bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Examination Of The Benefits And Constraints Of Adaptive Reuse Of Surplus School Sites
Authors: Sooley Lauren
Published: May 2021

There is an increasingly pressing issue in Canadian cities related to under-enrolment and the consolidation of schools, which has recently been recognised in the City of Toronto. As a result, a number of school buildings must be closed and sold. This paper addresses the trend of adaptive reuse as an alternative to demolition and new development of surplus school sites. Through an analysis of three case studies: Stinson School in Hamilton, Saint Michael’s High School in Niagara Falls and Queen Elizabeth Park High School in Oakville, the benefits and constraints of adaptive reuse of surplus school sites are detailed. Recommendations are made for future adaptive reuse of school sites in order to capture the potential benefits and mitigate the constraints. These recommendations can enhance the adaptive reuse process in municipalities, specifically in Toronto, to redevelop existing built-up areas and reinforce policies of sustainability, smart growth, intensification and place-making.
Lessons For Toronto From Melbourne’s City Centre Revitalization
Authors: Gilliard Brent
Published: May 2021

Public space is important to a city’s economic and social quality. Downtown Toronto is not known for its public spaces but Melbourne is widely recognized for recently revitalizing its city centre with improved public spaces. A case study of Melbourne investigates its comparability to Toronto as well as the details of its "renaissance." It is concluded that Melbourne is, in fact, highly comparable to Toronto. Interventions in Melbourne were characterized by the principles: long-term vision, emphasizing local strengths, investment in quality, making space for people on foot, and using effective arguments and evidence. To emulate Melbourne’s city-centre revitalization, Toronto first should facilitate a civic conversation about the long-term vision for its downtown; second, it should initiate a public life survey of the downtown; third, it should invest is the physical quality of downtown public spaces; and fourth, it should begin an incremental program to reclaim roadway space from cars in locations of high pedestrian use.
A planner’s guide: conserving Brutalist and concrete modern architecture in Toronto
Authors: Flood Kristen
Published: May 2021

This guide establishes a rationale and presents tools and best practices for the conservation of Brutalist and concrete modern heritage in Toronto. Brutalism and concrete modernism are valuable because they are architecturally compelling and they evoke the ethics and the politics of the postwar period. In Toronto there are many Brutalist and concrete modern civic buildings, infrastructure, university buildings, cultural institutions, buildings built through capitalist investment and high-rise towers. These buildings have architectural and cultural heritage value and they should be protected. Planners should leverage the emerging international movement for the protection of Brutalist and concrete modern buildings to support the case for conservation. Conservation tools include advocacy and education, legal protection through policy and adaptive re-use.
The role of parking pricing and parking availability on travel mode choice
Authors: Alavi Seyedmohsen
Published: May 2021

This research examines the impact of parking pricing and parking availability on potential travel mode substitution among current drivers, in four case study areas in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). It serves to evaluate opportunities to decrease private vehicle usage among the GTA’s workforce. More specifically, the objective of this study is to analyze whether and to what extent parking pricing and parking availability alter drivers’ willingness to change their mode of transportation. Results from ordered logit models demonstrated that a driver’s willingness to change their mode of transportation was statistically correlated with parking cost and parking availability. Parking availability also impacted the correlation between parking pricing and drivers' willingness to change their mode of transportation. The results from this MRP suggests that interventions focused on reducing driving for commuting purposes may focus on changing parking pricing, but depending on the availability of parking, the impacts of such policy/ program may be different.
Back space: exploring residual territories and landscapes of deletion
Authors: Carter-Shamai Sam
Published: May 2021

"This research is about the informal uses of small public spaces in the city: the laneways,
residual spaces and connective tissues of neighbourhoods. They are undergoing rapid
change and transition. By drawing attention to the unintentional by-products of periods of
growth and the residual adaptations of periods of decline, I will identify unique qualities and
characteristics of transformation, gentrification and ephemeral cultural practices of city centres
and downtown neighbourhoods over the last half century."--Introduction.
Backyard living: developing a strategy for Canadian municipalities to implement laneway housing programs through an evaluation of Western Canadian precedents
Authors: Finley Brennan
Published: May 2021

