The Yellow Belt – Local Empowerment Gone Wild
Recently, there is finally discussion in Toronto about the Yellow Belt. This brilliant term was coined by Urban Planner Gil Meslin in 2016 to liken the severe restrictions on development in most of the area of the GTA, in all areas designated as “neighbourhoods” (coloured in yellow in the municipal official plans), to the restrictions […]
Dutch Urban Design – What can Canadian cities adopt?
Dutch Urban Design – What can Canadian cities adopt? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORvgxcLZodw&feature=emb_logo When it comes to urban design, the Dutch seem to get it right. Cities in the Netherlands are livable and vibrant. Single-family housing is not common and their streets are not designed for the car. Canadian cities experience unprecedented growth and a housing shortage at […]
7 Recommended Books about Business, Architecture and the Business of Architecture
I love love love reading about business and architecture/urban design, and really enjoy it when it combines my love for both. (Though if you know me personally you know I haven’t read a novel since high-school.) Here’s a list of the top 7 books I read in 2020 and made an impact on the way […]
An Immigrant’s Thoughts on Housing
An Immigrant’s Thoughts on Housing Happy Newcomer Day, Canada! Earlier this year, we received our Canadian Citizenship and I would like to offer some thoughts about Housing – by one of Canada’s newest citizens. In almost any large city, families who live in central areas live in condos and apartments. In fact, outside of North […]
Toronto’s Missing Middle: 11 answers to your most-pressing questions
Written by Naama Blonder | Edited by Josh Papernick In July 2019, Mayor Tory and Deputy Mayor Ana Bailao motioned to review a timeline to increase housing options and planning permissions in areas of Toronto’s Official Plan (OP) designated as Neighbourhoods. The original date to report back to Council was Q4 of 2019, however, as […]
Could COVID-19 be the best thing that happened to the traditional Open House?
Could COVID-19 be the best thing that happened to the traditional Open House? CreateTO and City Planning have held its first-ever online-only Open House yesterday, for the HousingNOW revised proposal for 705 Warden St. COVID-19 forced us to rethink and adjust many of our daily routines, and in this specific case of the Open House, […]
The Silo, Toronto Waterfront
The Silo, Toronto Waterfront How can we use the old silo site as an engine for transforming Toronto’s Waterfront? Toronto’s waterfront is been undergoing a complete revitalization, with many future projects planned and in store. The downtown waterfront contains two giant concrete silos known as the Canada Malting and Victory Soya Mills silos. These are […]
Transit Oriented Development
Main & Danforth (Community Open House Summary)
Check out our concept for the Danforth GO + Main Street Subway Pedestrian Connection This summary is meant to cover the main points regarding planning and development that were raised in the Open House, October 7, 2019, for the Area Study at Main Street and Danforth Avenue. It is not meant to provide an exhaustive summary […]
CreateTO | HousingNow – 50 Wilson Heights Blvd
This summary is meant to cover the main points regarding planning and development that were raised in the Open House, September 16, 2019, for the development application at 50 Wilson Heights Blvd led by City Staff and CreateTO. It is not meant to provide an exhaustive summary of the recent or cover public comments. About […]