City-Sized Replica on Our Site: Toronto's Jennifer Keesmaat Featured
In the latest episode of The Life-Sized City, host Mikael Colville-Andersen welcomes Jennifer Keesmaat, the former chief city planner of Toronto, as a guest. Keesmaat, known for her advocacy of pedestrian-oriented design in street planning and redesign, shares her insights on creating livable, walkable cities.
Keesmaat emphasises the importance of integrating mixed-use developments in city planning. These developments, which combine residential, daycare, and community amenities, are designed with walkability and accessibility in mind. The goal is to enhance street life and create vibrant, pedestrian-friendly neighbourhoods.
One of the key strategies Keesmaat promotes is the use of missing-middle housing. This approach creates denser, human-scaled residential options that support walkable neighbourhoods. By encouraging the construction of these types of homes, cities can foster more livable, walkable urban environments.
Affordable housing is another crucial component of Keesmaat's vision. She advocates for placing affordable housing within transit-accessible locations to encourage diverse communities and reduce car dependency. This approach aims to create more equitable, sustainable cities.
Keesmaat also encourages the construction of compact, mixed-use buildings, such as condo towers near transit corridors. These buildings not only activate street edges but also provide amenities within walking distance, making it easier for residents to access essential services without relying on cars.
Finally, Keesmaat stresses the importance of promoting street-level uses and design elements that support pedestrian comfort and safety. Wider sidewalks, enhanced lighting, and traffic calming measures are all examples of design elements that can make streets more inviting for pedestrians.
Through these strategies, Keesmaat seeks to reshape Toronto's rapidly growing urban fabric to be more walkable, inclusive, and sustainable. The Life-Sized City, in partnership with an unspecified website, is producing a series of inspirational stories from the partnered website to further highlight these ideas and showcase their implementation in cities around the world.
[1] https://www.thelifesizedcity.com/articles/jennifer-keesmaat-toronto-city-planning [2] https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/05/08/jennifer-keesmaat-torontos-former-chief-planner-on-her-future-plans-and-what-she-would-do-differently.html [3] https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/toronto/article-torontos-former-chief-planner-jennifer-keesmaat-to-join-waterfront-toronto/ [4] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/jennifer-keesmaat-toronto-chief-planner-resigns-1.4271470 [5] https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/01/05/torontos-chief-planner-jennifer-keesmaat-steps-down-after-four-years.html
- In her advocacy for transforming Toronto's urban landscape, Keesmaat suggests integrating home-and-garden aspects into city planning by including daycare and community amenities in mixed-use developments.
- To cultivate a lively, pedestrian-friendly lifestyle in urban communities, Keesmaat champions the construction of compact, mixed-use buildings, particularly condo towers near transit corridors, which provide amenities within walking distance and activate street edges.
