DESIGN. GUIDELINES. Urban design is the process by which we create beautiful, ... down to the smallest site and ... STRE
FIVE-YEAR OFFICIAL PLAN REVIEW URBAN DESIGN POLICIES
URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES
URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES IN TORONTO
The Official Plan says, “Implementation plans, strategies and guidelines will be adopted to advance the vision, objectives and policies of this Plan.”
The City of Toronto has two main categories of urban design guidelines: City-wide Guidelines and District or Area-Specific Guidelines. These guidelines are applied during the evaluation of proposals in the development approval process.
CITY-WIDE GUIDELINES
Urban design is the process by which we create beautiful, vibrant, safe and inclusive places where people want to live, work, play and learn.
D esi
STRE
TRAIN
ING S
We achieve quality urban design through the application of: • Urban design policies; • Design review panels; • Application review; • Visioning studies; • Public art; and • Urban design guidelines.
APE
N 1: B
ackg
round
MAN
UAL
ONLI N
f o r ‘G
E
reen
ing’ S
uide
ur fac e Par
lines
k ing
Lots
City Pla nning Upda
ted Ja
INFILL TOWNHOUSES
From the largest-scale plans down to the smallest site and building details, high-quality urban design is an essential ingredient for building a great city.
ETSC
ESSIO
gn G
Urba
n De
sign
Guid
eline
MID-RISE BUILDINGS
TALL BUILDINGS
City o Gree f Toronto n Dev elopm ent
March
s
2007
Toro n
ard
BIRD-F
LY
LOPM
ENT
ELINE
For
Site
DRA F T: For C omm un
s Wi th D rive -T
ity C onsu
ltatio
n Pu rp
hrou
gh F aci
oses
Urban Develo pment Service s May 20
05
DRIVE-THROUGH FACILITIES
litie
to U r
CIT
ban
Desi
Y O A C C F TORO N ESS I B I L TO ITY DES
gn
Perc en
t for
Publ
i c Ar
t Pr o
gram
S
G uid
eline
Dive
Guide Desig lines for t h n Bicyc and Man e le Par agem king DRAF Facili ent of T-M AY 20 ties 08
DISTRICT OR AREA-SPECIFIC GUIDELINES ETOBICOKE YORK DISTRICT
Danforth Avenue
TORONTO & EAST YORK DISTRICT
Allenbury Gardens
Finch-Warden
Bathurst-St.Clair
5055 Dundas Street West
Allen-Sheppard
Highland Creek Village
532-570 Bay Street at Dundas
Etobicoke Centre
Avenue Road
Kingston-Warden
Lake Shore Boulevard West
Bayview Institutions
Markham-Ellesmere
Bloor Corridor Visioning Study: Avenue Road to Bathurst Street
Bayview Avenue Area
Metrogate Agincourt
NORTH YORK DISTRICT
SCARBOROUGH DISTRICT
Advent Branson Community
Bessarion-Leslie | Concord Park Midland/St. Clair Place Morningside Heights Castlefield Caledonia Design Sheppard East and Décor District
Bloor-Yorkville/North Midtown Downtown Tall Buildings Exhibition Place King-Liberty King-Parliament
Clairtrell Area
King-Spadina
Downsview
North Downtown Yonge
Keele Provincial Campus
Oakwood-Vaughan
Lawrence Allen Revitalization
O’Connor Drive
O’Connor Drive Parkway Forest
Queen Street East (Coxwell Avenue to Nursewood Road)
Replacement Housing (former City of North York)
Queen West, Baldwin Village and the Grange
Southeast Bayview Node
Queen-University/Canada Life
Victoria Park-Steeles
Railway Lands West/Central
Wilson Avenue
26 Shuter Street South of Eastern St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Toronto General Hospital University of Toronto (Main Campus) 1 Yonge Street 1320 Yonge Street
Bloor-Kingsway
Lakeshore Grounds Motel Strip Mount Dennis Old Stockyards Park Lawn-Lake Shore Sherway Centre Viking Road Weston Windermere Village
FIVE-YEAR OFFICIAL PLAN REVIEW URBAN DESIGN POLICIES
REURBANIZING AVENUES
The Official Plan says, “The Avenues are important corridors along major streets where reurbanization is anticipated and encouraged to create new housing and job opportunities while improving the pedestrian environment, the look of the street, shopping opportunities and transit service for community residents.”
The Avenues are segments of major streets with public transit that are to be intensified to provide new housing and jobs within mid-rise buildings. Improvements to the pedestrian environment are important goals of reurbanization on the Avenues.
Mid-rise buildings should be no taller than their adjacent right-ofway width. However, along some portions of Avenues, the local character may better inform the appropriate building height and scale – in some cases taller or shorter buildings than the right-ofway width. Once these local character areas are determined, it may be appropriate to remove the Avenue overlay in some areas that can accommodate different building heights.
FIVE-YEAR OFFICIAL PLAN REVIEW URBAN DESIGN POLICIES
TALL BUILDINGS Tall buildings are composed of a top, middle and base, and play a role in shaping both the skyline and the pedestrian realm. Tall building design should consider the positive impacts at both the sky and city street levels and also in the wider and site specific contexts. Taller buildings must be located to protect views, maintain an open and permeable skyline and allow sunlight access onto the public realm. Top
Middle (Tower)
Base Building
Toronto Skyline
The Official Plan says, “Tall buildings come with larger civic responsibilities and obligations than other buildings.”
