Toronto deserves development that takes all its residents into account - not just developers or those with special interests. Ideas in a letter by Ward 30 Councillor Paula Fletcher to the City of Toronto's planning and growth management committee, are definitely a step in the right direction.
Fletcher proposes that the city's rules governing new infill developments - townhouse complexes for example - should keep in mind pedestrians as much as they do cars and trees. Her proposal would require that sites have well-marked and well-lit walkways, pedestrian-friendly intersections and easy access to the community at large.As the city embarks on an ambitious plan to connect its various communities via new transit, this is the perfect time for councillors from across the city to demand that any new infill developments - those that reuse and reposition obsolete or under-ulitlized buildings and sites - take Fletcher's notion into account.Due to their locations many infill sites are squeezed into areas that may not be conducive to Fletcher's ideas, but that should not kill the concept. In order to build a prosperous and attractive city, one must set clear rules that must be followed. Toronto being what it is can set those rules and developers will continue to build here.There are infill developments and proposals across the city - from Scarborough to Etobicoke, North York down to Lake Ontario. Under-utilized sites that would tie existing communities together now divide them with empty barren land, or buildings showing their age. Demanding that developers create projects that take into consideration the community at large is a positive thing."When we're looking at a new development we look at a number of things - trees, cars - but we don't look at what works best for pedestrians," said Fletcher, pointing to the 62-townhouse complex on Curzon Street in her ward as a perfect example of what she means.Acknowledging that in Leslieville people like to walk rather than drive, this is perfect. But this is not to say that the notion cannot be extended beyond the downtown where business strips exist by the plenty. In many parts of the city where there isn't a local business strip, this notion could help create one, where those in existing communities can walk to a new development where pedestrian-friendly concepts have been top-of-mind.What is to stop development along Kingston Road in Scarborough, large swaths of land in North York, or The West Mall and Eva Road in Etobicoke from becoming areas where communities can be built, and in some cases expanded?It's a novel idea by Fletcher, which could - if discussed properly - help create a more unified city that takes everyone into consideration when putting up a highrise, townhouse complex or mixed-used building.