When designs were first made for a number of areas that are now known as "apartment neighbourhoods" around Toronto, no one was able to see the flaws that would later come along with it.

Planning for the future, these high-rise suburban communities have missed the mark on what planners of the past believed would be the lifestyle of its inhabitants in modern times.

The people who inhabit these apartments have become trapped as a result of the misguided visions of the future. However, just like any mistake, you learn from it and make sure you don't make the same mistake the next time around. This concept can also apply to planning. What it takes, it can give back. After 10 years of effort, the city recently implemented a program called the Tower Renewal Program. This program aimed at changing zoning laws, in order to make green space that surrounds apartments in suburban areas capable of building shops, daycare centres, offices, markets, gardens, and the like.

Considering the green space around the proposed properties takes up as much as 90 per-cent of the land, by building services people can use the community will see a significant impact. It will impact the community because not only will the residents of the apartment utilize the services that will be placed in these buildings, but members of the surrounding area and neighbourhood will also be motivated.

When reviewing the original zoning plans, the project manager of the city's Tower and Neighbourhood Revitalization Initiative ("TNRI") noted that it was very restrictive, not only in regards to what was able to be built on the property, but how it was also able to function. For example:

  • A tennis court could be built on these properties, but they were not allowed to have tennis clubs
  • ATMs were not allowed on the property

The original assumption was that, residents would be driving if they would want to go somewhere, so services such as what is stated above, were not needed.

The primary goal was to separate activities. Work, play, shopping, and living. Each separate, but connected by highway. This model was adopted by several areas around the city, some of which include Etobicoke, Scarborough, and North York. These areas adopted what became known as the "tower in the park" model, which is prevalent in older neighbourhoods.

Lauralyn Johnston, the project manager for TNRI identifies to a set of towers in Flemingdon Park as a perfect site for the new program. Flemingdon Park is located in North York in the area of Don Mills Road and Eglinton Avenue East, with the Don Valley Parkway in the heart of it. She says it will bring areas like Flemingdon Park "equity...and give people the ability to do more." The plans will welcome grassroots economic development, meaning that big corporations and chains such as Tim Hortons, A&W, McDonald's, or KFC will not be the names you'll see on these storefronts.

The hope is to:

  • Provide accessible storefronts
  • Make neighbourhoods safer
  • Expand these areas
  • Improve potential
  • Give residents the ability to do more

So far, the program has a list of 500 apartment sites that are eligible under the new regulations. As these areas remain primarily residential, Johnston says they want to make sure that these suburban areas have access to the same services as the rest of the city, and the opportunity to start small businesses.

This initiative was approved back in 2013, but had not gone through the Ontario Municipal Board ("OMB") until last December. They believe change is needed, and that suburbs have a brighter future ahead of them. With almost a million people occupying the 2,000 towers in the GTA, it could prove to make a significant impact on the lives of the people in these areas, and allow these areas to thrive.

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