Julie Bogdanowicz
@jbwicz.bsky.social
Architect OAA. Senior civil servant - City of Toronto - City Planning - Urban Design. Permanent helmet head, all-season cyclist. Mother of two daughters, instantly radicalized after trying to move through the city with a stroller. All opinions my own.
I've been quietly working on the Bloor West Village Urban Design Guidelines for a few years and it was finally approved at Toronto and East York Council yesterday.
Sharing more detail details via LinkedIn, a few spreads that stood out for me, here.
www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis...
Sharing more detail details via LinkedIn, a few spreads that stood out for me, here.
www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis...
November 28, 2025 at 5:47 PM
I've been quietly working on the Bloor West Village Urban Design Guidelines for a few years and it was finally approved at Toronto and East York Council yesterday.
Sharing more detail details via LinkedIn, a few spreads that stood out for me, here.
www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis...
Sharing more detail details via LinkedIn, a few spreads that stood out for me, here.
www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis...
For @shawnmicallef.bsky.social from Guildhall (City Hall) at the City of London. A toilet map, how dignified! Innit?
October 15, 2025 at 6:20 AM
For @shawnmicallef.bsky.social from Guildhall (City Hall) at the City of London. A toilet map, how dignified! Innit?
Hello from London! Here this week with a small delegation from Toronto to attend the Urban 95 Academy at the London School of Economics. We are deepening our understanding of how to plan for children in cities. Find me on other social platforms if you’d like to learn more in long form ;)
October 14, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Hello from London! Here this week with a small delegation from Toronto to attend the Urban 95 Academy at the London School of Economics. We are deepening our understanding of how to plan for children in cities. Find me on other social platforms if you’d like to learn more in long form ;)
The wood was recycled from palettes used for construction material. It was donated by Ouroboros Deconstruction, our neighbourhood salvage shop located at Eastern / Knox Ave. They sell lumber and other recycled fixtures and are friendlier than Home Depot :) Their shop is beautiful, go say hello!
September 25, 2025 at 10:05 PM
The wood was recycled from palettes used for construction material. It was donated by Ouroboros Deconstruction, our neighbourhood salvage shop located at Eastern / Knox Ave. They sell lumber and other recycled fixtures and are friendlier than Home Depot :) Their shop is beautiful, go say hello!
The bridge features a Howe truss structure, similar to the nearby Queen Street Viaduct as well as the Sir Isaac Brock (Bathurst Street) Bridge. We were able to salvage other trusses from the bridge and they are waiting for adaptive reuse in future projects.
September 25, 2025 at 10:02 PM
The bridge features a Howe truss structure, similar to the nearby Queen Street Viaduct as well as the Sir Isaac Brock (Bathurst Street) Bridge. We were able to salvage other trusses from the bridge and they are waiting for adaptive reuse in future projects.
The bridge was removed as part of the Lower Don revitalization work because it increased flooding risks along this channelized section of the Don River. It would be an impediment to flood waters during a major storm and could come loose, causing harm downstream.
September 25, 2025 at 10:01 PM
The bridge was removed as part of the Lower Don revitalization work because it increased flooding risks along this channelized section of the Don River. It would be an impediment to flood waters during a major storm and could come loose, causing harm downstream.
The bridge was a heritage structure that tells a story about our neighbourhood’s heritage. The bridge was abandoned for 60 years. It spanned the Don River since 1932, and was abandoned just over three decades later. The pace of change in Toronto is (has always been?) staggering!
September 25, 2025 at 10:00 PM
The bridge was a heritage structure that tells a story about our neighbourhood’s heritage. The bridge was abandoned for 60 years. It spanned the Don River since 1932, and was abandoned just over three decades later. The pace of change in Toronto is (has always been?) staggering!
I was able to advocate for the salvage of trusses from the recently demolished Eastern Avenue Bridge, and the design/build came together with Paul from down the street and Etienne from a block over. Hugh’s Room has agreed to adopt them for now.
September 25, 2025 at 9:55 PM
I was able to advocate for the salvage of trusses from the recently demolished Eastern Avenue Bridge, and the design/build came together with Paul from down the street and Etienne from a block over. Hugh’s Room has agreed to adopt them for now.
