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Urban Planning Blog
Architecture and Urban Planning Blog for forward-thinking developers and innovative municipalities who want to achieve smarter density.
Is Toronto “maxed out”?
Toronto is often perceived by many as “full and dense”, with “no space left for growth”. As an architect and urban planner, I frequently hear these assertions, along with suggestions to direct growth to smaller cities that supposedly “have more room”.This perspective is fundamentally flawed.
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
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
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
Financial Incentives for Affordable Housing Part 2
Part 1 was one of our most popular blog posts ever! So we decided to update it with a part 2! Here is a selection of notable funds with a range of incentives, this article navigates through many options, highlighting some key financial pathways to
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,
My daughter’s ‘car allergy’: and why it matters for housing and city living
My 4.5-year-old daughter, asked if she’s allergic to anything, confidently says, “I’m allergic to cars.” Hilarious, right? She said that because she easily gets car-sick as we don’t drive very often. Yet, that innocent remark reflects a deeper truth about our cities and their reliance
Israel’s Kibbutz: A Model of Car-Free, Communal Living and Sustainable Urban Planning We Could All Learn From
Small communities called Kibbutzim faced atrocities during the attack by the terrorist organization Hamas on October 7, 2023. The Kibuzt is a peaceful, agricultural community, where resources are shared, not privately-owned, and decision-making is collective. All of the Kibbuztim are located within the pre-1967 border,
Observations from Warsaw
Observations from Warsaw Not a typical European city Warsaw is not a typical European city. The city was almost fully demolished in 1944 by the Germans to destroy the Polish national identity. The Poles put enormous effort into rebuilding their capital, but because of limited
My Letter to Jon Love
Dear Jon, We mostly know each other from LinkedIn, and you were a guest on my webinar series, which I am still grateful for; I appreciate the leadership you clearly demonstrated during the webinar. And that’s why, seeing a leader of your magnitude
ULI Spring Meeting
Hey, are you attending the ULI Spring Meeting? I look forward to showing you the city I love and fortunate to call ‘home’. You can catch me at either of these: WLI Presents: An Evening of Curated Conversations at ULI / Urban Design on Tuesday,
Attending your project’s Urban Design Review is worthwhile, and here’s what to do to get the most out of it
Attending your project’s Urban Design Review is worthwhile, and here’s what to do to get the most out of it Having sat through many Design Review Panels as both a presenter and panel member, I am convinced that it is one of the better parts
Is it Time to Abolish Employment Lands?
Is it Time to Abolish Employment Lands? During the COVID-19 pandemic, people’s relationships with their cities and neighbourhoods shifted. Those fortunate enough to have jobs that could support remote work left their offices and began working from home. For many, this resulted in more time
Is there such a thing as a Bike-Lane NIMBY?
Is there such a thing as a Bike-Lane NIMBY? Written by Robert McQuillan After Smart Density’s recent “Out on the Town” bike tour, I’ve been reflecting on the state of cycling in Toronto. Is there such a thing as a bike lane NIMBY? You’ve heard
Out on the Town with the Smart Density Team
Out on the Town with the Smart Density Team It has been a busy summer at Smart Density! We have been hard at work; collaborating with our clients, planning and designing new concepts, and advancing our mission of changing the conversation about what good development