Designing downtowns to avoid lemons

April 12, 2009 – 10:23 pm

(originally published in the Toronto Sun)
If they put Lululemon in your downtown, would you visit?
City planners and business associations are asking questions like that, namely what mix of shops and services will entice people downtown.
I found it heartening to learn that my own city, in conjunction with the local business association, is in the final [...]

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By Marianne Meed Ward | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Trying not to repeat T.O.’s lakefront mistakes

March 29, 2009 – 10:31 pm

(originally published in the Toronto Sun)

When us 905ers think about waterfront development, we consider downtown Toronto an example of what not to do (recent improvements notwithstanding). The criticisms centre on three things:

Big buildings that block lakeviews;
Some butt-ugly buildings that distract from the nicer ones; and
Lack of continuous public access. The waterfront trail along much of [...]

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By Marianne Meed Ward | Also posted in Waterfront development | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)