Urban Strategies Inc.

What do we do with the Other Eaton Centre? This upcoming question is being asked by GWL Realty Advisors, ERAarchitects, publicworks, and Urban Strategies Inc. Tonight’s evening talk focused on a creative spark from the past. Held in the Round Room of the CARLU itself, we were guided through the fascinating - and incomplete - history of College Park. An intro from Morgan Cameron Ross was followed by a deep dive by Scott Weir. I’ve walked through the basement of this building daily for half a decade and never got to see the other upper storeys or learn the building’s deeper stories. It is opulent and grand. Suffice to say you can’t pick a better dream team to tackle the hairy meatball of this significant heritage site and complete Lady Eaton’s vision. It is two blocks from me - and I’m excited to see what comes next!

Photographing The Well was about making sense of its scale. As a mixed-use development, its lower levels create an active retail environment, while the upper towers house offices and residences. The challenge was to humanize this vast space—focusing on how light moves through the curved retail corridors that also guides the user’s movement, casting layered shadows that shape the experience. Rather than dramatic statements, I looked for moments where scale, varied materials, and light interact to make The Well feel cohesive. Designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects Adamson Associates Architects BDP Quadrangle Architects Alliance CCxA Giannone Petricone Associates Inc. Architects Wallman Architects Urban Strategies Inc. Photos by Atik Bheda #ArchitecturalPhotography #Toronto #TheWell #Architecture #MixedUse #UrbanScale

We are excited to share that Radiator was featured in the latest Novae Res Urbis Toronto Edition! Thank you to NRU for highlighting our vision to transform this former industrial site in Parkdale into a dynamic mixed-use community that blends heritage with modern living. Check out more details on the project here: https://lnkd.in/gktgyJ7V Posted with permission of the publisher of NRU Publishing Inc. Original article first appeared in Novae Res Urbis Toronto, Vol. 29, No. 10, Friday, March 7, 2025.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) Société canadienne d'hypothèques et de logement(SCHL) has released the Low-rise Housing Design Catalogue, which contains architectural drawings for four types of housing—ADU, rowhouse, 4-plex, and 6-plex—with the designs tailored to 7 regions that make up Canada. Urban Strategies Inc. is part of the National Team, led by LGA Partners. We are responsible for developing planning assumptions to guide the designs and reviewing the designs as they progressed, ensuring compliance with zoning in selected cities across the country (except BC). We were also a subconsultant to the architect for the designs in the North region, playing the same role. https://lnkd.in/gdhE8eNu

Congratulations to Toronto’s Somali community and Somali Centre for Culture and Recreation on reaching the incredible milestone of launching the Somali Cultural and Community Centre last week! On behalf of Urban Strategies Inc. and myself, we are honoured to be able to help the amazing community with this remarkable project.

Strategist Eric Turcotte and Alex Taranu will be presenting at this June's RAIC - IRAC conference in Montréal! Their session, “Urbanization, Intensification and Sustainability in Cities and Suburbs: The Canadian Experience,” will offer an up-to-date overview of contemporary urban design challenges related to the intensification and urbanization of cities and suburbs for sustainable and healthy development. https://lnkd.in/gjsE-sGv

Enjoyed ULI Toronto's event this week, Fireside Chat 2025: With Rael Diamond. Great insights into Rael's personal career journey and his leadership of Choice Properties through an engaging interview by Orit Sarfaty. Nice way to catch up with colleagues too -- Cyndi Rottenberg-Walker Sidonia Tomasella and Heela Omarkhail

Part two of This is Paris profiles the successful Ville de Paris policy framework for commercial and retail protection, Les zones d’aménagement concerté (ZAC). Presented by Strategist Michel Trocme.

Great to have a shout out from the new City of Toronto Chief Planner Jason Thorne, MCIP, RPP for our #Downsview and #DownsviewWest projects for Canada Lands Company / Société Immobilière du Canada and Northcrest Developments on BreakfastTelevision. Bringing thoughtful, beautiful new communities with homes, parks, jobs and community services to the heart of the GTA, where transit already exists, is a truly transformative opportunity for the City. We are proud to be working on these projects with many creative partners Henning Larsen SLA KPMB Architects Trophic Design Inc. Arup BA Consulting Group Ltd. and many others. https://lnkd.in/gxMqwDrx

The latest award shortlist for our Downsview Framework Plan—The Pineapple for International Future Place—is a great opportunity to reflect on the original thought process behind imagining this place. I still remember our first conversations about the massive scale and ambitions for the site. From the start, our goal was to develop a collective vision and progress to something tangible—zooming in to visualize places at eye level. A key first step was recognizing the existing mosaic of neighborhoods, each with deep roots that would shape the character of future places. At Downsview, we had a unique opportunity: three transit stations connecting the site locally and regionally, allowing density to follow these transit nodes naturally. Conceptually, we set out to create walkable communities with diverse, fine-grained land uses, where most daily needs could be met within a 15-minute walk. This ambition was enriched by the site’s inherent qualities: ✈️ The former runway, reimagined as a dynamic public space 🏛️ Historic buildings, enhancing its aviation legacy 🌿 A ravine system, shaping the City Nature character of new neighborhoods What was once vacant land is now envisioned as a collection of rich experiences, promising a distinct quality of life for future residents and visitors. Thank you to The Developer and Festival of Place, and the jury for this recognition. Curious to learn more? Find all the details here: https://hnglr.sn/4aWXq5F Team: Northcrest Developments, Canada Lands Company / Société Immobilière du Canada, Henning Larsen, KPMB Architects, SLA, Urban Strategies Inc., Ramboll, Transsolar KlimaEngineering, Third Party Public, and Department of Words and Deeds.