CAFETO

CaféTO was a timely program born out of the COVID-19 pandemic, to help restaurants and bars in Toronto expand their outdoor dining space so that businesses were able to stay afloat and life could be enjoyed safely during the most challenging of times. These spaces were created primarily through the transformation of sidewalks and curb lanes into what we now fondly call: CaféTO patios

The 2020 and 2021 CaféTO programs saw the City of Toronto and Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) banding together to transform stretches of curb lane into patios and parklets. This collaboration provided people with safe dining experiences while maintaining the necessary infrastructure for safe vehicular and active transportation movement.

CaféTO demonstrates dynamic use of curbside spaces, quick adaption to demand and priorities, as well as creative investment in resilient places that a city can achieve by working with multidisciplinary teams to safely plan, engineer, design and implement initiatives.

CaféTO represents an effective framework for pandemic planning, but it is so much more than that. When we needed it the most, CaféTO provided the city we love with—safe and inviting spaces to continue to live, work and play during a time we will never forget.