URD2013Y F
Instructors: Shonda Wang, Drew Sinclair
Meeting Section: L0101
Tuesday, 9:00am - 1:00pm, 2:00pm - 6:00pm; Friday, 2:00pm - 6:00pm

Density follows flow. Where people move freely the City grows. The hyper-densification along our major transit corridors offers proof of the corollary. Our City-Region is the fastest growing among all cities in Canada or the United States. To support this growth, the Federal Government, Provincial Government, and City of Toronto have committed to a 10-year Infrastructure Plan intended to deliver $13 billion in transit infrastructure within the next decade. Transit investments drive (stimulate) density through organic (market) processes and through the creation of artificial (policy) constraints. Controlling the form of density and its’ impact on, and benefits to, our communities is one of the critical urban issues of our time.

Under ongoing pressure of unprecedented population growth, the City of Toronto’s built form and housing supply is continually evolving, as evidenced by a profusion of high-rise apartment site infill and mixed-use building development in and along the City’s Centres and Avenues where the City’s Official Plan funnels density. The City’s Official Plan does not currently set low-rise Neighbourhoods as a focus for intensification; Neighbourhoods are to be “stable” though they “are not static”. Across the city, the degree and intensity of development within neighbourhoods varies significantly, but, on the whole, STABLE Neighbourhoods- for a host of reasons- remain the largest un-tapped source of latent development potential to accommodate the City’s housing need.

The studio’s initial assignment will offer the opportunity to consider the existing City, and it’s patterns of density and supporting infrastructure, as a field for observation and analysis. Beginning with a visionary map-based exploration of nodes of ‘greatest latent potential,’ students will consider an alternative approach to the transitdensity corollary. Working in teams, students will critically evaluate transit system alternatives and propose a singular mobility intervention at the scale of City OR Region.

The second series of assignments will unpack what presents as competing objectives: to pair major transit infrastructure, frequently in immediate proximity to existing STABLE Neighbourhoods, with an exploration of neighbourhood intensification typologies with an intent to understand the “carrying capacity” of what has near universally become known as the Yellow Belt.

The second half of the studio will operate at the scale of block and neighbourhood- moving through a sequence of explorations on impact (effect) of transit proximity to low-density, low-rise, residential neighbourhoods. The final assignment will be a MASTER PLAN for a proposed mobility node and neighbourhood.

The studio will include a series of complimentary presentations and workshops, by researchers and technical experts, on critical themes for each phase of student research including: transit infrastructure,

Instructor Bios:

Shonda Wang

Shonda is a Principal and Urban Design Lead with over fifteen years of experience in large-scale urban regeneration projects, including focused work on mobility, planning, and design. Her expertise services both public and private sector clients who want to invest in transit-oriented intensification and creating walkable, thriving communities.

With her background in social work and community development, Shonda has developed a particular expertise in the socio-economic and participatory aspects of planning and design. As a result, SvN’s urban design practice has won multiple local and national awards for projects such as ‘Eglinton Connects’ and the ‘Six Points Interchange Reconfiguration’, which transform car-focused arterials into urban, complete streets with generous public boulevards, public art, and protected bike lanes.

Other key projects that Shonda has led include: Dundas Connects, City of Mississauga; Hurontario LRT, Metrolinx; North York General Hospital Campus Strategy and Plan; Newmarket Secondary Plan; and the Alexandra Park Revitalization for TCHC. Shonda has also authored numerous city building and neighbourhood development plans and guidelines for municipalities including the Hamilton, Vaughan and Toronto. Shonda’s advisory is highly sought-after for her strong ability to navigate and stitch together city building objectives with market realities.

Drew Sinclair

Drew Sinclair is a Principal, Urban Designer, and Architect at SvN, and a recipient of the Canada Council’s Prix de Rome for Emerging Practitioners. He is a graduate of McGill University and holds a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Toronto where he won the Heather Reisman Gold Medal in Design. Drew has been recognized for design innovation for both small and large scale projects. He was the lead architect for the Athletes’ Village Master Plan for the 2015 Pan and Parapan American Games and continues to lead the firm’s housing and institutional building practice areas. Drew was Project Architect for a number of award winning residential projects, including the 40R Laneway House (with Superkül) in Toronto, and has managed a wide range of residential, institutional, and mixed-use projects.