Toronto Curates its Skyline With Tall Building Design Guidelines

"The latest effort come after six years of watching what worked and didn’t work in the past," she explains. "The general content is similar to existing planning documents, with more specific language and changes based on feedback from developers, ratepayer’s groups and citizens. One of the changes is a call for shorter base buildings," says Councillor Peter Milczyn, (Etobicoke-Lakeshore), chair of the planning and growth management committee.

"[Toronto’s director of urban design Robert Freedman] says the guidelines are 'not a checklist' and there is not likely a tower in the city that meets all of them. The idea is that when staff review an application, they should be looking to see if the 'applicant met the spirit and intent of the guidelines.'”