The controversy over a proposed eight-story condo development in Toronto embroiled author Margaret Atwood this week.
Christopher Hume reports:
As Toronto planners tell it, midrise development could well be this city’s saviour. Lining the main streets with four- to 11-storey buildings, they argue, would provide housing for thousands without overwhelming the neighbourhoods of which they are part.
So why are so many midrise projects greeted with howls of outrage by disapproving locals and/or unimpressed planners? Each one is treated as if it were an affront to civic good taste and municipal well-being. Getting the go-ahead for something as benign as a six-storey condo can be as arduous and expensive as a 60-storey tower.
A specific development controversy is inspiring Hume's examination of mid-rise housing. This week, Margaret Atwood—author of A Handmaiden's Tale, among other titles—found herself amidst a public controversy on Twitter after opposing an eight-story condo proposal. For more on Toronto's policies on mid-rise development, see an article written for Planetizen by Robert Freedman, former director of urban design for the city of Toronto.
Read the full story: Midrise housing has bright future in Toronto — whether residents like it or not: Hume
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