Condoland
The Planning, Design, and Development of Toronto’s CityPlace
Distributed for University of British Columbia Press
Condoland
The Planning, Design, and Development of Toronto’s CityPlace
Condoland casts CityPlace—a massive residential development of more than thirty condominium towers just outside Toronto’s downtown core—as a microcosm of twenty-first-century urban intensification that has transformed the city skyline beyond all recognition.
Built almost entirely by a single private developer, this immense neighborhood took decades to plan, design, and develop, but the result lacks a sense of place and is not widely accessible to those who need homes: only a small number of its 13,000 units constitute affordable housing, and public amenities are limited. James T. White and John Punter journey through the forty-year development of Toronto’s largest residential megaproject, focusing on its urban design and architectural evolution. They also delve into the background, summarizing the tools used to shape Toronto’s built environment, and critically explore the underlying political economy of planning and real estate development in the city.
Using detailed field studies, interviews, archival research, and nearly two hundred illustrations, they reveal an alarmingly flexible approach to planning and design that is acquiescent to the demands of a rapacious development industry. Condoland raises key questions about the sustainability and long-term resilience of city planning.
352 pages | 117 halftones, 71 illustrations, 13 tables | 7 1/2 x 10 | © 2023
Geography: Urban Geography
History: Urban History
Political Science: Urban Politics
Reviews
Table of Contents
Part 1: Planning, Urban Design, and Condominiums in Toronto
1 Planning and the Tools of Design Governance
2 The Central Area Plan and Reformist Planning and Urban Design
3 Urban Intensification, Flexible Planning, and Vertical Urbanization
4 "Condo-ism" and the Impacts of Vertical Urbanization
Part 2: Designing and Developing the CityPlace Megaproject
5 Visions for Toronto’s Railway Lands
6 "Vancouverism" in Toronto
7 The Condominium Megastructure
8 CityPlace and the Affordable Housing Conundrum
9 A Tale of Two Halves on the Wittington Blocks
10 Completing CityPlace
Conclusion
Appendix: Railway Lands/CityPlace Planning, Design, and Development Timeline
Notes; References; Index
Be the first to know
Get the latest updates on new releases, special offers, and media highlights when you subscribe to our email lists!