Alumnus Tye Farrow (BArch 1987) has designed a bold solution to help address the need for more affordable housing in Toronto — and the Bloor Viaduct, one of city’s most iconic bridges, is at the heart of his plan.

His proposal would transform the bridge from a single-use function into a multi-use one. In addition to connecting the neighbourhoods west of the Don Valley Ravine with those to the east, the bridge could providing places to live, places to play, and places to work and shop — and be a popular tourist destination to boot. Dave LeBlanc recently wrote about Farrow’s Living Bridges idea in the Globe and Mail.

"There are few government-owned or low-cost sites in the city’s core available for development," writes Farrow in his proposal for Living Bridges [PDF]. "The quest to identify economical sites that are near public transit as well as suitable for quick construction will require innovative thinking and bold action."

Key to the building's affordability is the use of a new type of inexpensive material — metal-strengthened plywood, now being developed by a company called GRIP Metal. Made of “thin sheets of metal with microhooks between the plies of wood,” the plywood can be formed into cylinders, built off-site, to create individual units.

“Can we dream that big again?” writes LeBlanc. “Can we spike the water with 1960s Kool-Aid?” He is not the only one interested in this bold idea for the Bloor Viaduct. The proposal has been also covered by the Toronto Star, BlogTO, Daily Hive, Salus, and Vancouver Roundhouse Radio. He will be presenting the design idea at the inaugural Healthy City Design 2017 International Congress in the UK in the Fall.

Visit Farrow’s website to read his full proposal [PDF] for Living Bridges.