We recently came across this great article by Justin Robertson in the Toronto Standard which describes what Toronto will look like in 2050.
By the year 2050 Toronto living will be small. People will live in smaller spaces; perhaps even work from home. Car parking spots will be smaller. Backyards will be tiny or non-existent. The idea of a “community” will change. In the future, a community may consist of a mid-rise apartment building, strapped with amenities. Underground you’ll have access to transit. If grocery stores aren’t located and attached to your lobby, rest assured it’ll be easily accessible by foot
We absolutely agree with him. But in many ways, a lot of the architectural design trends that Robertson talks about, are already evident in many of the residential buildings and townhomes that are being built in Toronto today; particularly in our own buildings.
For example, E Condos which will be complete in 2017, will be directly connected to the Eglinton subway station and Eglinton’s LRT and will have a covered open public plaza at the corner. Emerald Park which is currently under construction, will also be directly connected to the Yonge and Sheppard subway station. Both of these projects will also have street level and underground retail space. Metro for example, will occupy second storey retail space at Emerald Park which will allow residents to do their grocery shopping without ever having to leave their building.
In addition, unlike most residential buildings, Exhibit Condos which is starting construction soon, will not have an underground parking garage. Instead, the parking will be located at the rear of the building on eight levels above ground. Residents living on those floors, will be able to park their car on the same level as their suite.
Our architect Rosario Varacalli believes that buildings shouldn’t stand on their own, they should be part of the city. “When you focus on just a building, you design in isolation and you forget about context. Everything is connected. It’s important to think in context.” This is why all of our buildings are either connected to transit, retail or office space, or are located in walkable neighbourhoods. We want our buildings to be connected to people, transit, sidewalks and public spaces. All of those connections are important to the quality of a building and the quality of a city. These are issues that many Torontonians are discussing and that we as a real estate developer, would like to discuss too.