Update Downsview: Mobility strategy for now and the future

The Downsview Secondary Plan establishes a 30-year vision for a former airport in north Toronto. Over 115,000 new residents and 47,000 workers, representing one of the largest city-building efforts in the history of Toronto, will be welcomed to the 540-hectare site. With access to multiple existing rapid transit stations, integrating land use and mobility strategies to reduce auto dependency and promote sustainable urban living is a pillar of the plan.
 
Historically home to the Bombardier airfield and manufacturing facilities, the large footprint of the former use is a significant hole in the city’s urban fabric. The departure of Bombardier in 2024 presents a generational and transformative opportunity to reconsider the potential of this largely vacant site. This allows city planners to develop the transportation framework from the ground up and reintegrate the area into the larger multi-modal network.
 
 
Aiming high
The secondary plan includes mobility policy to achieve the following mode share targets by 2051: 75 per cent of trips are by transit and active mobility; and no more than 25 per cent of trips are by automobiles.
 
These mode share targets are ambitious. For comparison, the mode share for automobiles in Downtown Toronto (732,000 people) is approximately 27 per cent, while the other more comparably sized urban centre, midtown Toronto (149,500 people), has a 48 per cent automobile mode share (2016 Toronto Tomorrow Survey, known as TTS). Achieving such a significant reduction in automobile use will require a major paradigm shift toward active transportation and public transit.
 
Despite the ambition of these goals, they provide the city with strong leverage to implement aggressive mobility strategies through the development review process. While the timeline for achieving the targets is long-term, the plan is already influencing the first district planning processes. The overarching objective is to shape city planners’ mindsets to prioritize multi-modal transportation, ensuring it becomes central to all decision-making from creating mid-block connections to major infrastructure designs.
 
 
Implementation: Evolving opportunities
 
To achieve the long-term goal of matching the modal share of Downtown Toronto, the plan outlines mobility choice strategies across various aspects of pedestrian, cycling, transit, and parking.
 
Fine-Grained Street Network: Four new major streets are proposed to be delivered as development progresses, re-integrating the area into the surrounding street network and prioritizing active transportation.
 
Active Mobility Corridors: Two planned active mobility corridors will significantly reduce travel times for pedestrians and cyclists while improving safety and the overall travel experience.
 
Active Rail Crossings: Three new active bridges over the rail corridor to the west side of the area will enable both new and existing residents to walk to one of the city’s largest urban parks, which is currently only accessible by car.
 
Density at Transit Stations: Densities will be strategically placed around the three existing subway stations, encouraging new residents to rely on transit as their primary travel modes and densities compared to other districts.
 
Additionally, the plan introduces a transitional parking strategy designed to balance short-term needs with long-term objectives. The strategy allows for an oversupply of parking in earlier phases of development and little to no parking in later phases to reduce the overall parking ratio across the broader area.
 
The parking zoning by-law has also been designed to be flexible in terms of built form and location. Temporary surface parking lots can be repurposed for future redevelopment, enabling easier transitions as transportation patterns shift. This flexibility ensures parking strategies complement the overall planning framework while shifting the built form from suburban to urban environment. Together, these initiatives aim to promote active transportation from the onset of new developments, embed transit-oriented principles into the community, shift the mindset of existing residents, and revitalize underutilized subway stations.
 
Accountable for the future
 
Given that Downsview’s transformation spans three decades, it is critical to acknowledge that circumstances will evolve — from technological advancements to changes in transit infrastructure and travel behaviour. To adapt to these changes, a transportation monitoring program is required as part of each district plan.
 
The monitoring program will be a living document, updated every five years, tracking key transportation indicators such as: mode share, transportation demand management strategies, trip characteristics, utilization of multi-modal mobility networks, and parking usage. By combining these findings with TTS and census data, the city can ensure development review processes remain accountable and necessary adjustments to strategies are made in a timely manner. This proactive approach will help maintain alignment with long-term goals while addressing emerging transportation needs.
 
 
Verdict
 
The Downsview Secondary Plan represents an adaptive approach to city-building, with a strong emphasis on sustainable mobility. Benchmarking against downtown Toronto, Update Downsview aims to establish an entirely new urban core that not only mirrors downtown densities and built forms but also embraces a lifestyle where people can live and work locally, reducing the burden on the wider street network. As the area evolves, ongoing collaboration between the city, developers, and stakeholders will be crucial to achieving these ambitious goals and setting a precedent for future large-scale urban transformations.