959 
On Thursday, September 17th, UrbanToronto joined the Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) and the Ontario Professional Planners Institute (OPPI) on a tour of Downtown Toronto, joining 16 other cities around the world. Starting at 3 PM local time, CTBUH members and urban enthusiasts worldwide gathered to walk the streets of cities from Auckland west around the globe to Vancouver to investigate the relationship between tall buildings and the public realm.
The Toronto tour was led by James Parakh, a City of Toronto Urban Design Manager and Chair of the CTBUH's Urban Habitat / Urban Design Committee. Gathering at City Hall, our tour began at Nathan Phillips Square, a prominent public space now celebrating its 50th anniversary. Parakh commented on the significance of the Viljo Revell-designed City Hall and square around it, which was "a big statement for Toronto in the 20th century," evidencing the city's nascent cosmopolitan ambitions.
Gathering in front of the instantly iconic 'TORONTO' sign for a group photo, the fruits of city's mid-century ambitions were evident all around us, with a vista of new skyscrapers surrounding a public square marked by a new and uncharacteristically assertive representation of the city.
Continuing to the south, Parakh led the group through the Sheraton Centre, where a unique open space takes centre stage in the hotel lobby. The lobby wraps around an isolated but lushly landscaped rocky waterfall, providing a counterpoint to the still, refined interior. According to Parakh, open spaces—and, in particular, publicly accessible ones—are becoming increasingly valuable in a city undergoing rapid development.
Leaving the Sheraton Centre behind us, we pass into the 28km PATH system (above), which Parakh tells us is "the largest network of its kind in the world," we emerge outside Canada's tallest building, First Canadian Place. Standing at 298 meters, the tower misses out on CTBUH's "Supertall" category by a mere two metres. "Not to worry, though," Parakh notes, "the Mirvish + Gehry project is set to be Canada's first supertall building."
Passing through the Financial District, we come to the Ludwig Mies van der Rohe-designed TD Centre, which stands as one of the city's most acclaimed architectural projects. As the sleek towers above us receive a new coat of paint as part of a comprehensive restoration project, Parakh draws our attention to the public space below.
As a Privately Owned Publicly Accessible Space (POPS), the plazas surrounding the towers are lively communal spaces that are open to the public, despite the fact that they remain under private ownership. Parakh explains that the POPS system allows local communities to benefit from private development, while ensuring that Toronto's ongoing rush of urban densification also creates new public spaces in its wake. A vibrant public realm creates "livable cities, which ultimately attract new residents and economic activity," Parakh tells us, revealing public spaces to be a deceptively integral part of cities' economic health.
Continuing our tour, Parakh guides us down a public walkway beside the Ritz Carlton Hotel (above), explaining that the pedestrian passage was facilitated by the city's prioritization of walkability when approving new developments. The walkway breaks up a long, unbroken city block into a more pedestrian-friendly part of the city, creating a convenient connection between Front Street and David Pecault Square.
At the foot of the walkway, we come to a small park dominated by Mountain, a large, imposing Anish Kapoor sculpture (above). The artwork faces out to the street and the CBC building beside it, which we pass as the tour takes us west. After stopping to take in a recently completed POPS space at 300 Front Street West, already modified since its installation to better handle the local canine population, we then make our way south, via the plaza at the foot of the CN Tower, and then on to Roundhouse Park.
Roundhouse Park, Parakh explains, presents an innovative use of space, as the lower floors of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre are housed directly beneath the park. This type of new and creative solution becomes increasingly crucial to maintaining a healthy supply of public spaces as the city continues to develop, and land values surge. Together, the POPS projects and Roundhouse Park evidence solutions that create a compromise between development and the public realm, ensuring accessible spaces and private construction projects can develop in tandem.
Turning east, we pass by Ïce Condos, which are currently completing construction. Although the project is not yet finished, Parakh turns our attention to the plaza in front of the two towers, where a prominent piece of public art, Vong Phaophanit and Claire Obussier's Dream House (below), acts as a bridge between private and public space.
The tour finishes at the award-winning Delta Hotel (below), which received an Urban Design Award that recognized the tower's commitment to the public realm. With exceptionally wide sidewalks, minimally intrusive driveways, and vibrant patio design, the hotel fosters a vibrant and pedestrian-oriented urban environment. In January, the project was also recognized as the UrbanToronto Forum's favourite commercial building of 2014, evidencing the project's extremely positive reception.
Settling in for a group drink at the Delta Hotel's SOCA lounge, we reflect on the complex relationship between public spaces and urban density. Even amidst an unprecedented boom of highrise construction, and of skyscrapers that stand as monuments to private wealth, the tour illustrated that forward-thinking planning and responsible development can ensure that the city—at ground level—remains a place for everyone.
Here's an overview of the walk:
How do you feel Toronto's Downtown skyscrapers and public realm is coming along? Let us know in the comments below.
