What does Toronto's development future hold?
Exhibit highlights ways in which the city is slated to change

insidetoronto.com
June 27, 2017
By Justin Skinner

As Toronto’s skyline continues to change, an exhibit at Metro Hall offers Torontonians a chance to see how the city will look in a few years - with an eye to ambitious changes that could someday come along.

Titled “Toronto of the Future,” the exhibit brings developers, architects and the City of Toronto together to showcase many of the projects currently in the works and concepts that could reshape the city. A massive scale model shows the city along the lakeshore and up Yonge to Bloor Street, while other models highlight different concepts and projects and placards offer information on various developments, from High Park Village to the Etobicoke Civic Centre to several in the downtown core. “Most of what we’re showing are projects that are planned and approved by the city, with some creative visions of the future that we might not see for 50 or 100 years,” said event founder Robert Vezina.

One such vision, “re-silos” proposed by architecture firm WZMH, shows where defunct Canada Malting Company grain silos along the waterfront could become massive towers, perhaps even stretching taller than the CN Tower.

While the primary focus is on developments, Vezina noted Toronto of the Future looks beyond the built form.

“We focus on transformative developments like the Union Station redevelopment, which will be a major hub for the city,” he said. “And there are ideas like the one brought in by Oxford (Developments) that would cover the tracks that separate the city near Front Street and connect Toronto with what they call ‘The Park.’”

Toronto of the Future also offers a glimpse at a far more connected transit system with potential light rail lines spanning much of the city. Increased transit will be a must with the continued growth throughout Toronto. Vezina said much of that growth will likely take place along the waterfront, where there is still land available.

“The big trend I think we’ll see in the future is development along the Docklands,” he said. “Toronto’s not like Manhattan where you have to destroy something to build. There’s still some land here.”

David Pontarini of Hariri Pontarini Architects - one of several major architecture firms contributing to the exhibit - foresees a changing face of Toronto as more families seek to embrace city life, shopping centres create more of an immersive experience beyond the stores and residents demand more amenities.

“I think you’ll see a continued push toward improving the public realm - streets and blocks - and increased demand for green space,” he said. “There also needs to be more of a focus on growing up in the city - how do we incorporate kids into neighbourhoods and change the way we look at development to allow families to adapt to urban living?”

Toronto of the Future is on display at Metro Hall through Friday, June 30, and is open to the public free of charge from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. through June 29 and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 30.