The high cost of living in single-family neighbourhoods in major metropolitan cities throughout Canada is making single-family housing increasingly unaffordable. Due to the decreasing amount of developable land and the increasing urban population, the development of smaller housing forms including laneway housing are growing. Currently laneway housing is used throughout Western Canada to provide single-family living but at a more attainable price. Municipalities are realizing the benefits associated with laneway housing and its ability to maintain the character of single-family neighbourhoods and diversify municipal housing stocks. Utilising a mixed method approach of interviews and policy examination, an in-depth analysis of the City of North Vancouver, the District of North Vancouver, the District of West Vancouver and the City of Vancouver laneway housing programs uses a matrix to compare the liveability, compatibility with neighbours, suitability, effectiveness and administrative processes of each policy. Outcomes demonstrate that laneway housing is viable and that major barriers such as topography, patterns of subdivision and unequitable community engagement processes can be overcome by tailoring the policies criteria, design guidelines and administrative process.
Toronto’s new social housing waiting list: putting the choice-based rental model into local context
Authors: Craig Casey
Published: May 2021

Choice-based rental models are under consideration in Ontario for their ability to provide more clientcentric
service while increasing efficiency and cost-effectiveness for housing providers. They are
compelling because of their potential for empowerment and provision of housing choice, though it
remains unclear how exactly it achieves these outcomes. This paper asks how a choice-based rental
model can help achieve improvements to affordable housing policy, reallocate scarce resources, and
improve neighborhood planning in Toronto. Implementation issues and successes associated with the
model are discussed through a review of literature and a case study of Toronto Community Housing’s
‘My Choice Rental’ pilot program. Recommendations for the model’s use in a growing urban centre like
Toronto, Ontario include data collection and preference tracking to inform housing policy updates, using
technology to improve the user experience, and conducting and participating in research to determine
whether the model is performing as intended.
Housing the dead in a no vacancy city: an analysis of best practices in pursuit of Toronto's cemetery design and planning framework
Authors: Tong Sybil
Published: May 2021

As Toronto runs out of burial space, there currently lacks a set of guidelines to direct the cemetery planning process. This paper explores the barriers in the cemetery planning process that have manifested in Toronto and the planning ramifications of alternatives to casket burials, such as cremation, green burials, and grave reuse. This analysis aims to examine the specific solutions taken by various cities considering their physical geography and the population’s cultural and religious practices. The purpose of these analyses is to identify which methods of cemetery design and alternative interment, if any, would be feasible in Toronto’s context with regards to environmental sustainability, cultural practices, and affordability.

Keywords: cemeteries; Toronto; sustainability; land use
Fostering the ‘Time is Now' Mentality: The Role of Open Data In Urban Climate Resilience
Authors: Webster Keira
Published: May 2021

Climate change is a systemic issue embedded in and interconnected with the social and economic makeup of a city. Building urban climate resilience requires innovative, collaborative solutions that hinge upon the openness and availability of current and contextual data. Open data tools, in stimulating information sharing, civic engagement, and innovative products, can contribute to climate change planning, building lasting resilience. Through an exploratory research methodology, this paper explores 17 international use cases, providing a basis for the implementation of open data tools in the realm of urban climate resilience, through the following five themes: 1) risk and vulnerability assessment; 2) the inception of initiatives; 3) diverging approaches to preparedness; 4) community mobilization; and 5) mitigation and adaptation. This research aims to spark a dialogue on the intersection of open data tools in urban climate resilience strategies, demonstrating open data as an appropriate tool to cultivate shared understanding and collective action.
Addressing downtown vitality in a Canadian context : the cases of Brockville and Oakville, Ontario
Authors: Dodds Carly Danielle Aileen
Published: May 2021

Downtown vitality has become an important planning issue as commercial retail evolves, development continues to sprawl, and global economic restructuring impacts North American economies. This paper reviews the literature on downtown revitalization and examines the process behind municipal planning led downtown revitalization and vitality retention approaches. Case studies of Brockville and Oakville, Ontario are used to understand a regulatory approach, in the form of a downtown strategic review. In-person interviews with municipal and community officials were undertaken to gain insight into the process of these two initiatives. While both of the approaches have positive aspects, a combination of the two is identified as most favorable in addressing downtown vitality.
The ideal neighbourhood? : understanding the growth of new urbanist communities in Toronto: a Markham case study
Authors: Franco Marcanthony
Published: May 2021

Previous studies in planning have explored many aspects of New Urbanism. However, there is little research on why people would choose to live in a new urbanist community over a traditional neighbourhood development. Classical literature on this topic has focused on the size and scale of neighbourhoods as an influential factor to residents' housing choice (Brower, 1996). Recently, theorists have also considered neighbourhood land-use preferences as a determinant to housing choices (Ewing, 1997). The purpose of this project is to understand what informs the housing choices of residents in the new urbanist community of Cornell, Markham. This study evaluates neighbourhood choice by surveying residents of Cornell and a traditional neighbourhood called Boxgrove to determine why residents chose to live in the new urbanist community of Cornell rather than a traditional neighbourhood in the area.
Barriers To Mid-Rise Development in Suburban Communities in the Greater Toronto Area
Authors: Beaumont Arlene
Published: May 2021

