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Of the thesis entitled:ÌýIntensifying Toronto

Abstract:

HowÌýcities grow is set to change. ÌýIn the Greater Toronto Area, bothÌýOntario’s Greenbelt Plan and Growth Plan for theÌýGreater Golden Horseshoe are set to have a significant impact on how and whereÌýurban growth will occur in the near future. ÌýSince 2006 the Greenbelt PlanÌýhas protected the Greenbelt, a 1.8 million acre urban growth boundary ofÌýsensitive and agricultural land, from urban development.ÌýÌýForming a containment ring around the GreaterÌýToronto Area, the Greenbelt leaves a finite amount of easily developableÌýgreenfield land withinÌýits inner ring: an area known as the Whitebelt. ÌýAsÌýthe Whitebelt becomes depleted, change in the location and manner ofÌýaccommodating urban growth will need to be adapted. ÌýIn support of theÌýGreenbelt Plan, Ontario’s Growth Plan set a benchmark requiring that 40% ofÌýallÌýfuture residential growth intensify existing urban areas advocating thatÌýdevelopment occur in a manner that creates self-sufficient and completeÌýcommunities. ÌýInvestigations by the Neptis Foundation reveal thatÌýconsolidating intensification around high-order transit areasÌýis a beneficialÌýscenario to accommodate such growth. ÌýAiding this, recent transitÌýinfrastructure investments by the Ontario Government will offer moreÌýopportunities for transit-orientated intensification.

The identification of potentialÌýintensification sites led to the selection of Scarborough’s Golden Mile as aÌýcase study site.ÌýÌýRedeveloping thisÌýdistrict into a dense, activated, transit-supportive and pedestrian-orientatedÌýurban area that not only accommodates population andÌýemployment densities, butÌýalso one that accommodates a mix of dwelling types, jobs, stores, andÌýinstitutions in the support of the daily life of a diverse and completeÌýcommunity required the analysis of the site’s conditions, its applicableÌýofficial policies, and an investigationÌýinto the potential treatment of itsÌýstreets, blocks, and architecture. ÌýTogether the policies, siteÌýconditions, and urban studies would develop the guiding principles for the caseÌýstudy site’s reurbanization.

Transformation of the case study siteÌýdepended upon the successful redevelopment of Eglinton Avenue: the area’sÌýsocial nerve. ÌýActing as both street and place, the Avenue’s redevelopmentÌýrequired an appropriate mix of different modes of transit, the ability toÌýaccommodateÌýa variety of urban functions, the development of suitableÌýarchitecture and urban spaces, and the promotion of an activated streetÌýlife. ÌýThe Avenue’s blocks, currently large commercial and industrialÌýsuperblocks, were reduced and repurposed to support a mix of land-uses andÌýarchitectural types aiming to create a more attractive pedestrian-orientatedÌýdistrict.

Using a consolidated intensificationÌýscenario, this thesis investigates how future intensification sites could beÌýredeveloped into complete communities. By reurbanizing a case study site, itÌýtransforms policies into a potential urban form allowing for a more criticalÌýanalysis ofÌýthe opportunities, issues, and possibilities provided by thisÌýmanner of growth.