who have been in the area for 25+ years to thank these people for making the area what it is today. Called the Rosina Project, the BIA places plaques on the building documenting the owners name and year of establishment. These businesses and plaques are also highlighted in the area's two Jane Walks, sending a message that loyalty and community are valued around here.
Well I am not so naive as to believe there is such thing as the perfect neighbourhood, to me Bloorcourt is about as perfect as it gets. Having "been on the up" since the early 2000s residents and city councillors were able to learn from the mistakes of other nearby neighbourhoods and fight to prevent them. It gives hope that it is possible to be a rising neighbourhood close to downtown without having to lose all sense of history and tradition in the area.
It is high rise and low-rise. Greenery and concrete. Equal parts beat up bikes and dusty Beamers. It's trendy new restaurants and family institutions, graffitied alleyways and pristine parks.
Once considered an area in transition I think it is safe to say Bloorcourt has arrived and arrived in style.
The Analysis: How does Bloorcourt shape up in terms of urban beauty? To fully understand these metrics refer to this post.
However, since moving back to the city I have fallen completely and totally in love with my new neighbourhood. To me, Bloorcourt represents the best of everything Toronto has to offer and remains one of the most underrated neighbourhoods in the city.
Often called one of Toronto's most diverse neighbourhood, Bloorcourt represents about a ten block radius along Bloor between Christie Pits Park and Dufferin Street. Its filled with Ethiopian, Nicaraguan, Greek and Indian restaurants, hip bars that make it on Top Ten lists and local boutiques. Close to Little Italy, Little Portugal and Koreatown and a long standing hub for immigrants families, Bloorcourt is a place that feels very representative of the greater Toronto population.
Like many other Toronto neighbourhoods housing pressures downtown have begun to drive up local prices and the demographics of the area have become increasingly Caucasian. However unlike nearby Annex, Bloorcourt seems to managing the change and preventing outright gentrification: the streetscape is still primarily local businesses and immigrant families do still make up the bulk of the residents, just now they live alongside young Caucasian families, students and young professionals. Also, despite the increase in housing prices in the area Bloorcourt is still home to a number of shelters that have become just as vital part of the landscape as other local business.
One big changes has been how the rest of Toronto views the area. When I first mentioned where I was moving a lot of people where either like "wtf, where is that?" or " oh is that safe now?". Bloorcourt, had a history of being less safe neighbourhood, especially around Ossington which had a history of gang violence. Now Bloorcourt is more commonly associated with the plethora of restaurants that make it onto BlogTO lists or by the abundance of parks.
To me, Bloorcourt is a love song about all things that make Toronto great. On any given Saturday I can chat with the Greek owner of my favourite coffee shops where I stop on my way to the public library, on the way back I will buy beautiful flowers from a Chinese-Canadaian owned convenience store, grab a second hand book, vintage dress or all natural bath bomb at one of the many boutiques and grab take out Indian from Banjara which I will then eat in Christie Pits park surrounded by guys playing basketball, kids learning to ride bikes and adults doing Ta Chi.
After work, I bike home using the bike lanes along Bloor and Harbord, pass people-filled patios and grab ramen for dinner.
My other favourite thing about the area, which is a favourite of mine in Toronto in general, is that steps away from the bustle of Bloor are tiny, tree clad streets filled with semi-detached houses with porches. Taking refuge in the shade of these streets you forget you are only a handful of subway stops from downtown. New York City may have red brick, Georgetown as brownstones and Montreal has walk-ups but to me nothing is more beautiful than a Toronto Victorian semi-detached.
Bloorcourt is a place where being a bank teller requires you to be tri-lingual, where streets close down for entire days so neighbours can have block parties. There is a Tim Hortons but there is still no Starbucks in sight. For drinks, you can have $15 hand made cocktail at Civil Liberties or a $5 beer at one of the many local bars that go ham for their team during FIFA. For food I can walk to one of three (!) local butchers, an institution that feels increasingly like its just a fairytale, fill at my mason jars at the local bulk food store or buy gourmet cupcakes at Baker Bots. There is an old school barber shop and one of the best hairdressers in the city within walking distance.
And, unlike Toronto in many cases, these differing businesses or residents of the area don't bicker; they don't compete for supremacy. Old residents don't blame new ones for rising prices and new businesses don't try to run out old ones. In fact, the Bloorcourt BIA has a specific program in place to pay homage for business owners who have been in the area for 25+ years to thank these people for making the area what it is today. Called the Rosina Project, the BIA places plaques on the building documenting the owners name and year of establishment. These businesses and plaques are also highlighted in the area's two Jane Walks, sending a message that loyalty and community are valued around here.
Well I am not so naive as to believe there is such thing as the perfect neighbourhood, to me Bloorcourt is about as perfect as it gets. Having "been on the up" since the early 2000s residents and city councillors were able to learn from the mistakes of other nearby neighbourhoods and fight to prevent them. It gives hope that it is possible to be a rising neighbourhood close to downtown without having to lose all sense of history and tradition in the area.
Once considered an area in transition I think it is safe to say Bloorcourt has arrived and arrived in style.
The Analysis: How does Bloorcourt shape up in terms of urban beauty? To fully understand these metrics refer to this post.
- Order: 6/10. The streetscape along Bloor is mostly two stories but there is still a lot of height variance. The buildings change from traditional brick to concrete bunkers, giving a sense of haphazardness to the design.
- Visible life: 9/10. This is a happening place. There are always people on the streets, in the restaurants and stores and the there is a quite a bit of diversity in the patrons of local businesses. There is some outdoor seatings but the area could probably benefit from more benches
- Compactness: 10/10. It is a pretty compact area, there is really no wasted space and the mix of houses and apartment buildings means there is a good balance of density
- Orientation and mystery: 6/10. For the most part Bloorcourt is Bloor Street meaning there is no mystery to the area. It also matches the rest of the city in that it is a pretty perfect grid layout. However little side streets and alleyways do add some sense of mystery that still makes this an interesting area to walk around.
- Scale: 8/10. The only really tall buildings in the area are apartment buildings which help with affordable housing and density, all the other buildings in the area are 2/3 floors.
- A sense of the local: 9/10. Bloorcourt really does feel like Bloorcourt. In general style it is pretty similar to other neighbourhoods along Bloor/Danforth but still in a very unique, Toronto way.
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