How Does the City Grow?
By Lucas on Oct 28, 2013
By Penny Munoz
The third annual publication of Toronto’s City Planning Division “How Does the City Grow?” was presented recently during the Planning and Growth Management Committee meeting. How Does the City Grow? reviews both residential and non-residential growth, examining how and where the city has been growing and where it will continue to expand in the future.
The report serves as a guide for development in the city. It provides an overview of the development projects received in the past year, illustrates the city’s growth since the Official Plan came into force in June 2006, and it outlines future plans for expansion.
As Canada’s most populous city, the report aims to discover growth patterns and designate development projects in certain regions. By directing growth to appropriate areas, stable residential neighbourhoods and green spaces are protected. The Official Plan seeks to preserve 75% of the city’s land from significant intensification, and targets 25% of Toronto’s land for new developments.
Accessing studies from the Growth Plan, The Toronto Employment Survey and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), this edition of How Does the City Grow? highlights congruent growth in these numbers forecasting significant potential for continued growth in the coming years.
"Toronto is the focal point for growth and development in the GTA. Our vibrancy and diversity attract investment, and we have been successful in directing this into intensification of the city using our Official Plan," said Councillor Peter Milczyn (Ward 5 Etobicoke Lakeshore), Chair of the Planning and Growth Management Committee. "This shows that Toronto has strong development prospects, bringing more people and jobs to the city."
According the CMHC 2011 Census, the number of occupied residential homes increased 68,547 from 2006. Within the same time period, 58,074 residential units were completed. These astonishing numbers mark a recovery in the housing market from the mid-1990s that have not been duplicated since the peak in the late 1980s.
The Growth Plan predicts that by 2031 Toronto’s population will reach 3.19 million. As per the Official Plan, 82% of the residential units proposed are mandated to be built in the downtown area, Scarborough, Etobicoke, North York and Yonge-Eglinton, with 34,300 units proposed along Avenues. About two-thirds of non-residential space has been targeted for residential development in the same areas, with one-third proposed to be built in the employment districts.
The main functionality of the Official Plan is to help Toronto achieve the estimated level of growth potential, helping the city develop further as a strong Canadian business capital, while providing adequate housing for its booming population. Well on track according to the Official Plan, with 116,600 non-residential units under review or having been approved, downtown Toronto already accounts for approximately one-quarter of all the office space under construction in Canada.
The 2013 edition of How Does the City Grow? can be accessed here.