I was able to advocate for the salvage of trusses from the recently demolished Eastern Avenue Bridge, and the design/build came together with Paul from down the street and Etienne from a block over. Hugh’s Room has agreed to adopt them for now.
September 25, 2025 at 9:55 PM
I was able to advocate for the salvage of trusses from the recently demolished Eastern Avenue Bridge, and the design/build came together with Paul from down the street and Etienne from a block over. Hugh’s Room has agreed to adopt them for now.
Introducing our new East Chinatown bench made entirely from salvaged materials! (bridge and wood pallets) Launched at our community block party, and baptized by teenager garbage, I’m so pleased this came together.
September 25, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Introducing our new East Chinatown bench made entirely from salvaged materials! (bridge and wood pallets) Launched at our community block party, and baptized by teenager garbage, I’m so pleased this came together.
The potluck with the mile-long table is always such a treat, meeting new neighbours - what it’s all about. Cozy movie night is a required feature demanded by my kids. Happy to share learnings if anyone is curious about how to pull this off on their block. 🙌🙏
September 24, 2025 at 4:36 PM
The potluck with the mile-long table is always such a treat, meeting new neighbours - what it’s all about. Cozy movie night is a required feature demanded by my kids. Happy to share learnings if anyone is curious about how to pull this off on their block. 🙌🙏
Huge thanks to Hugh’s Room for the AV and showcasing Siobhan Bodrug. And thx to volunteers! Luc from First Ave hosted a paper airplane workshop and Hank set up his skate park. Teddy Spins was rocking his sweet cotton candy machine, keeping sugar levels high. Elsa brought out the tarot at sunset.
September 24, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Huge thanks to Hugh’s Room for the AV and showcasing Siobhan Bodrug. And thx to volunteers! Luc from First Ave hosted a paper airplane workshop and Hank set up his skate park. Teddy Spins was rocking his sweet cotton candy machine, keeping sugar levels high. Elsa brought out the tarot at sunset.
One of the reasons I host the fest is the off chance that we radicalize kids to think about urban space in new ways: streets are for people! And banquet tables! :)
September 24, 2025 at 4:33 PM
One of the reasons I host the fest is the off chance that we radicalize kids to think about urban space in new ways: streets are for people! And banquet tables! :)
Highly recommend getting a permit to open up your block to cars. That’s a wrap on another sometimes-biennial block party! Thanks to those who joined us to celebrate our village and the super fun closure of the street for First Fest.
September 24, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Highly recommend getting a permit to open up your block to cars. That’s a wrap on another sometimes-biennial block party! Thanks to those who joined us to celebrate our village and the super fun closure of the street for First Fest.
The Guidelines were released in Draft in 2017 and approved in 2020. Let’s look back at 8 years of planning for children!
Here is a sweet example from Eva Road in Etobicoke, a project that I worked on many moons ago.
Here is a sweet example from Eva Road in Etobicoke, a project that I worked on many moons ago.
September 4, 2025 at 9:15 PM
The Guidelines were released in Draft in 2017 and approved in 2020. Let’s look back at 8 years of planning for children!
Here is a sweet example from Eva Road in Etobicoke, a project that I worked on many moons ago.
Here is a sweet example from Eva Road in Etobicoke, a project that I worked on many moons ago.
Ahoy Toronto! Biidaagie Park at the new mouth of the Don River is now open. The trees are babies, bring your own shade. The most incredible Park to open in a generation. Congrats to all involved in reaching this milestone, over the last 30 years. The best example of ambitious city building ❤️.
July 25, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Ahoy Toronto! Biidaagie Park at the new mouth of the Don River is now open. The trees are babies, bring your own shade. The most incredible Park to open in a generation. Congrats to all involved in reaching this milestone, over the last 30 years. The best example of ambitious city building ❤️.
Sweet afternoon hosting city planners here for OPPI conference. Colleagues shared collective decades of experience shaping the connective tissue that knits the waterfront.
It was a privilege to describe the 2.5km long narrative and take it in within one 3 hour gulp.
Full thread on LinkedIn….
It was a privilege to describe the 2.5km long narrative and take it in within one 3 hour gulp.
Full thread on LinkedIn….
