Henning Larsen’s Post

The Salt Lake City Redevelopment Agency (RDA) is now sharing its vision for the newly-dubbed "Rio Grande District", a dense, transit-oriented, mixed use plan for the 11 acres that the City owns immediately west of the old train station. While we largely support this vision and its goals, we believe that it does not adequately address or even acknowledge the barriers that have historically prevented this site from becoming a functioning city district. To the west, an underused railyard presents delays and dangers at-grade, preventing the free movement of people and opportunity between the two halves of the city. To the east, the venerable Rio Grande Depot sits empty and blocks a major street, preventing direct access to downtown. To the south, giant viaducts cut through the city and isolate Salt Lake Central from the burgeoning Granary District. All of these problems are addressed in totality by the citizen-driven proposal, the Rio Grande Plan, which would also open more than 75 acres to redevelopment directly adjacent to the region's most important transit station. Rio Grande Plan: https://lnkd.in/gGNgUqpk RDA Rio Grande District: https://lnkd.in/gCKriBkz

Toronto’s public sector is planning a 33-hectare neighbourhood on Lake Ontario. It features fine new parks and vast swaths of empty public land. It represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for dense, creative city-building. And it is being wasted, reported The Globe and Mail. "A plan for Villiers Island, located in the Port Lands just east of downtown, went to a public meeting on Thursday; it will go to Toronto City Council in June. The plan is a failure. It is supposed to maximize the delivery of housing; it will not. It could create a unique sense of place; it won’t do that either. Instead, it will deliver dull and regressive city-building with a focus on the car and indifferent public space." "This revised precinct plan, which amends the 2017 proposal, locks in key decisions about Villiers: density and the street pattern. The city “wants to have certainty around the density to confirm the infrastructure and servicing required,” a spokesperson said in a statement last week." https://lnkd.in/gTm9fu6p #toronto #development #villiersisland #density

Here’s one ownership group taking city building responsibility very seriously, especially during a housing shortage. Get ready to witness the transformation of a decommissioned Downsview airfield in Toronto into a 370-acre mixed-use community - the largest urban redevelopment project in North America. It’s a shame another closed Toronto area airfield - the Buttonville Airport - a 169 acre site couldn’t follow suit. Previously proposed as a mixed-use development with lots of residential, is now going to be an industrial complex. https://lnkd.in/de6A6nd8 #redevelopment #residential #multifamily #placemaking #citybuilding #construction #airports #toronto #canada #northamerica #developers #affordablehousing #transit #mixeduse #community #neighbourhood #highrise #transitorienteddevelopment #pensionfunds #industrial #homes

Despite slowdowns, the project has been a catalyst for commercial and residential development along the line, as the four suburban cities on the route continue to consider projects. #GreenLineExtension #TransitOrientedDevelopment #UrbanDevelopment #RealEstateDevelopment

The Well is one of #Toronto’s most important #buildings in years - but can it help the #city find its #soul? by A Bozikovic insightful article considering #future #inclusive #city #building questions - #interrelated #bioregional #placebased #futureskilling #gentledensity #rezoning #socialprocurement #education #onehealth #intergenerational #multimodal #inclusive #accessible #spaceplanning #infrastructure #economicdevelopment #safe #diverse #equitable #jobs #supplychain 'according to its owners RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust and Allied Properties REIT, the project #transcends even these #familiar #categories. It is instead “a unique #citybuilding opportunity,” Riocan chief #investment officer Andrew Duncan said on a recent tour of the site. “We want this to be an #extension of the #urban #fabric of the #neighbourhood. We want it to fit.” In other words, Toronto’s largest #building project of the past 20 years wants to disappear. It wants you not to notice its #bigness. In this effort, The Well straddles several #boundaries: #between #indoors and #outdoors, #private and #public, #local and #generic. Perhaps more important than what to call The Well, then, is another question: What does it say about the #future of the city, where such #megaprojects will be a #factoflife? ...In the end, The Well will #benefit from its sheer #density. But in its #privately #owned #public #spaces... For better and worse, this is #fundamentally different from real public space. And who knows how public it will remain? ..'To be sure, The Well’s bigness brings advantages. It #connects to #utility Enwave Energy Corporation’s deep #lake #water #cooling #system to #provide #extremely #lowcarbon #heating and cooling. The building’s basement holds a two-million-gallon water tank that #expands the #capacity of that system. Its massive four-level basement swallows nearly all #vehicular #traffic. The bottom level is reserved for #loading: Every #delivery and #garbage truck does its work down there, serving the buildings through a back-of-house labyrinth. And this #scale of #development #pays huge #fiscal dividends. While The Well has been criticized for its lack of #affordable #housing, it #generated over $63-million in net #fees, #charges and #benefits to the city, including $1-million for #subsidized #rentalhousing, all before the doors opened. In a monetary sense, it is paying its way. #Urbanistically, it’s an open question... 'Yet people keep coming to Toronto. And the city that dislikes bigness channels it into only a few places. The results are volcanic eruptions of #density..As David Pontarini points out, it would be impossible in almost any other city: It “blends #European #architectural #models with #Asian-#style density.” That #presents a #unique urban #design #challenge. ..Toronto City Hall needs to think much more critically about these places. They must aim for a true mix of public and private space, and real #economic and #architectural #diversity.'

