There are more cranes across the skies of the GTA than any other place in the western world, something the UrbanToronto forum has specialized in bringing you over the last many years. For our front page stories the crane shots we hand pick from amongst the many our avid photographers post are typically the ones attached to the tops of the most prominent structures rising in the centre of Toronto. We have strayed over the border many times into Mississauga as well, but there are areas of the city that are under-represented by us, we know!

We can't let the following shot by UrbanToronto member Jaycola, of a virtual forest of cranes now rising on Yonge Street north of Steeles on the Markham side of Thornhill, go without making a fuss over it however, and it should signal the first of many follow-ups we expect to make of this huge site over the coming months. Liberty Development's World On Yonge complex of condominium suites, many shops, and a combined office tower and hotel has a grandiose name, but the project's vastness earns the moniker.

Five of seven cranes at World on Yonge by Liberty Development, image by Jaycola 2011.09.07

Designed by Kirkor Architects, World On Yonge brings two 31-storey towers connected by a large podium, a 20-storey office tower and hotel, a shopping centre, and the latest and final phase, the 27 and 18-storey Parkside Towers to an area that has previously been dominated by strip malls and suburban skies.

World on Yonge by Liberty Development, Thornhill

While the site will not be car-free in any way, much attention has been paid to the pedestrian environment at the project. All of the buildings which front Yonge Street, and those facing an interal piazza, are fronted by many street level shops.

World on Yonge by Liberty Development, Thornhill

UrbanToronto has a brand new dataBase page for World On Yonge which features many renderings, and a site plan that puts them all in perspective. Get to know the project by clicking on the dataBase link below, or join in the conversation at the associated thread links.