Until now, revitalization work on Toronto’s waterfront has largely focused on overcoming a series of immediate visual and physical barriers to allow direct views to the water, and direct walking access along the shoreline. In the most memorable water cities, however, the effect of the waterfront stretches far deeper than the shoreline. In these cities there exist places, atmospheres and experiences that, while not directly located on the water, are charged with a strong sense of water culture.

From this perspective, the ‘Lake Effect’ calls for the indirect aspects of the waterfront experience to extend further into the fabric of the city, defining the urban experience. We open this investigation to the public to test our hypothesis, explore and identify a number of Toronto’s potential experiences that remind us we are, after all, a waterfront city – even in places where we cannot actually see the water. A wall of stories facing a topographic model of the city invites speculation about the many layers of indirect access to water in Toronto – beginning a conversation about an expanded experience of the waterfront in the city.

How can Toronto bring more subtle and indirect aspects of the water experience deeper inland, enhancing our claim as a true water city?

Speculation about forms of indirect access to the Lake begin a dialogue about what constitutes an expanded experience of the waterfront in the city. For Toronto, what are the phenomena of the ‘Lake Effect’ and what are their potential spatial experiences? Can we amplify them? Can the city broaden its realms of access with new layers of collective experience that are related, both directly and indirectly, to the Lake?

The first step toward expanding water access in Toronto is to deepen our awareness of places in the city where we have a latent sense of our relationship to the water. Indirect water experiences may relate to climate, to culture, to personal anecdotes or built form – all imaginable expressions of water access are up for exploration.

The exhibition aims to start a conversation about the next tier of Toronto’s water-related experiences – those which are not directly on the water and yet are linked to it as a source. The topographic model provides a new perspective of the city shaped by the forces of water and urban settlement. The stories relate to distinct places, atmospheres, and water-related phenomena in Toronto – experiences that are rooted in the geography of the city and its position on the shores of Lake Ontario.