Canadian Suburb Sets Sights on 'Mobility Orbit'

The town of Innsifil, Ontario, located to the north of Toronto, has approved a truly ambitious, futurists vision for its future, centered around public transit and called "Mobility Orbit."

December 5, 2019, 2pm PST | James Brasuell | @CasualBrasuell

"The GO train has left the station and is headed into orbit. Next stop, Innisfil, the 'squircle' city," writes Shane MacDonald.

If that sounds like science fiction, it's practically is. There are two pieces to this puzzle: the first, a GO transit station, which now has an endorsement from the Innsifil Council and a full funding commitment from the developer, Cortel Group. The second piece is the larger development plan called Mobility Orbit—the "squircle" extending out from the station. Both components have a futuristic appearance, as shown in the renderings made available by Innisfil. Eventually, Innisfil hopes 150,000 people will live in the squircle defined by the Mobility Orbit plan.

"Innisfil partnered with Toronto-based architecture studio Partisans to help launch the idea," according to MacDonald, who also includes a lot more detail on the development plans for both the station and the larger Mobility Orbit plans.

As described in a column on Innisfil [paywall] by architecture critic Alec Bozikovic, Mobility Orbit is Innisfil's plan to become the suburb of the future: built around transit, cycling, and walking.