July 11, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Sweet afternoon hosting city planners here for OPPI conference. Colleagues shared collective decades of experience shaping the connective tissue that knits the waterfront.
It was a privilege to describe the 2.5km long narrative and take it in within one 3 hour gulp.
Full thread on LinkedIn….
It was a privilege to describe the 2.5km long narrative and take it in within one 3 hour gulp.
Full thread on LinkedIn….
This isn’t the parade (yet) it’s just hundreds of people casually enjoying a non-eventful Thursday night on Toronto’s most vibrant corridor. Why can’t we keep the streets open to pedestrians all summer? We’ve seen how well it works in Montréal. Happy Pride friends♥️🌈
June 26, 2025 at 11:11 PM
This isn’t the parade (yet) it’s just hundreds of people casually enjoying a non-eventful Thursday night on Toronto’s most vibrant corridor. Why can’t we keep the streets open to pedestrians all summer? We’ve seen how well it works in Montréal. Happy Pride friends♥️🌈
Evergreen Brickworks hosted the final day, always a treat to soak in landscape and adaptive reside. It was a pleasure to see how the site continues to iterate and evolve every season. They now have these pop-up food vendor stalls. Sleek and smart. The box closes up at night.
June 13, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Evergreen Brickworks hosted the final day, always a treat to soak in landscape and adaptive reside. It was a pleasure to see how the site continues to iterate and evolve every season. They now have these pop-up food vendor stalls. Sleek and smart. The box closes up at night.
I sat on a Waterfront Panel with Tom Fox, President of the Hudson River Park, who has been advocating for decades. We might take for granted the parks along the Hudson, but that came from a long, hard fight from the grassroots level. Tom is 78, sharp as a tack, and just wrote a book on the topic!
June 13, 2025 at 4:34 PM
I sat on a Waterfront Panel with Tom Fox, President of the Hudson River Park, who has been advocating for decades. We might take for granted the parks along the Hudson, but that came from a long, hard fight from the grassroots level. Tom is 78, sharp as a tack, and just wrote a book on the topic!
I hosted a couple of brainstorming sessions, soliciting ideas about how we can animate the vacant lots on the new island (Ookwemin Minising) as we build out the new mixed-use community over the next 30 years. Thanks to those who shared blue-sky thinking. (These were the stragglers :) )
June 13, 2025 at 4:31 PM
I hosted a couple of brainstorming sessions, soliciting ideas about how we can animate the vacant lots on the new island (Ookwemin Minising) as we build out the new mixed-use community over the next 30 years. Thanks to those who shared blue-sky thinking. (These were the stragglers :) )
What an incredible gathering of inspiring pacemakers from around the world. Thank you @placemakingx.bsky.social for hosting this year’s conference in Toronto. I shared a presentation on the Don River restoration and speculated about potential Meanwhile Uses in the Port Lands.
June 13, 2025 at 4:28 PM
What an incredible gathering of inspiring pacemakers from around the world. Thank you @placemakingx.bsky.social for hosting this year’s conference in Toronto. I shared a presentation on the Don River restoration and speculated about potential Meanwhile Uses in the Port Lands.
Ps: the cherry grove at the Keating Channel Pub is in full bloom. Don’t tell the influencers, but stay for awhile and support the Pub who has been enduring the construction. Xo
May 6, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Ps: the cherry grove at the Keating Channel Pub is in full bloom. Don’t tell the influencers, but stay for awhile and support the Pub who has been enduring the construction. Xo
Councillor Fletcher along with David Stonehouse from the Waterfront Secretariat were both involved in the Bring Back the Don initiatives, decades ago. It’s a great reminder that grassroots activism can lead to big and important things.
May 6, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Councillor Fletcher along with David Stonehouse from the Waterfront Secretariat were both involved in the Bring Back the Don initiatives, decades ago. It’s a great reminder that grassroots activism can lead to big and important things.
A huge thank you to Jane’s Walk for running this annual festival through a powerful network of volunteers. Thank you for letting us share our stories across the city, helping us build community and civic engagement.
May 6, 2025 at 4:42 PM
A huge thank you to Jane’s Walk for running this annual festival through a powerful network of volunteers. Thank you for letting us share our stories across the city, helping us build community and civic engagement.