Well designed mid-rise developments are generally recognized for their ability to contribute to intensification goals while at the same time being pedestrian friendly, human scale and compatible with low density neighbourhoods and historic districts. Despite these benefits, mid-rise residential developments between four and twelve storeys are comparatively rare in Greater Toronto Area suburban communities. To assess this disparity, interviews were conducted with municipal planning staff and development industry stakeholders to investigate the financial, regulatory and housing market variables that impact development of mid-rise projects. Building code, parking requirements, land costs and municipal policies and processes were all identified as contributing to high development costs for mid-rise. The market for mid-rise consists largely of affluent households without children that prefer neighbourhoods with good transit connections, vibrant street life and a wide range of amenities. These factors limit the number of locations where mid-rise can be profitably developed in suburban communities.

Keywords: Mid-rise housing, smart growth, suburban communities, municipal policy
Life Cycles: A Retrospective Analysis of Transportation Behaviours and Attitudes
Authors: Romeril Mark D.
Published: May 2021

This study seeks to explore the factors that have encouraged people to start cycling more frequently, despite lack of improvements of cycling facilities in Toronto. This study uses a Grounded Theory methodology, and a mixed method approach. A literature review was performed to identify the initial sample, and additional literature was used to make a theoretical sub-sample later in the study. Primary data was collected through a survey, focus group and a follow-up questionnaire. The data was analyzed using open and theoretical coding techniques, memo-writing, and critical case analysis. During the process of answering the research questions, a conceptual model was developed to aid in the visualization of the theoretical complexity involved in mode-choice. These results were discussed in a broader context, including implications for the future of cycling-as-transportation in Toronto, as well as possibilities for future research.
Reviewing the effectiveness of heritage property tax relief programs in Ontario
Authors: Cameron Aaron  R.
Published: May 2021

This paper focuses on heritage conservation as it relates to, and intersects with, the realm of municipal finance. The thesis builds a case that municipal Heritage Property Tax Relief Programs (HPTRP’s) in Ontario, as they currently exist, do not work as they were designed. HPTRP’s are aimed at incentivizing heritage designation by offering a financial benefit to property owners, yet in their current configuration, result in additional costs that reduce their effectiveness. The ideal solution would be for the Province to review and redesign the program; however, this is unlikely. A practical solution, which is proposed in this paper, is for municipalities to create a Community Improvement Program (CIP) tool that off-sets some of the unforeseen costs associated with HPTRP’s. The two programs have a history of working synergistically at the local level – and together can accomplish what HPTRP’s were intended to achieve unilaterally.
Factors Contributing To Winter Cycling: Case Study of A Downtown University Campus In Toronto, Canada
Authors: Nahal Tamara
Published: May 2021

Cycling rates in many North American cities decline significantly in winter months, which is a major challenge for practitioners and advocates in advancing active transportation-related policy, planning, and programs. This research investigates Ryerson University as a major commute destination. By combining a student and employee transportation survey, this research examines characteristics associated with winter cycling. Our results indicate that women (OR=0.38) and transit pass holders (OR=.12) were less likely while students rather than staff (OR=1.69) were more likely to cycle during the winter. The density of dedicated bicycle facilities within 500m of the shortest route was positively associated with all-season cycling (OR = 1.57). Also, a cyclist living in a more stable neighbourhood was more likely to bicycle through winter (OR=4.33), when compared to cycling only in warmer seasons. These findings will be useful to city planners considering how to encourage winter cycling to urban university campuses and/or major downtown employment centres.
Dealing with density: an evaluation of density benefit incentives in the Metro Vancouver Region
Authors: Mattinson Adam  J.
Published: May 2021

With increased demand for higher density development a key challenge for local governments is determining how to accommodate this growth while also addressing the pressure it places on local amenities and services. Density Benefit Incentives (DBIs) are a category of policy tools which address this issue by encouraging developers to provide much needed community benefits in exchange for increased density permissions. Due to flexible legislation pertaining to their use, however, the form and function of DBIs in practice can vary significantly.
In order to understand the impacts of these policy tools this study investigates the use of three archetypical DBI frameworks commonly employed by municipalities within the Metro Vancouver region. A review of literature and policy in conjunction with case study analysis of three municipalities in the region identifies best practices for DBI implementation based on local context. The report culminates in a list of recommendations for local governments looking to implement their own DBI policy.
The political economy of mass transit infrastructure investments in the greater Toronto area
Authors: Au Tommy Hon Wa
Published: May 2021

