Unfortunately Toronto has been in the world news lately for the antics of its mayor, not for displays of creative or dynamic development nor urban design best practices. Fortunately, Torontonians can count the ongoing neighbourhood renewals, the nixed Casino proposal, and such initiatives as the revitalization of the Lake Ontario shoreline as actual steps forward. Here are some of the most popular news articles, Forum discussions, and dataBase listings over the last month.

News

When not mired in the media furor plaguing Mayor Ford this past month, UrbanToronto readers have been following high profile projects that have far-reaching implications in city building, from the Crosstown LRT to the extensive waterfront development. Top of the list is the new skyline for the Toronto Star lands, whose most recently released renderings have caused more than a minor stir.

Street realm at 5 and 7 Yonge Street, by Hariri Pontarini for Pinnacle International

1. Pinnacle and Hariri Pontarini Plan to Amaze at the base of Yonge

2. Cadillac Fairview Aims High at Queen and Yonge Rental Tower

3. Yonge Eglinton Centre Receiving A $100 Million Facelift

4. CN Tower and the Ripley's Aquarium Race to Summer Openings

5. Progress at Ripley's Aquarium Hinting at the Finished Look

6. Waterfront Toronto Making More of the Water's Edge Accessible

7. The Crosstown LRT to Bring Rapid Transit through Mid-Toronto

8. Demolition Imminent for Art Deco Concourse Building on Adelaide

9. Examining Urban Sprawl Through Satellite Timelapse Imagery

10. New and Updated Proposals at King and Spadina Promise Renewal

Forum

Mayor Rob Ford's Toronto thread should get special mention as the fastest growing thread we have ever had here at UrbanToronto. On days when his latest scandal has been at a fever pitch, that thread has generated nearly 1,000 comments (50 or more pages a day!). It has become the de facto place to go for a lot of people to get a minute by minute account of what is going on, generating lots of tweets. 

MP John Carmichael, Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong, Mayor Rob Ford, Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday, image by Jack Landau

1. Mayor Rob Ford's Toronto

2. Ïce Condominums at York Centre

3. One Bloor East (1 Bloor St E., Great Gulf Homes, 75s, Hariri Pontarini)

4. L Tower + Sony Centre (Castlepoint/Fernbrook/Cityzen, 58s, Libeskind/P+S)

5. CityPlace: Parade (Concord Adex, 18 + 22 + 39 + 44s, KPF)

6. Southcore Financial Ctr: Bremner Tower & Delta (GWL/bcIMC, 30 + 47s, KPMB & P+S/IBI)

7. One York (Menkes, 35s, &co) + Harbour Plaza Residences (90 Harbour St, 62 + 66s, aA)

8. Waterlink at Pier 27 (25 Queen's Quay E, Fernbrook/Cityzen, 2 or 4x 14s, aA)

9. Aquarium of Canada & CN Tower Retail Pavillion (Canada Lands/Ripley, 3s, B+H)

10. Trump Tower Toronto (Talon, 57s, Zeidler)

Database

The projects that continue to hold steady at the top of the pile are, for the most part, Toronto's largest and flashiest nevilogcanada casino proposals. These include the new aquarium, a 3-tower mixed-use complex at 1 York and Harbour Streets, and a dense crop of sky-high towers on the Toronto Star lands at the base of Yonge Street.

Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, image courtesy of Ripley Entertainment Inc.

1. Ripley's Aquarium of Canada

2. One York Street & Harbour Plaza Residences

3. 1 to 7 Yonge (Toronto Star Lands)

4. Park Towns Bayview and Sheppard

5. L Tower

6. NY2 Condominiums

7. 2221 Yonge

8. Union Station Revitalization

9. Waterlink at Pier 27

10. Casa III Condos

Related Companies:  architects—Alliance, B+H Architects, Baker Real Estate Incorporated, Bass Installation, Castlepoint Numa, CCxA, Cecconi Simone, Cornerstone Marketing Realty, DesignAgency, Entuitive, First Capital, Great Gulf, Hariri Pontarini Architects, Isotherm Engineering Ltd., Jablonsky, Ast and Partners, Janet Rosenberg & Studio, Kramer Design Associates Limited, L.A. Inc., LiveRoof Ontario Inc, LRI Engineering Inc., Menkes Developments, Milborne Group, NAK Design Group, NAK Design Strategies, Peter McCann Architectural Models Inc., Rebar Enterprises Inc, RJC Engineers, Sweeny &Co Architects Inc., Trillium Architectural Products, TUCKER HIRISE Construction, Walters Group