Urban Design
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The case for ordinary public spaces
It feels like the city is bursting at its seams. The glue that holds us together, including the public realm and city services such as transit and shelter...
By Cara Chellew -
The Ontario Place redevelopment isn’t about tourism
There’s a lot to question about the Ontario government’s plans for Ontario Place. The 95-year-long lease of the land on the site’s West Island to Austrian...
By Maryam Siddiqi -
Filling in the Missing Middle for food retailing
The term “missing middle” has quickly become recognized as shorthand for housing that fills the gap between single family dwellings and...
By Glenn Miller -
EXCLUSIVE: What is the source of Therme’s financing?
When Infrastructure Ontario executes public-private partnership arrangements, there are numerous permutations — design-build-finance-maintain, outright...
By John Lorinc -
Making places out of Toronto Centre’s neglected laneways
There’s a tactic in marketing: surprise and delight. It’s used to attract and engage with customers new and old by interacting with them in unexpected...
By Maryam Siddiqi -
LORINC: Ontario Place and a tale of two message tracks
After spending much of last Wednesday watching Therme Canada and its consultants perform in public, first during a four-hour session with a combined...
By John Lorinc -
LORINC: Speaking truth to power about Therme’s mega-spa
Tomorrow will be an all-day spa event in Toronto. The day will end with an online “consultation” session at 6pm, showcasing Therme...
By John Lorinc -
LORINC: Where will the mayoral candidates stand on Ontario Place?
Here’s a question for the women and men positioning themselves for a run at the mayor’s chair: Do you think Therme’s proposed $350...
By John Lorinc -
Megalandscape: A counter-proposal for Ontario Place
The Ontario government’s proposal to cannibalize Ontario Place by building a monstrous, for-profit spa on public land will destroy a waterfront ecology...
By Catherine Howell, Ramsey Leung, and Joe Loreto -
Reimagining under the Gardiner
Toronto’s journey towards urban renewal could witness a new stage unfold with plans to transform overlooked areas beneath the Gardiner Expressway between...
By Nicole Capogna -
LORINC: The taxing discussion about a parking tax
Can anyone who pays attention to City Hall say they didn’t see this one coming? The latest news from the budget committee’s deliberations is...
By John Lorinc -
Rexdale deserves a spa: An invitation to Therme
Therme Canada’s proposal for a spa is better suited for Woodbine Entertainment’s renewal plan, and would allow the City of Toronto and the...
By Chloe Brown