Politicians in the Greater Toronto region have announced major regional and local transit infrastructure investments in recent years. While benefits of enhanced facilities are recognized, experts interviewed assert that projects were identified and justified more predominantly by political preferences, and rarely on objective, expert evidence; while the public also become frustrated with the inability to provide feedback, as well as to witness the delivery of results. Given limitations in funding and attractiveness of alternative funding tools and structures of governance, experts advocate honest, open examination of all feasible ways to plan, implement and deliver transit. In the end, the resulting structure must be effective, progressive and responsive to changing needs. For Toronto, these include improving customer service, facilities, funding and labour management.
Regulating The Digital City: The Planning Challenges Of Airbnb
Authors: Prior Corinna
Published: May 2021

This research paper investigates the impact that digital technological platforms are having on municipalities and the ways in which these practices can and are be incorporated into planning studies and regulatory frameworks. It uses the expansion of the short-term rental market as a case study, looking specifically at the Airbnb platform and its growth within the City of Toronto since 2011. Findings from the study indicate that municipalities need to explore the use of new digital tools like web scraping and advocating for APIs which allow for better data collection. Furthermore, the collection of data for municipal governance purposes is a practice that needs to be more clearly defined by either the provincial or federal governments. Interviews with key informants also suggest that there is a need to establish strong data agreement policies and to expand Information Technology departments to better equip municipalities to cope with technological change.
Grave concerns: capturing religious diversity in cemetery planning
Authors: Acosta Smith Carla Marcela
Published: May 2021

It has been estimated that the remaining cemetery land in Toronto will run out of space within the next 30 years. Although death is the only certainty we have in life, planners aren’t planning for it. Toronto’s population is increasingly aging, growing, and diversifying, which makes this an issue that can longer be ignored. There are 23 active cemeteries in Toronto, of which only 13 are non-denominational cemeteries that are able to capture the religious diversity for accommodating the deceased. Through this paper, it is found that cemeteries not only provide an essential public service, but they also play an important role in anchoring immigrant communities. Through exploratory research methods, findings suggest that those religions that require in-ground burial will face the brunt of accessing affordable cemetery services in Toronto. Recommendations are made to address this land use policy gap and calls for action to increase supply within existing cemetery lands in Toronto so that cities are not only planned for the living, but also for the dead.

Key words: cemetery; diversity, religion; immigration; land use; death sprawl, Toronto
Implementing tax increment financing in Toronto learning from the Alberta experience
Authors: Schwartz Geoff
Published: May 2021

In Toronto, and cities across Canada, increasing population intensification in urban centres has put pressure on municipalities and created uneven patterns of growth. Tax increment financing (TIF) is a flexible tool that can direct and manage growth, fund infrastructure investments, and revitalize communities. In 2006, the Government of Ontario passed the Tax Increment Financing Act, yet no jurisdiction in the province has implemented the tool. This report identifies and analyzes how TIF can be implemented in Toronto to effectively achieve positive outcomes. To do this, a combination of literature, best practices and case studies were explored. As the municipality with the most extensive experience with TIF in Canada, Calgary’s case is a focus of the report. The findings of the research are presented in the form of recommendations guiding how the City of Toronto could most effectively implement a TIF scheme.
Greening education : challenges and prospects of implementing green roofs across Toronto public schools
Authors: Abhari Pegah
Published: May 2021

Green roofs have been recognized as an important climate change adaptation and mitigation tool across North American Cities. As such, the City of Toronto sought regulation and incentives to encourage the adoption of green roofs across new developments and building additions, becoming the first North American City to establish mandatory legislation. While the policy has been mainly successful, Toronto School Boards have struggled to adhere to regulations. This paper seeks to identify the barriers that Toronto School Boards face in green roof implementation by undertaking an analysis of available data, resources, and literature. It also assesses the role of federal, provincial and municipal governments in alleviating barriers, providing recommendations on how they may be addressed. The aim of such research is to guide other Ontario municipalities who may look to Toronto when developing similar legislation, as the province moves to expand this permission to all municipalities.

