Toronto is moving forward with a plan to re-vision it's aging concrete high-rises as sustainable, mixed-use centers of urban development.
"The Mayor's Tower Renewal aims to turn the greater Toronto metropolitan area's 1960s apartment blocks into a 21st century resource, around which sustainable, walkable, mixed-use suburban hubs of community and economic opportunity can be built. In so doing, Toronto could create a model of successful density for the rest of the continent, and perhaps for the world."
"The plan originated from ongoing research at the University of Toronto, and the work of Graeme Stewart, both as a graduate student and later with ERA Architects. The research recognized the potential value of these nearly 1,000 buildings. The Tower Renewal Project comprises a series of comprehensive recommendations for reviving these concrete housing communities so that they provide the high quality of life they were intended for, using the 21st century understanding of sustainable development. In September last year, the plan was adopted by Toronto's City Council and Mayor David Miller, and in January, the City identified four pilot sites and launched a new corresponding civic department."
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