Urban Design: then & now

Before council meetings were streamed online, they were broadcast on the local Rogers cable channel. I used to watch them when I was in law school — I was renting a room on Regent Street, and a new supermarket was being built practically next door. That was 2002.

People who cared about urban design pushed for a building that fit the neighbourhood — minimal setback from the road, parking behind. Council approved the opposite: a single-storey suburban-style box with a sea of asphalt between the sidewalk and the front door. In a neighbourhood where people walk.

I don't think we'd get that result today. By 2015, when I was working on an affordable housing infill project for a local charity, city planning staff were supporting us through the process and connecting us with local experts who helped us come up with a great design. Since then, the city has published built form design guidelines for multiple areas and is working on more. That's a real shift — from getting out of the way to actively helping projects work well. There's more to do, but we're heading in the right direction.