Key words: green infrastructure; green roofs; Toronto School Boards; green education
The Impact of Lane Closures on Congestion and Reliability: A Case Study of Toronto's Gardiner Expressway
Authors: Borowiec Christina
Published: May 2021

Usage of big data with before-after methods of analysis makes it possible to evaluate the effect of major transport investments on system performance. In employing before-after methods to investigate the impact of lane closures on congestion and travel reliability, changes and trade-offs in performance indicators are quantified and policy action effectiveness is evaluated. This is illustrated through a case study of two separate lane closure interventions on the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto, Ontario. Models using a regression framework were developed for the pre-, peri-, and post-closure test periods of the first intervention and pre- and peri-closure periods of the second intervention. Results suggest the impacts of policy actions on system performance are strong, and that congestion and travel reliability counterintuitively move in different directions. Reduced demand effects are observed, prompting discussion on how highways and congestion should be managed and whether or not municipalities should add capacity to regional assets.
Mapping mining waste : an investigation of the impact of mining activities on settlement patterns
Authors: Alam Mohammad A.
Published: May 2021

This research focuses on the waste and environmental damage caused by mining activities and the impact that this has on settlement pattern of adjacent areas. This research identifies that mining cities are unique in their land use dynamics due to the physical attributes of mining sites and there impacts on human and nature. Using a method of three sequential approaches to understand the land use dynamics of mining cities the first study examines the physical attributes of mining sites, through the creation of a new data set that combines existing and abandoned sites from existing separate datasets, outlining production, proximity to settlement areas and water bodies to identify their degree of threat to human and nature. Secondly, a single case study of Copper Cliff, ON is used to investigate how mining activities and its changes interact with surrounding land uses through a Land mosaic-function-land change feedback model adapted from Richard T.T. Forman’s theory of land mosaic. The analysis then investigates the policy responses that are enacted to mitigate the mining activities with other land uses. The analysis identifies that the potential impact of mining activities is more prominent where mining waste production is higher and located at close proximity to settlement areas. However, although the growth pattern of settlement areas are often guided by the physical characteristics of mining sites, effective response of land use policies may stimulate positive changes of land use pattern.
Canadian smart cities: a case for the circular economy in the age of "smart" innovation
Authors: Simovic Vickey
Published: May 2021

The Canadian Smart Cities Challenge enabled municipalities across the country to reflect on how smart city technology can be used to solve their unique community challenges, embrace the possibility of impactful projects, create collaborations, and create a suite of digital tools. This paper analyses whether governments can be catalysts in adopting circular economy thinking in the age of digital innovation. In reviewing the SCC applications, five proposal submissions were analysed in depth against a circular economy framework. Recommendations for further development in smart city thinking centre around future Smart Cities Challenges, and building circular assumptions into the challenge questions, whereby ensuring circular principles are a priority for municipalities as they continue to grow and adapt to smart city technological advances.

Key words: Smart Cities Challenge, circular economy, smart city technology, innovation, sustainable,​ ​reuse, sharing, remanufacturing and repurposing
Developers' perspectives on transit-oriented development in Edmonton, Alberta
Authors: McPherson Trevor
Published: May 2021

Edmonton is currently implementing a plan to significantly expand its light rail transit network. Transit expansion is part of a larger plan to encourage transit-oriented development (TOD) around new and existing transit stations and precipitate a shift towards more dense, efficient land use. Transit technology and routes were then selected, in part, based on their perceived ability to facilitate TOD, and the City has also created the TOD Guidelines and created the TOD Manager position to advance their land use goals. This research includes interviews with 6 developers who are currently undertaking large TOD projects to understand their perceptions of TOD as an investment in the Edmonton, and how effectively municipal decisions have facilitated TOD. The TOD Manager was interviewed, as he plays a critical role in facilitating TOD in Edmonton, as was a planner from the City of Edmonton to provide insight into TOD from a planning perspective and the development approvals process. Key words: urban planning, transit-oriented development (TOD), light rail transit (LRT), Edmonton
Vibrant Segues: Invisibly Vacant Storefronts, Tactical Urbanism and how embracing Failure may Benefit the Urban Planning Profession
Authors: Sarkar Rudra
Published: May 2021

Tactical urbanism initiatives working to combat the presence of vacant storefronts are not yet commonly found in Canadian cities. This paper reports on an interview study investigating the potential for tactical urbanism to enhance the vibrancy of commercial corridors in Toronto, Canada, and how such an initiative may affect a variety of potential stakeholders as well as its compatibility with municipal governance and planning practice. Results show popularity of concept amongst potential stakeholders, the need for changes to provincial legislation and the evolving role of the Toronto planning professional to tap into the experimental enthusiasm of local community players.

