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The West Toronto Railpath. Bridge over Bloor Street.Dave LeBlanc

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Wildflowers in bloom along the path.Dave LeBlanc

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‘We set up a topography of things along here and tried to create a system,’ says architect James Brown of Brown + Storey Architects, who, with Scott Torrance Landscape Architect, began developing the WTR in 2006. ‘There’s something rough and beautiful about integrating into these industrial spaces.’Dave LeBlanc

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West Toronto Railpath: Pedestrian stairs from Dupont.Dave LeBlanc

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Walkers and baby strollers. To Dupont, much of the path backs onto residential Osler Street.Dave LeBlanc

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John Dickson sculpture on the path. Once over the Dupont bridge, hulking industrial buildings, such as the former Viceroy Rubber Plant, push right up against the path.Dave LeBlanc

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Another John Dickson sculpture on the path. South of Bloor, vistas open up and birdsong multiplies.Dave LeBlanc

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Designers James Brown, left, and Scott Torrance walk the rail path.Dave LeBlanc

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Scott Torrance, left, and James Brown.Dave LeBlanc

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After regrading and paving was complete, an “extremely dry, sandy soil” was brought in to match what existed; this, explains Mr. Torrance, not only makes for a low maintenance park, it discourages big, non-native plants from taking root.Scott Torrance Landscape Architect

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The rough charm of the West Toronto Railpath an exercise in ‘resilience ecology’Scott Torrance Landscape Architect

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