There's no doubt that Roncesvalles Ave and the surrounding communities are rich with history. Some buildings have been around seemingly forever, there have been tracks down the street for 100 years or more and so on. But, naturally, there are also changes, big and small, that have occured through the years with the addition, removal or rennovation of buildings here or there, a change in the trees or the addition of a billboard. Rick McGinnis at blogTO seems to be doing a series of intersection histories along Roncesvalles, having started with Queen/King/Roncesvalles and then moving north to High Park (Fermanagh)/Roncesvalles.

Learning the history of our street is especially interesting as we are now talking about how to remake our street yet again. When the bloggers of 100 years from now look back at the pictures of the reconstructed Roncesvalles, what will they see? What will have changed? Roncesvalles Renewed is working hard to make sure the redesign incorporates features that will last a long time - such as trees handling stormwater - but what features will stand the test of time?

That's why there are block by block discussion threads in the Discussion forum. With room for comments here or on the Discussion board, there is ample opportunity for meaningful dialogue, something that is crucial to the successful rebuilding of our street.

We have a thread for Fermanagh, including Geoffrey and Westminster as well as a thread for Queen/King, including Harvard and Grafton. We're in the fortunate position of not having to wait 100 years to see dramatic changes; these discussion threads are a great place to talk about what we want to see in 2 years time. We know Roncesvalles will have transit platforms that go out to meet the streetcars, incorporating accessibility for everybody from the handicapped to the elderly to stroller-wielding parents - and anybody else who benefits from no stairs while boarding. After that high level detail, though, the design is still, in a sense, up in the air.

So I'll ask the qustion: what should our street look like? How should the 2011 pictures differ from the 2009 ones? What should be changed - or preserved - in your favourite block?