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In the blink of an eye, our calendars have gone from 2023 to 2024. As we jump into this leap year, we're starting with a look back at what was big in the past 12 months. It was an eventful year for Toronto, both in accomplishments and challenges, and UrbanToronto was here to track those and more.
We followed a development industry looking to build taller and denser communities, the City of Toronto taking steps to tackle the ever-worsening housing crisis, and The One working through entering receivership. With inflation and higher interest rates raising questions and concerns about the affordability of the many new condominium units being built, the year also shed light on Toronto's sustainable, transit-friendly, and community-oriented future. From ongoing construction on the Eglinton Line 5 Crosstown LRT and Ontario Line, to the opening of the ambitious mixed-use community The Well, we got a glimpse into how Toronto can overcome its challenges for a more inclusive future.
Here at UrbanToronto, we also got to do our own self-reflection in October. The year marked our 20th Anniversary, and all through October we featured images comparing the Toronto of yesteryear to the city today. In addition, we published a series of articles looking back at the past decades and looking ahead to Toronto's, and by extension UrbanToronto's, future.
With so much to look back on, we have gone above and beyond our usual Top 10 lists, and instead have prepared Top 23 Lists for the most read News Stories, the most searched Database Files, and the Busiest Forum Threads from all of 2023 to offer a review of what mattered most to the UrbanToronto audience and Forum contributors these past 12 months. Here is our Topping Off of 2023.
Our Top 23 Most Read News Stories of 2023
The top 23 news stories offer a microcosm of what Toronto had to offer this past year. Our opening spot transports us out of the current cold and back to a summer day in June. A large crowd gathered for the grand opening of Love Park, and UrbanToronto was there to cover the event. Attending the opening was Toronto City Councillor for Ward 10, Ausma Malik, Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie, and the lead designer for the project, Claude Cormier, whom we were shocked to be memorializing just months later.
28. Love Park Grand Opening Celebrated on Toronto's Waterfront
23. Settlement Proposal for Two-Tower Development in Yorkville Includes a 'Sky Garden'
22. 50-Storey Station Park Tower Part of Kitchener's Emerging Transit Hub
While development plans generally concentrated near transit access across the Greater Golden Horseshoe, as per above, there were also innovative approaches to holding onto the city's history, such as the proposal below at 1117 Queen Street West that would incorporate an historic postal station into its podium.
21. 29-Storey Proposal at Heritage Canada Post Station C in West Queen West
20. Toronto Opens Affordable Housing at Birchmount Green in Scarborough
19. Metrolinx Gathering Public Input On Sheppard Rapid Transit Expansion
18. KING Toronto Boasts New Glass Block Wall While Scaffolds Come Down
17. Hurontario LRT Advances with New Underpass Beneath GO Tracks
Our coverage of The One included a hardhat tour of the construction's progress, offering a detailed look inside of the ascending tower:
16. Hardhat Tour of The One: Sam Mizrahi on the Continuing Work
15. Yonge & Gerrard Proposal Increased to 85 Storeys
14. 6 Tower Proposal by GO Station in Markham's Evolving Unionville
13. 69 Storeys Proposed Within Walking Distance of Sherbourne Subway
12. Construction to Continue While The One Enters Receivership
11. Toromont Unveils Masterplan South of Vaughan Metropolitan Centre
One of our 20th Anniversary articles also made the Top 10, with a look at the evolution of Union Station:
10. 20 YEARS: Work Never Ends at Union Station
9. Buttonville Airport Redevelopment Shifts from Mixed-Use to Industrial
8. Shops Filling Out Union Station While Construction Continues for New Platforms
7. Dream Unlimited and Great Gulf Advance Ambitious Plan for Quayside
The One also claimed two of the Top 5 spots at #3 and #4, with #5 being our coverage of Pinnacle One Yonge's height extension that will send its tallest tower soaring past 100 storeys.