Key words: tactical urbanism; vacant storefronts; Toronto.
Grandma in the greenbelt : how the natural disposal of our dead could save Ontario's green space
Authors: Heron-Monk Courtney Elizabeth
Published: May 2021

Cemetery grounds and sustainable land use practice are rarely used in conjunction however natural burial grounds present opportunities to leverage the land use and environmental challenges associated with conventional cemeteries for the benefit of people and the environment. This paper explores land use planning challenges facing Ontario in planning for the disposal of our dead and the emergence of natural burial grounds as a sustainable alternative to conventional burial. This paper also explores how planning challenges related to planning for the disposal of our dead could be leveraged to produce positive outcomes; in particular the strengthening of Ontario's Greenbelt as a living landscape. This paper argues the Natural burial has potential to be a value added land resource and can mitigate a series of burial related land use challenges currently present in Ontario.
Toronto’s apartment tower renewal initiative: infusing value into surplus lands for community development
Authors: Thibeault Frederick
Published: May 2021

Toronto is home to over 1,189 apartment towers built between 1945 and 1984, following LeCorbusier’s “tower in the park” model. Today, many apartment towers communities are fraught with issues that demand immediate and focused attention. Several towers are now approaching 50 years of age, and are beginning to show signs of decay, neglect, and decline, presenting concerns surrounding their physical condition, environmental impacts, and access to essential amenities within close proximity. The former Mayor of Toronto David Miller responded by initiating a study to identify solutions to growing concerns, and financing strategies to achieve it. Notwithstanding these issues, tower neighbourhoods have access to an exorbitant amounts of surplus lands that could accommodate infill activities, and spur investments in these neighbourhoods. The goal of this paper is to assess if surplus lands can be leveraged as the primary funding source to finance the goals and objectives of Toronto’s tower renewal initiative.
An Analysis Of Land Use Planning Policies For Cemeteries In Ontario
Authors: Larkin Michael T.
Published: May 2021

Cemeteries are important to society and represent a key piece of the fabric of municipalities. In the Province of Ontario, land use policy as articulated through official plans often fails to recognize cemetaries as a necessary element of municipalities. This paper examines the official plans of selected municipalities to ascertain the extent to which appropriate land use policies are provided to guide the development of cemetaries. Official plans are reviewed for the ten largest municipalities as determined by their population, all adjacent municipalities, and all associated regional municipalities of counties. In total, the official plans of forty-six municipalities are reviewed. The analysis focuses on eight key policy criteria identified in this paper that relate to cemetary development: need, planning horizon, location, size, intensification, compatibility, environment, and permanency. The review confirms the hypothesis that there is a general lack of appropriate land use policy necessary to guide cemetery development in Ontario.
Urban Resilience: What Role Can Business Improvement Areas Play In Increasing Climate Change and Extreme Weather Resilience In Cities?
Authors: Johnson Brodie Robert Michael
Published: May 2021

Climate change and extreme weather has caused significant damage to critical infrastructure of cities. This paper examines the unique role that Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) can play in increasing climate change and extreme weather resilience. This study was informed by a review of existing resilience initiatives undertaken in Toronto and Vancouver and a series of semi-structured interviews with City and BIA staff to understand the current opportunities and barriers to BIA involvement. A series of ten recommendations informed by research and interview analysis discusses how BIAs can become better equipped to partner with cities to increase climate change and extreme weather resilience.
A recommendation for integrative public space in Lawrence Heights
Authors: Costa Laura
Published: May 2021

Cities are never static; they are ever-evolving organisms requiring constant adaptation in an effort to function for the changing and increasingly diverse populations. One of the main issues with past planning practices in the development of social housing in Ontario is the lack of integrative strategies used to build neighbourhoods. Defining what successful integration entails is an important aspect of the creation of successful communities. The purpose of this study is to understand the elements necessary for creating integrative public space for Lawrence Heights; a community located in Toronto that will undergo an extensive revitalization process over the next twenty years. To determine the results, personal observations of the neighbourhood were conducted in a few ways: by taking photographs and notes of activities being enjoyed in the area, by attending a public meeting to comprehend the proposed plan for the redevelopment, and by participating in a workshop to understand the opinions of residents who will be affected by change in the neighbourhood. Integrative public space should include programs, facilities and multi-use, flexible aspects that cater to a variety of people, and can be easily accessed by users. Public space is only one component of integration, but is a very important one to comprehend in the practice of planning.
Informal housing in global cities: case studies on Hong Kong, New York City and Toronto
Authors: Huang Rui
Published: May 2021

This paper examines the major characteristics and drivers of informal housing in three global cities. Despite each city’s unique path to urbanization, Hong Kong, New York City, and Toronto are experiencing housing issues that are reflective of many developed, wealthy cities around the world. Continued population increase from globalization, rising property costs, and insufficient housing stock has contributed to the persistence of various forms of housing that exist outside of formal processes. The case studies exposed distinctive socio-economic and political drivers that underlies this international phenomenon. The findings revealed a continuum of informal dwelling typologies that span across a spectrum of legality and illegality, ranging from highly visible structures to those that are more hidden. This research responds to the need to understand shared challenges between cities in the East and in the West, and may be particularly relevant to city builders who are concerned about distributive justice.

