The Time Is Now and the Opportunity Is Gold! Calling on Waterfront Toronto to Lead Us to a People-First, Cars-Last Urban Future
Tonight, Waterfront Toronto is hosting a public meeting to collect feedback for their recent release of a new design scheme that reflects the proposed density increase for Villiers Island. While the focus of the meeting is the density, it is another aspect of the plan that additional attention and consideration should be drawn to. Credit: […]
Incremental Urbanism in Mexico City
Written by: Misha Bereznyak I’m recently back from a visit to Mexico City, and was wondering what we in Toronto can learn from it. As the housing shortage in Toronto has reached a crisis level, the question of density and intensification has become more acute than ever. Of course, Mexico City is so much larger […]
A New Tall Neighbourhood with Old City Charm
Prepared for: Korea Land & Housing CorporationLocation: Seoul, South KoreaScale: Master Plan Size: 120 acres Transit: Metro, Bus Units: 9,500 Project Duration: 2024- High-rise, high-density neighbourhoods allow us to accommodate the density that our cities need in order to provide robust urban infrastructure, diverse services and thriving commercial centres and to support sustainable growth. Unfortunately, […]
Kissing Many Toads Before Finding the Prince: Office Conversion
A proposed plan to convert an office building to affordable housing Major cities across Canada and the US are facing 3 significant challenges: a massive housing shortage, excessive greenhouse gas emissions from new developments, and an oversupply of office spaces. Toronto, for instance, closed out 2023 with a surplus of 2.7 million square feet […]
Our Urban Design Roundtables
Urban Design Roundtable Series Play Environments and Streets for Kids: Design Strategies We’ll learn about key strategies for creating child-focused streets, explore the connection between independent play, mobility, and children’s holistic development in suburban environments, and discuss research-based strategies for designing public play environments that promote health and happiness for people of all ages. June […]
More than Letter Swaps: how to shift from TODs to TOCs? By Scaling Down
Transit Oriented Developments (TOD) were initially introduced to optimize land use around transit nodes, creating a model for transportation and land use integration. These developments are situated near higher-order transit, with streets mainly lined with mid-rise and high-rise buildings. They offer a mix of uses, public spaces, and amenities, undoubtedly aiding the shift away from […]
The Story of Rental Apartments in Toronto
The ongoing discourse around rental housing, propelled by a chorus of professional experts, policymakers, and advocates, happens in response to past choices, from rent control measures to the imperative of rental replacement, the risk-averse structure construction is financed today, and of course, the recent announcement by the federal government of GST rebate for new purpose-built […]
Due Diligence and Acquisition Checklist
Success in real estate acquisition starts with thorough preparation. Our Due Diligence & Acquisition Checklist, meticulously crafted to address the specific considerations of reviewing development sites. Our checklist covers environmental, zoning, and historical considerations that impact the development potential of the site. Sounds like a great tool? It is! Download it here: Here are […]
Infill Opportunities in Affordable Housing
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Our Urban Design Roundtables
Urban Design Roundtable Series Winter Cities: Planning & Design Embrace the magic of winter and discover the secrets to creating vibrant, functional, and beautiful winter cities. We will cover key principles and innovative strategies for making cities come alive during the colder months, learning from 3 other (colder) Canadian cities: Montreal, Winnipeg, Edmonton. Our expert […]