The Well also makes an appearance at #6 with our coverage of the ribbon-cutting ceremony:
6. The Well Celebrates Initial Opening with Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
5. Planning Recommends Two 'Supertall' Extensions at Pinnacle One Yonge
4. The One Reaches Skyscraper Status as Construction Continues
3. The One is Heading For 91 Storeys… and That's Final!
2. CF Looks to the Future for Markham's Markville Mall, Proposing 14-Building Redevelopment
1. Ontario Announces Six New Transit-Oriented Communities in Toronto
At #1 is one of our articles covering housing plans near future transit stations that are meant to chip away at Toronto's affordability and housing crises. Back in October, the Ontario government unveiled plans to establish six transit-oriented communities (TOCs), with five along the future Ontario Line 3, and one along the Scarborough Subway Extension. The goal is to develop these sites into mixed-use communities offering affordable housing options.
Our Top 23 Most Searched Database Files of 2023
Kicking off our top 23 database files at #24 is the Mirvish Village redevelopment of the former Honest Ed's site. Since bidding farewell to the iconic discount retailer near Bathurst station, the Annex has seen the rise of five modern buildings at the site, ranging from 13 to 26 storeys.
24. Mirvish Village (Honest Ed's Redevelopment)
The plan for Cloverdale Mall that would transform the site with 11 new buildings — now revised with the three tallest ranging from 42 to 48 storeys — continues the list.
23. Cloverdale Mall Redevelopment
22. 8 Wellesley | Residences at Yonge
21. Maple House at Canary Landing
20. Lower Don Lands Redevelopment
19. 11 YV
17. M2M Condos
The top 15 includes notable designs such as KING Toronto's unique glass block wall and its avant garde modern architecture incorporating heritage components. There is also the Time and Space Condos, which recently started occupancy, with a distinctive block-filling U-shaped layout and massing featuring multiple tiers and step-backs.
15. 88 Queen
14. KING Toronto
13. Concord Sky
12. XO Condos
9. Q Tower
8. Forma
7. CIBC SQUARE
6. TD Terrace
5. 101 Spadina
4. Sugar Wharf Condominiums (Phase 2)
Finally, there are no surprises when it comes to our top 3: The One easily managed to hold onto the top spot, continuing a run that started several years ago now, followed closely by The Well, which began to open to the public late last year. In third, Pinnacle One Yonge has garnered attention with the announcement of height increases that would send its tallest tower to a final count of 105 storeys, making it the first in Canada to surpass 100 storeys.
2. The Well
1. The One
Our Top 23 Busiest Forum Threads of 2023
In spot #27 is 8 Wellesley, currently under construction at Yonge and Wellesley. The building is set to feature a unique sloping east elevation at its crown, and distinct terraces below at this bustling downtown intersection.
27. 8 Wellesley | Residences at Yonge
The top 23 continues with a mix of tall, dense, and community-driven projects. Starting off the list we have both phases of the Sugar Wharf Condominiums at Lake Shore Boulevard West and Freeland Street.
23. Sugar Wharf Condominiums (Phase 2)
22. Sugar Wharf Condominiums (Phase 1)
These are followed by St Lawrence Market North, a soon-to-wrap-up construction project that is replacing the one-storey North Market building with a multi-purpose 5-storey development for the iconic St Lawrence Market.
21. St. Lawrence Market North Building
20. Peter & Adelaide
19. Artists' Alley
17. Finch West LRT
16. Union Station Revitalization
15. Mirvish Village (Honest Ed's Redevelopment)
14. 88 Queen
11. TD Terrace
The top 10 comprises the most popular projects on UrbanToronto and features the heavy hitters we often see in our monthly top 10 lists. These include the transit projects of Ontario Line 3 and the Eglinton Line 5 Crosstown LRT that are poised to transform how people get around the city, one of them sooner than the other!
10. Forma
9. Concord Sky
8. Lower Don Lands Redevelopment
6. KING Toronto
5. Eglinton Line 5 Crosstown LRT
CIBC SQUARE managed to beat out The Well for the #3 spot, with the latter having to settle for fourth. The top spots, unsurprisingly, belong to Pinnacle One Yonge and The One, with the latter reinforcing that its name was well chosen.
4. The Well
3. CIBC SQUARE
1. The One
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UrbanToronto has a research service, UrbanToronto Pro, that provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Toronto Area—from proposal through to completion. We also offer Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.
