Two weeks ago I was a member of Mississauga’s 2008 Urban Design Awards jury. I got to tour around the sprawling city — in a Mississauga Transit bus with the other jurors, no less — looking at a number of interesting entries (I’ll reveal the finalists/winners in another post in early November, just after the awards ceremony). It was great to once again see the many sides of this 700,000 and growing suburb, from the relatively urban Lake Shore Blvd. in Port Credit to the expansive business parks near the municipal border of Milton. (As an aside, Mississauga wants to buy a chunk of land that is currently undeveloped from Milton to expand it’s borders because the city feels it can service the area better than Milton will be able to — imagine Toronto suggesting that to Pickering or Markham?)
One of the nice things I discovered on this day trip was a contest the city of Mississauga is running called “My Favourite Mississauga Space.” The city wants to recognize great public spaces such as skate parks, squares, streets, or places to intereact with wildlife.
If this is of interest to any of you, check out the My Favourite Mississauga Space web site to look at large photos of the entries. Once you’ve done that you can go and vote on the spaces you like.
photo by Wylie Poon
9 comments
“…Mississauga wants to buy a chunk of land that is currently undeveloped from Milton to expand it’s borders because the city feels it can service the area better than Milton will be able to  imagine Toronto suggesting that to Pickering or Markham?”
And yet municipalities do it all the time. Newmarket annexed a portion of King Township many years ago, and wants to do the same with East Gwillimbury on it’s northern border. Barrie wants to do the same to a portion of Innisfil on it’s southern border.
And its how Toronto grew too: annexing Forest hill, Swansea, Weston, etc. But since Toronto’s borders are almost all developed it is something city residents don’t think much about anymore. Just to be clear: it was out of amusement that I pointed the fact out more than anything. But it might be interesting to see how the Mississauga-Milton discussions go since Milton sees itself as a growing suburb of Toronto and may want to hold onto that land, while Mississauga is nearly maxed out for development.
They would have to redraw the county (er, region) lines to do that though. Mississauga is in Peel and Milton is in Halton.
Doesn’t matter in the end though. Not too long after Hazel’s passed on, Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon will be rolled up into the new City of Peel.
I’m taking bets.
I’ve noticed people talk about Hazel the way people talk about Fidel Castro. Always what will happen “after his/her passing”.
“Barrie wants to do the same to a portion of Innisfil on it’s southern border.”
I seem to recall Innisfil being none too wild about that idea and being afraid of it being imposed on them – something about it happening before.
I can see people talking about Hurricane Hazel after her passing, she is 87, after all…..
Mississauga/Peel has done a similar annexation before. All the land west of Winston Churchill used to belong to Halton. Mississauga’s argument is that it is better able to provide services and infrastructure to the strip of land between the 407 and Ninth Line. Milton seems to be growing south toward Oakville, so it may take time for growth to head east to Mississauga. Personally, I like the existing green space buffering the 407 from Mississauga.
It’s nitpicking I know but I can’t help it 🙂
In Toronto, it’s called Lake Shore Blvd. (3 words). Once you enter Mississauga, it’s Lakeshore Road (2 words).
My favourite Mississauga space is the Airport.