Inspirations of a Lively Urban Grid

A downtown renewal effort in Mississauga, Ontario, looks to update its street grid by following the lead of other major world cities.

1 minute read

February 4, 2008, 9:00 AM PST

By Nate Berg


"In recent years, downtown Mississauga has amassed both significant density and a reasonably broad mix of land uses. But its sidewalks remain virtually empty, especially when compared with the attractive central areas of the world's great cities. And it's that lack of street life that Canada's sixth-largest city hopes to address starting with Parkside Village by Vancouver-based developer Amacon."

"A place that once provided little more than shopping and parking now has a fairly broad mix of uses. Besides the Civic Centre, the Living Arts Centre, the central library and other facilities, it's now a prime office and residential area, with new retail and restaurants integrated into the taller buildings."

"Parkside Village will add a lot more density and broaden the mix of uses. There will be about 5,300 highrise, midrise and townhouse units for about 12,000 people in an 11-block development west of Confederation Parkway, north of Burnhamthorpe. Amacon will also add restaurants, stores, banks, offices and a hotel to the mix, Sajecki says. What makes this development different is the attention being paid to the street grid as part of an effort to enhance street life in an area still dominated by the car."

Saturday, January 26, 2008 in The Toronto Star

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