People Plan Toronto

Here at PPT, we’ve been calling for changes to the planning process since our inception. That’s been based on feedback from residents of the city who say the process is dysfunctional and confusing, citizens are marginalized, and too much so-called planning really comes down to horsetrading between councillors.

Now, some of Toronto’s top architects, planners and developers are adding their voice. Yesterday, Councillor Adam Vaughan introduced an open letter at council calling for “a new planning vision for Toronto”. (Full disclosure – PPT was one of the signators). Specifically, the letter requests that the hiring of a new Chief Planner be deferred until the next term of council (in other words – after the next municipal election), and that a full review of the city’s planning functions be undertaken at that time. Hear hear, we say.

Letters of all sorts were flying this week, it seems.  Also put out to the public was a scathing letter from the Waterfront Design Review Panel to the City.  Asking “Why would the City of Toronto compromise the vision and potential for the Lower Don Lands”?  the panel takes on the inexplicable and bone-headed decision of the City to put a sprawling, suburban-style ice-hockey rink on the waterfront, in direct contravention of all of the values that have been so carefully – even painfully – worked out  between the community and waterfront planners over the last decade.

The grassroots and the elite of Toronto’s design and planning community agree:  planning  in Toronto is in dire need of a radical shakeup.   Is there a mayoral candidate who can answer the call?

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 13th, 2010 at 4:09 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.