From May 16 to 18, DIALOGers from our Toronto studio will hit the streets of Toronto, leading several tours that explore award-winning projects in the city and various factors that shape the future of real estate at the ULI Toronto Spring Meeting 2023.
See the guided tours below:
“Unlocking the Eastern Waterfront” with Bryce Miranda, Partner and landscape architect
Date: Tuesday, May 16, 2023, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EST
Bryce will lead the tour exploring the Canary District and Queen/Broadview areas, the Lower Don River Restoration and resultant Villiers Island, and East Harbor, a planned 929,000-square-meter (10 million sq ft) mixed-use district.
“Contested Geographies: Planning for Change in Weston-Mount Dennis” with Corey Horowitz, senior urban planner
Date: Tuesday, May 16, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EST
Debates around intensification and neighborhood change in Toronto are often framed in terms of NIMBY versus YIMBY, gentrification versus revitalization, etc. But ingrained in these narratives are deeper issues affecting many communities experiencing development pressures, issues that go beyond traffic congestion or building heights.
Corey will explore some locations of contested place and space, where existing uses are increasingly challenged by high land values and redevelopment, raising questions about urban and local priorities. The tour will also look at a variety of development sites and existing features of the neighborhood. Strategies for addressing competing priorities equitably and creatively will be considered, including through the lenses of site-specific development, area-wide policy, and community advocacy.
“The Evolution of North America’s Fastest-Growing Financial District” with Cameron Veres, Partner and architect
Date: Wednesday, May 17, 2023, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EST
Toronto’s commercial business district (CBD) has been a few centuries in the making, at one point, it contained the tallest building in the British Dominion. Fast-forward many decades and it became a canvas where Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and then I.M. Pei tested ideals of the future city. Today, it is one of the top 10 financial centers in the world, second in North America, and the fastest-growing tech economy on the continent. It features a vast underground pedestrian concourse and an interconnected deep-water heating and cooling system. And it continues to grow and evolve. A second CBD, the South Core, has sprung up south of the rail tracks. It features a noticeably different approach to workspace and commerce.
The tour is delivered in collaboration with the Toronto Society of Architects and will be led by Cameron, visiting many iconic buildings and plazas while trying to dissect their contribution to city building and to Toronto’s economy.
“Community Well-Being: How Toronto Developments are Building Around Healthy Lifestyles” with Diego Morettin, Partner and architect, and David Cerny, Partner and project manager
Date: Wednesday, May 17, 2023, from 8:15 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EST
One hundred years ago, cities were planned to fend off infectious diseases, the “garden city” movement had begun and with it the flight to the suburbs. Today, we are striving to design cities and buildings that counteract chronic diseases—that is, diseases derived from our lifestyles and the environment. Hence, designs strive to create conditions where people can choose to live healthy lifestyles—daily activities, mental health, social well-being, and environmental health are the new goals.
Diego and David will visit neighborhoods, parks, health facilities, and buildings that have reoriented their sense of purpose to meaningfully improving the well-being of the community and the environment, thus changing the conversation as well as the ultimate designs.
“Tall Buildings: Toronto’s Skyline Changes Every Day” with Golara Jalalpour, Partner and architect, Paria Sajadpour, Associate and architect, and Neil Corbilla, Architect
Date: Wednesday, May 17, 2023, from 7:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EST
In Toronto, more cranes are on the horizon than in any other city across Canada and the United States. A building of 80 stories is no longer uncommon. As each skyscraper rises, the city is reshaped. Subways, parks, schools, businesses, and theaters are recomposed to meet the new density. As each tower arrives on the scene, it seeks to make an entrance. The quality of design, of placemaking, of public art, and of amenities continues to rise. Bird-friendly designs. Age-friendly designs. Pet-friendly designs. Affordability. These are the milestones in a city that soars tall.
Golara, Paria, and Neil will lead the tour visiting some of the most iconic and innovative approaches to capturing density in the sky while increasing livability on the ground.
“From Cultural Institutions to Grassroots Arts and Everything in Between” with Khatereh Baharikhoob, Associate and senior urban designer; Chen Cohen, Partner and interior designer; and Juan Carlos Portuese, Associate and architect
Date: Thursday, May 18, 2023, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EST
Toronto is recognized as a global destination for arts and culture. Thanks to the city’s Indigenous heritage, the legacy of immigrants from a myriad of different cultures, and contemporary Canadian creativity, the cultural hubs of Toronto are vital parts of the ecosystem that supports its creative economy.
Khatereh, Cohen, and Juan Carlos will lead this tour exploring how culture is produced, expressed, and consumed within the city’s landscape. From purpose-built cultural institutions to temporary/pop-up cultural venues, artists’ workspaces, and street art, the tour will provide a fresh perspective on the role and importance of both organizational and grassroots structures in the cultural life of urban environments in Toronto.
“DiverCity: Where Urbanity Meets Suburbia – Building a Multicultural Community for All” with Dorsa Jalalian, senior urban designer
Date: Thursday, May 18, 2023, from 8:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. EST
Immigrants make up nearly half of the population of the Greater Toronto Area, and they are redefining the city’s built form and public realm by introducing new typologies and repurposing existing ones, often organically and through grassroot organizations. Where are the “third places” that newcomers and immigrants meet and gather? How do they make this city home?
This guided tour will be led by Dorsa and will take us through the complex inner suburb of Scarborough and its myriad and vibrant malls, strip malls, and plazas which house some of the most diverse culinary experiences in the world and that, despite the downward trends in inner suburbs elsewhere, are thriving. Scarborough, like many regions of the Greater Toronto Area, is a slowly merged assemblage of various villages, towns, and subdivisions. In the act of stitching these communities together immigrants have left their mark within the various built forms that pepper the landscape. Our journey will take us to a planned development in Golden Mile, a grassroot community center in Scarborough, and a city-owned community centre in Markham.