305A: A Downtown for Scarborough: Intensification Challenges and Successes in Scarborough Centre

October 05, 2016

2:45pm - 3:00pm

Toronto’s OP lists Scarborough Centre, just south of the 401 and 20km from the downtown core, as a Growth Centre slated for intensification. Multiple high rise condo towers have been built in the area south of the Scarborough Town Centre mall, a new subway has been planned for development, and a new library opened in 2015. In the post-war car-centric single-family residential context of central Scarborough, visions of a walkable “downtown” for Scarborough, as seen in the Scarborough Centre Secondary Plan and subsequent master plans and precinct studies, are proving difficult to achieve. Streetscape and public realm improvements are lagging, and the mall acts as a barrier to pedestrian activity.

Through interviews with members of the local community association, an urban designer who worked on streetscape and precinct plans, and two senior planners for Scarborough, this research project sought to construct a narrative of the challenges and successes found through intensification in Scarborough Centre from multiple viewpoints. With the review of the GGH Growth Plan by the Province of Ontario, this case study helps in understanding how to meet intensification targets in a way that appeals to varied stakeholders. 

Speakers