Neighbourhoods
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The space age Parkway Plaza, Toronto’s first heritage supermarket
It was only a shopping mall, but when the Parkway Plaza opened at Ellesmere Road and Victoria Park Avenue in 1958, it signalled the arrival of space age...
By Chris Bateman -
Misuse of Heritage Conservation Districts can deaden both past and future
The City of Toronto believes it has found a silver bullet to control development pressure in the downtown core through the use of a tool known as a...
By Michael McClelland -
The life and death of Peter Dickinson and The Inn on the Park
Peter Dickinson was dying when he designed the Inn on the Park. From a bed in Mount Sinai hospital, his body weakened from cancer, Dickinson listened to...
By Chris Bateman -
Toronto’s Summerville pool is a slice of the Mediterranean
It’s easy to overlook the Donald D. Summerville Olympic Pools. Despite its sturdy presence on Lake Shore Boulevard East, the futuristic elevated...
By Chris Bateman -
LORINC: The Rail Deck Park considered
About two years ago, deputy city manager John Livey, Toronto’s top planner, realized the strategy of creating pocket parks and little private plazas...
By John Lorinc -
Misleading Leaside: Lobbyists score a hat trick with digital billboard
Outfront Media wants to construct a massive digital billboard in the residential community of Leaside. The problem is, no one wants digital billboards in...
By Dave Meslin -
LORINC: The Scarborough subway and the climate change agenda
What will future residents of Scarborough think, 30 or 40 years hence, when they cast their minds back to the craven transit decisions being made today by...
By John Lorinc -
How co-housing designs community into developments
For a lot of city dwellers, knowing their neighbors names is a rarity, let alone knocking on their door to ask to borrow an egg or a cup of sugar...
By Alex Steep -
From folk singers to folklore, 1960s Yorkville lingers
With Canadian Music Week taking place just in clubs throughout Toronto, the historic Masonic Temple concert hall on Yonge Street — which has hosted the...
By Kieran Delamont -
INFOGRAPHIC: The business of bikes and parking
EDITOR’S NOTE: There has been some debate about whether bike lanes on Bloor would hurt or harm businesses. Spacing is republishing this infographic from...
By Spacing -
How to consult in gentrifying neighbourhoods
Every municipal planner knows that when the City convenes a public meeting to consult a community about a proposed project, the people who tend to show up...
By Mariana Valverde -
The cold war siren system Toronto never used
At Dundas West and Shaw, near Trinity-Bellwoods Park, there’s a conspicuous piece of Canada’s Cold War history. On top of a 15-metre pole sits...
By Chris Bateman