Key words: informal housing, informal settlements, global cities, public housing, urban development
The relationship between the built environment, parental perceptions of traffic safety and walking environment, and children's school travel behaviour in Toronto
Authors: Guliani Amarpreet
Published: May 2021

Decline in children’s participation in active school transportation (AST) has drawn attention of those concerned with children’s health and wellbeing. Recent researcher has shown links between built environment, individuals’ psychological and social behaviour, and AST. However, no known research has empirically evaluated their hypothesized relationship simultaneously. This study explored the association between the built environment, parental perceptions of traffic safety and walking environment, sociodemographic characteristics, and AST. Structural equation modeling was employed to quantitatively analyse data on 720 students and their parents, collected from 16 elementary schools in Toronto, Ontario. Findings of this study add new knowledge to the existing literature. Parental perception of the neighbourhood walking environment was found to play a noteworthy role; but the perception of traffic safety had no effect on children’s odds of walking to school. Additionally, dissonance was found between parental subjective views and the objective built environment characteristics. Evidently, AST mode choice is a multilevel and complex process. Suggested improvements include development of new school level programs founded in new City-level children specific policies.
Past, Present And Possible: Toward An Integrated Approach For Natural Heritage Conservation
Authors: D'Souza Lily-Ann
Published: May 2021

The Greenway Initiative, proposed by Ontario Nature, endeavours to reconnect the province’s fragmented natural landscapes through a system of cores and corridors. Non-governmental organizations like Ontario Nature are leading the effort to conserve the province’s natural heritage through public-private incentive-based tools including conservation easements and stewardship agreements. The rationale to incent conservation through public-private partnerships is to overcome the politically- and financially- unfavourable consequences that limit the effectiveness of regulatory approaches to achieve conservation objectives at the local scale. However, public-private incentive-based conservation tools also generate trade-offs that maintain the need for traditional regulatory approaches. This paper argues that in addition to established public instruments, incentive-based conservation tools to promote stewardship on private land are necessary to achieve broader conservation objectives. With a combination of public, private and third sector approaches, an integrated set of strategies is recommended, in which planning choices and trade-offs are made clear.
The Intersection Between Human Rights And Transportation: Accessibility To Transporatation For People With Disabilities
Authors: Turkenicz Sean
Published: May 2021

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the intersection between transportation and human rights and how this intersection has impacted the disabled community. First, the consequences of a lack of accessibility are examined. The sub-categories of social well-being, physical barriers, financial earnings and ability to obtain employment, and health are focused on. Second, Canadian and Ontario legislation and case law are reviewed to see how they respond to some of these consequences. These include the Canada Transportation Act, The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, The Canada Human Rights Code, The Ontario Human Rights Code, and Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. After establishing that not enough has been done to reach as adequate resolution, solutions outside of legislation are explored. These solutions focus on universal design, citizen science, and autonomous vehicles.
Why don't we bike to the Go? Exploring the potential for cycling to suburban transit stations
Authors: Schofield James Lee
Published: May 2021

This research develops a cycling typology of suburban transit passengers. The primary goal was to identify whether there are specific GO Transit customer segments who may be willing to cycle to the station. Passengers were invited to complete an online survey, which assessed cycling perceptions and current cycling behaviour. A principal component analysis and cluster analysis were used to develop a typology of respondents, which revealed four distinct types of transit riders. All-around cyclists were found to currently cycle to the station, while the remaining three types (recreational cyclists, safety-conscious, and facility-demanding) exhibited varying degrees of interest in cycling. A significant gender difference was observed in the predominantly female safety-conscious type. There was a pervasive perception across the three non-cycling groups that cycling is an impractical way to reach the station. Infrastructure improvements and a shift in perceptions will be essential to increase rates of cycling to stations.

