Christopher Hume is on a Stockholm kick. Today in the Toronto Star he writes about Hammarby Sjostad, a waterfront community built over the last decade on former industrial lands. Stockholm built the community on the site that was originally pegged to house an Olympic Village (Stockholm bid on the 2004 Games but lost to Athens). Sound familiar? There really is a striking similarity to what they have been able to accomplish and what Toronto is trying to do with the Port Lands.
When I visited Hammarby, I was blown away by the small environmental footporint the development had. Read the full article here. From Hume’s column:
To wander through this city’s newly rebuilt waterfront is to have a glimpse of what Toronto could be.
This new neighbourhood, Hammersby Sjostad (City on the Water) is energy self-sufficient, environmental, architecturally diverse, connected, vibrant and exactly where we should be headed in the years ahead. Whether or not we’ll get there remains to be seen, but so far the signs are bad; lack of political leadership and an entrenched bureaucracy will make it extremely difficult.
Still, there’s much to learn from Stockholm, a city of 1.5 million built on an archipelago of 14 islands. Certainly, the physical resemblance between the two waterfronts is striking. Both were once industrial harbours that fell into disuse. Both are also close to the heart of the city, easily reachable by public transit.The big difference lies in the attitudes each city brings to the project. Planning in Stockholm began in 1990 and construction is well underway. Already 7,500 people live in these new areas. By 2015, when complete, there will be up to 25,000 residents and 10,000 workers.
photos by Matthew Blackett
One comment
i wonder where the other 7,499 people are hiding.