"Everything old is new again"; however, new, more efficient construction methods are required, and more sustainable, less expensive building materials waste and faster to build, via advanced modular construction. The pattern-book houses/flats planned in the past in Sydney that everyone loves, especially the midrise apartments throughout the Eastern Suburbs and Inner Metropolitan areas, are so fashionable and spacious that the return of residential-grade midrise apartments will be a huge success. Especially within an 800m walking distance radius of Sydney's over 300 metropolitan Railway stations, billions of dollars of Public Funded infrastructure in most cases paid for over 100 years ago, with the majority of Sydney's Railway stations having among the world's lowest housing density. Sydney lacks "Essential Workers" accommodation and accommodation near Railway stations, jobs, amenities, schools, hospitals, shopping and parks/gardens; the shortfalls are estimated to be around 40,000 residential grade midrise apartments per year over the next 5-7 years. #sydney #essentialworkers #advancedmodular #CLT #patternbooks #midrise

A 36-acre site in Surrey’s Newton area, currently used as a residential trailer park, is set to be redeveloped into a low-rise apartment neighbourhood with enough homes for as many as 10,000 people, reported Daily Hive. "This is a major redevelopment of the property at 7790-7850 King George Boulevard at the northeast corner of the intersection of King George Boulevard and 76th Avenue — immediately north of the Real Canadian Superstore. This is considered a transit-oriented development, with the site directly served by TransLink’s R1 RapidBus, which will be upgraded to Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) over the coming years and potentially a rail-based solution over the longer term." "Surrey City Council approved the rezoning application by Crispen Development and BCG Village in late 2023, and in more recent weeks the municipal government has been considering a development variance permit." https://lnkd.in/g5c_gCSZ #surrey #residential #development

"The city centre is on course to become home to 100,000 residents by 2025. Given that there were fewer than 500 people living there just 35 years ago, it’s a remarkable change." Incredible story of densification in #Manchester's city centre told here. There's clearly growing concern around the impact of tall buildings on the quality of #urban environment, and the level of #affordablehousing provided (much less than #London apparently). However that level of densification should deliver exceptional #transport outcomes, with high levels of #activetravel in particular made possible through concentrations of land uses. With a further c70 (!) city centre towers either in construction or in the #planning process, it will be fascinating to see how this change in urban form impacts on the city's modal split across the next few years. #transportplanning

Whether you were for or against rail... this is the greatest by-product of the city's Skyline rapid transit. Check out this informative article highlighting the investments and plans in motion for homes, AFFORDABLE homes, businesses, and overall job creation.

When developing a masterplan, it’s important to remain vigilant about the long-term cost of a project for local authorities and the community. This can mean designing infrastructure costs to be efficient as possible, giving careful thought to amenities available and how they’ll be funded or allocating the right balance of genuinely affordable homes for residential schemes. You can find out more on this, and the other key features that make up the best masterplans, here 👇 https://lnkd.in/ejMevuhM #Affordability #Regeneration #Placemaking #PublicValue #Masterplan