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Building upon planning work and the findings of multiple rounds of public consultations across the city dating back to 2013, the City of Toronto has initiated a study entitled Growing Up: Planning for Children in New Vertical Communities. With a focus on seven target areas—the Downtown and Centres (Etobicoke, North York, Yonge Eglinton, and Scarborough Civic Centres), Sheppard Corridor (from Bayview Avenue to Leslie Street) and Humber Bay Shores—the new study aims to highlight the realities of family living in the vertical age.
As high-density living continues to become the new normal for families across the city, with 1 in 3 children now living in mid-to-highrise apartments and condos, the City Planning division hopes to uncover a multitude of ways and means to make living conditions easier for families. At a time when single family homes have become out of reach for all but the wealthiest inhabitants of the city, and the backyard and recroom has given way to balconies and amenity spaces, this new study comes at a time of mass change for the city.
In support of the study, an online survey has been made available for Torontonians with kids, asking a variety of questions ranging from simple demographic inquiries, to more telling questions about possible modifications (splitting single bedrooms into two, placing more than one child in a bedroom, or converting common spaces such as hallways, offices, or dens, into makeshift bedrooms for children), and about the availability of child-friendly amenities, such as nearby parks, common play areas, and schools. The data gathered will go towards informing all future proposals and initiatives related to this study.
For a more in-depth look at the issues raised in some of the preliminary consultations back in 2013, the Condo Consultation - Comprehensive Report breaks the results down into three main focus areas (Community Around the Building, Physical Building, and Community Inside the Building), highlighting both current issues and potential solutions for the future. By and large, the issues highlighted centre around a general lack of family-and-child-friendly amenities and considerations, the report citing deficiencies in a range of areas, including but not limited to, green space, dog parks, retail diversity, visitor parking, bike parking, family-sized units, storage, educational facilities, and polling stations. At almost every juncture, the proposed solution involved further, more meaningful participation and influence at condo board meetings, and in planning in general, from parents and the heads of family households living in condos.
Moving forward, Growing Up: Planning for Children in New Vertical Communities will continue into the Spring. From here, the results of the study will be put into a final report, the findings of which will help inform the members of City Council of the most effective methods by which to tackle the increasingly difficult task of housing Toronto families across the city.