Key words: cycling; first/last-mile; suburban transportation; mode choice
Missing middle housing in Toronto: past & present forms
Authors: Lister Ray
Published: May 2021

Toronto has a rich history of Missing Middle Housing forms that have contributed to the overall character of the city’s built environment. The research paper maps the locations of Missing Middle Housing in Toronto, which I define as residentially zoned properties between 12 and 36 meters in height. It provides information on the broad development trends of this type of
housing, and explores the forms of Missing Middle Housing in Toronto in the past and present. The research paper indicates that forms of Missing Middle Housing along avenues are being constrained by the City of Toronto’s Mid-Rise Performance Standards (2010), making it challenging to build forms that have shaped Toronto’s past.
Growing conversation : understanding planning literacy in the city of Toronto
Authors: Kmiec Katarzyna (Kasia)
Published: May 2021

The City of Toronto’s commitment to meaningful public engagement in planning processes is apparent throughout its many policies, plans and initiatives. However, despite consistent messaging that effective engagement leads to better outcomes and the many hours it spends on engagement efforts, the City Planning division has acknowledged that its approaches to community outreach are not always effective. City Planning’s 2014 “Growing Conversations” initiative revealed, among other findings, disparities in levels of planning knowledge between experts and stakeholders that lead to frustration and communication breakdowns. An outcome of this was to focus on improving the planning literacy levels of Torontonians.

However, Growing Conversations did not elaborate on how it intends to improve planning literacy, nor what it understands planning literacy to mean. By exploring the meaning of “planning literacy” and creating a diagnostic tool to measure it, this research paper seeks to stimulate meaningful discussion around what planning concepts everyday Toronto residents should be familiar with, help identify those concepts for which that is not the case, and consider how to act on that information.

Key words
An article on urban planning in the City of Toronto, used the key words: planning literacy; public engagement; questionnaire; Toronto.
Laneway redevelopment programs : a case study review
Authors: Oldhall Christine Marie
Published: May 2021

The revitalization of formerly dark, dirty and often uninviting urban spaces is occurring across many cities throughout North America. This is because the hundreds of kilometers of laneways located behind buildings to be viewed as significant semi-public spaces and are being redeveloped into active spaces that can play a role in improving the state of the natural environment. The City of Toronto has a vast laneway system that is not being utilized to its full potential. This report attempts to demonstrate this point and suggests that there is an opportunity for recreating these laneways into vibrant spaces that support the natural environment while maintaining their primary functions as light vehicular thoroughfares and access points for homes and businesses. Through the examination of nine laneway redevelopment programs and projects this report highlights the successful techniques being implemented within these laneways and emphasizes the significant lessons that can be learned. Finally, each lesson learned is review, and recommendations are given on how the City of Toronto can potentially address each point if attempting to implement its own laneway redevelopment program. Among a host of recommendations, this includes the need to promote laneway redevelopment through a change to the City's existing land use planning policies; the development of laneway design guidelines; and, the implementation of a dynamic funding system.
Effectiveness of density bonusing in securing affordable housing: a study of Toronto downtown and waterfront area
Authors: Singh Nisha Shakya
Published: May 2021

Today, Downtown and Central Waterfront area (the Area), through density bonusing/Section 37 agreements, has seen many condominium developments. In the situation of limited funding source available to municipalities, Toronto has used density bonusing as an effective incentive tool for securing the most needed community benefits from developers, in exchange for height/density beyond the prevailing by-laws. However, although the priority of density bonusing is to encourage/expand the growth of affordable housing in the City, due to some limitations to the tool, the extraction of affordable housing units from major condominium developments in the Area has been restricted.
Based on literature review, a study of the City's data on projects approved for density bonusing in the Area, and a comparative study with Vancouver Downtown, this paper addresses several concerns about density bonusing. Finally, this paper puts forward a list of recommendations for the City to consider while dealing with the growing issues with the existing density bonusing policies for better inclusion of affordable housing in condominium developments in the Area.
Adaptive reuse of former hospital sites in Ontario: lessons learned from the planning process
Authors: Zandvliet Samantha
Published: May 2021

Since the 1990s, Ontario’s health care system has faced a number of changes with respect to increasing expenses not reflected in the allotted funding for hospitals. The restructuring of Ontario’s hospital landscape has resulted in amalgamations, takeovers and closures leaving behind viable surplus hospital sites. This paper focuses on the municipal planning process of adaptive reuse through the lens of former hospitals sites in Ontario. The opportunities and challenges that currently exist in the planning process are examined through four case studies of former hospital sites: Sault Area Hospital in Sault Ste. Marie, St. Catharines General Hospital in St. Catharines, St. Joseph's Hospital in Sudbury and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Peterborough. The findings are summarized in to a set of lessons learned from the planning process. These lessons can be used by municipalities to enhance the overall planning process for these former institutional buildings