PATH (Toronto)


PATH is a network of underground pedestrian tunnels, elevated walkways, and at-grade walkways connecting the office towers of Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It connects more than 70 buildings via of tunnels, walkways, and shopping areas. According to Guinness World Records, PATH is the largest underground shopping complex in the world with of retail space which includes over 1,200 retail fronts. As of 2016, over 200,000 residents and workers use the PATH daily with the number of private dwellings within walking distance at 30,115
The PATH network's northerly point is the Toronto Coach Terminal at Dundas Street and Bay Street, while its southerly point is Waterpark Place on Queens Quay. Its main north-south axes of walkways generally parallel Yonge and Bay Streets, while its main east-west axis parallels King Street.
There is continuous expansion of the PATH system around Union Station. Two towers are being built as part of CIBC Square and will be linked to the PATH, and extending the PATH to the east to cross over Yonge Street by a pedestrian bridge into the Backstage Condominium building, giving closed access to Union Station, Scotiabank Arena, and other buildings in the Financial District.

History

Early pedestrian tunnels

In 1900, the Eaton's department store constructed a tunnel underneath James Street, allowing shoppers to walk between the Eaton's main store at Yonge and Queen streets and the Eaton's Annex located behind the City Hall. It was the first underground pedestrian pathway in Toronto, and is often credited as a historic precursor to the current PATH network. The original Eaton's tunnel is still in use as part of the PATH system, although today it connects the Toronto Eaton Centre to the Bell Trinity Square office complex, on the site of the former Annex building.
Another original underground linkage, built in 1927 to connect Union Station and the Royal York Hotel, remained an integral part of the PATH network for many years until it was replaced by a newer connection between the Royal York Hotel and Royal Bank Plaza, which continues onward to Union Station.

Expansion

The network of underground walkways expanded under city planner Matthew Lawson in the 1960s. Toronto's downtown sidewalks were overcrowded, and new office towers were removing the much-needed small businesses from the streets. Lawson thus convinced several important developers to construct underground malls, pledging that they would eventually be linked. The designers of the Toronto-Dominion Centre, the first of Toronto's major urban developments in the 1960s were the first to include underground shopping in their complex, with the possibility of future expansion built in. The city originally helped fund the construction, but with the election of a reform city council this ended. The reformers disliked the underground system based on Jane Jacobs' notion that an active street life was important to keeping cities and neighbourhoods vital and consumers should be encouraged to shop on street level stores rather than in malls ; however, the system continued to grow, as developers bowed to their tenants' wishes and connected their buildings to the system. This also converted low-valued basements into some of the most valuable retail space in the country.
The next expansion of the network occurred in the early 1970s with the construction and underground connection of the Richmond-Adelaide Centre office tower with the Sheraton Centre hotel complex.

21st century

Construction of the PATH tunnel north from Scotia Plaza through the Bay Adelaide Centre started in fall 2007. Completion of this section closed the last remaining gap in the north-south route through PATH that parallels Yonge Street, thus eliminating the need to double back from Bay Street to get between buildings located on the eastern edge of PATH.
In 2011, the City of Toronto released a long-term expansion plan for the PATH, developed by Urban Strategies Inc. As part of the expansion plan there will be 45 new entry points, and the walkway expanded to as long as 60 kilometres when changes are completed.
In August 2014, a major southward expansion of the PATH network brought it closer to the Toronto waterfront, with the opening of a covered pedestrian bridge connecting Scotiabank Arena south to WaterPark Place on Queens Quay.
The city of Toronto is constructing a 300-metre, CAD$65 million tunnel connecting Union Station to Wellington Street, the first publicly owned segment of the PATH subterranean shopping district. Toronto planners have begun work to guide future PATH development and ensure PATH link construction is included in basement levels of key new buildings.
The area was particularly hard-hit during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto, with BNN Bloomberg calling the area a "ghost town." The pedestrian system's narrow halls in some locations were noted as a particular challenge, even once downtown employees returned to work. The Toronto Financial District Business Improvement Area has planned various movement modifications to the space, for future use.

Design

PATH provides an important contribution to the economic viability of the city's downtown core, and is also used to supplement sidewalk capacity in downtown Toronto. The system facilitates pedestrian linkages to public transit, accommodating more than 200,000 daily commuters, and thousands of additional tourists and residents en route to sports and cultural events. Its underground location provides pedestrians with a safe haven from the winter cold and snow, alongside the summer heat and humidity.

Coordination and signage

In 1987, City Council adopted a unified wayfinding system throughout the network. The design firms Gottschalk+Ash International and Muller Design Associates were hired to design and implement the overall system in consultation with a diverse group of land owners, City staff and stakeholders. A colour-coded system with directional cues was deployed in the early 1990s. Within the various buildings, pedestrians can find a PATH system map, plus cardinal directions for south, A for west, T for north, H on ceiling signs at selected junctions.
The signage can be hard to find inside some of the various connected buildings. Building owners concerned about losing customers to neighbouring buildings insisted any signage not dominate their buildings, or their own signage system. The city relented and the result is the current system. Many complain the system is hard to navigate.

Connected facilities

More than 50 buildings or office towers are connected through the PATH system. It comprises twenty parking garages, five subway stations, two major department stores, two major shopping centres, six major hotels, and a railway terminal. The CN Tower, Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, and Rogers Centre are connected via an enclosed elevated walkway, called the SkyWalk, from Union Station, although the walkway does not have indoor connections to these attractions.
to Sun Life Centre.