Path (stylized as PATH) is a network of underground pedestrian tunnels, elevated walkways, and at-grade walkways connecting the office towers of Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It connects more than 70 buildings via of tunnels, walkways, and shopping areas. According to Guinness World Records, Path as of 2016 was the largest underground shopping complex in the world, with of retail space which includes over 1,200 retail fronts. In 2023, it was surpassed in length by Reso in Montreal. As of 2016, over 200,000 residents and workers use the Path system daily with the number of private dwellings within walking distance at 30,115. As part of the expansion plan, there will be 45 new entry points and the walkway will be as long as when changes are completed.

In August 2014, a major southward expansion of the Path network brought it closer to the Toronto waterfront, with the opening of a covered pedestrian bridge connecting Scotiabank Arena south to RBC WaterPark Place on Queens Quay (crossing the Lake Shore Boulevard / Gardiner Expressway corridor and Harbour Street).

The City of Toronto constructed a , $65-million tunnel connecting Union Station to Wellington Street Toronto planners have begun work to guide future Path development and ensure Path construction is included in basement levels of key new buildings.

The network was hit particularly hard during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto, with Bloomberg News calling the area a "ghost town". The pedestrian system's narrow halls in some locations were noted as a particular challenge, even after employees returned to downtown offices. The Toronto Financial District Business Improvement Area has planned various movement modifications to the space.

In early November 2020, a connection was opened between the Maple Leaf Square complex (via the basement-level Longo's supermarket) and ÏCE Condominiums at York Centre. On December 5, 2020, the new Union Station Bus Terminal was opened within the new CIBC Square complex and connected via a skywalk to the Scotiabank Arena. In 2024, the newly built TD Terrace at 160 Front St West included a Path connection to Simcoe Place (200 Front Street West).

Design and wayfinding

Path provides an important contribution to the economic viability of the city's downtown core and is also used to supplement sidewalk capacity in downtown Toronto. The system facilitates pedestrian linkages to public transit, accommodating more than 200,000 daily commuters and thousands of additional tourists and residents en route to sports and cultural events. Its underground nature provides pedestrians with a safe haven from the winter cold and snow, as well as relief from the summer heat and humidity.

Signage and navigation tools

thumb|Previous-generation directional signage for Path. Signs used a colour-coded system, with different colours representing different [[cardinal directions.]]

In 1987, City Council adopted a unified wayfinding system throughout the network. The design firms Gottschalk+Ash International and Muller Design Associates were hired to design and implement the overall system in consultation with a diverse group of land owners, City staff and stakeholders. A colour-coded system with directional cues was deployed in the early 1990s. Within the various buildings, pedestrians can find a Path system map, plus cardinal directions (red for south, orange for west, blue for north, yellow for east) on ceiling signs at selected junctions. These same colours are also used in the Path logo.

The signage can be hard to find inside some of the various connected buildings. Building owners concerned about losing customers to neighbouring buildings insisted any signage not dominate their buildings or their own signage system. The city relented and the result is the current system. Many complain the system is hard to navigate.

thumb|A Path sign circa 2018. Current-generation Path signs list neighbourhoods and landmark destinations to speed navigation.

In 2016, the Toronto Financial District Business Improvement Area (FDBIA) and City of Toronto began study of updating Path signage and maps to make navigation easier. In 2018, Steer Davies Gleave completed design of a new wayfinding system that is still used today. This system was rolled out in some buildings in 2018. In 2024, the FDBIA completed a comprehensive update of all existing Path installations that brought this system to all buildings with Path installations.

The new system no longer uses the colour-coded compass system and refers to neighbourhoods and landmarks instead. The system also integrates with TO360, Toronto’s neighbourhood mapping and wayfinding system.

Over the years, a number of online tools have been developed to aid navigating the pedestrian network. These typically consist of interactive maps, routes, and helpful photographs.

Connected facilities

More than 50 buildings or office towers are connected through the Path system. It comprises twenty parking garages, five subway stations, two major department stores, two major shopping centres, six major hotels, and a railway terminal. The CN Tower, Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, and Rogers Centre are connected via an enclosed elevated walkway, called the SkyWalk, from Union Station, although the walkway does not have indoor connections to these attractions.

thumb|Path walkway under the Gardiner Expressway and over Lake Shore Boulevard

thumb|An elevated portion of Path, the SkyWalk, connects Union Station to several attractions south of the station.

thumb|right|Lobby of the [[Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel|Sheraton Centre Hotel Toronto before renovation; the entrance to Path is at bottom left.]]

  • 1 King Street West
  • 1 Queen Street East
  • 1 York
  • 10 Dundas East
  • 16 York
  • 145 King Street West
  • 200 King Street West
  • 150 York
  • 2 Queen Street East
  • 19 Grand Trunk
  • 22 Front Street West
  • 25 Lower Simcoe
  • 55 University
  • Atrium on Bay
  • Bay Adelaide Centre
  • Bell Trinity Square
  • Brookfield Place
  • Canadian Broadcasting Centre
  • CIBC Square
  • Citibank Place
  • Commerce Court
  • DBRS Tower
  • Delta Toronto Hotel
  • Design Exchange
  • Dundee Place
  • Exchange Tower
  • EY Tower
  • Fairmont Royal York
  • Federal Building
  • First Canadian Place
  • Four Seasons Centre
  • Harbour Plaza Residences
  • Hilton Hotel
  • Hockey Hall of Fame
  • The former Hudson's Bay Queen Street building
  • ÏCE Condominiums at York Centre
  • InterContinental Toronto Centre
  • Maple Leaf Square
  • MetLife Place
  • Metro Hall
  • Metro Toronto Convention Centre
  • Munich Re Centre
  • RBC Centre
  • RBC WaterPark Place
  • Richmond-Adelaide Centre
  • Ritz-Carlton Toronto
  • Roy Thomson Hall
  • Royal Bank Plaza
  • Sankofa Square
  • Scotia Plaza
  • Scotiabank Arena
  • Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel
  • Simcoe Place
  • Southcore Financial Centre
  • Sun Life Centre
  • TD Terrace
  • Telus Harbour
  • Thomson Building
  • Toronto City Hall
  • Toronto Coach Terminal
  • Toronto-Dominion Centre
  • Toronto Eaton Centre
  • Toronto subway stations:
  • TMU station
  • Queen station
  • King station
  • Union station
  • St. Andrew station
  • Union Station
  • Union Station Bus Terminal
  • Victory Building
  • Waterpark Place
  • Yonge–Richmond Centre

See also

  • Edmonton Pedway, a similar skywalk system in Edmonton
  • Plus 15, a similar skywalk system in Calgary
  • RÉSO, the similar underground city system in Montreal
  • Chicago Pedway, a similar skywalk system in Chicago

References

  • FDBIA Path website