Downtown Toronto has grown and its hospitals are struggling to keep up with growing demand for their services.
In Toronto, hospitals are serving more people, which is stretching their resources thin. "As downtown Toronto’s population has skyrocketed in the past decade, tens of thousands of patients have streamed out of their new condos and into the hospitals on their collective doorstep," according to a story by Kelly Grant in the Globe and Mail.
This demand is not just coming from a condo boom but also an influx of people coming to the city center to work. Grant reports, "Annual emergency department visits increased by 43 percent at the Hospital for Sick Children, 45 percent at Mount Sinai Hospital and 59 percent at Toronto General Hospital, which is also part of the University Health Network." Hospital officials expressed concern about how this increase in patients could affect all the healthcare services the facilities provide, from surgeries to emergency medicine.
FULL STORY: State of emergency
Editorial: Toronto’s Snow Clearing Plan Isn’t Fair
The city’s plan for dealing with snow and ice on sidewalks this winter doesn't address past problems and won't meet the needs of residents, say critics.
In Toronto, Urban Amenities Lag Behind Condo Boom
Since it began in 1999, Toronto's condo boom has added 120,000 units to the city and, in the process, transformed its urban landscape. City leaders are just now beginning to address how to accommodate these new residents.
Despite NIMBY Opposition, Density is the Only Option for a Prosperous Toronto
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Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
Fair Housing Cannot Take a Back Seat to ‘Build, Baby, Build’
If we overlook fair housing principles in the plan to build US housing back better, we risk ending up right back where we started.
LA Metro Board Approves New 710 Freeway Plan
The newest plan for the 710 corridor claims it will not displace any residents.
Austin’s Proposed EV Charging Rules Regulate Station Locations, Size
City planners say the new rules would ensure an efficient distribution of charging infrastructure across the city and prevent an overconcentration in residential areas.
Making California State Parks More Climate-Resilient
A recently released report offers recommendations for keeping state parks healthy and robust, including acquiring additional land for conservation and recreation.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
