Bloor West Village Avenue Study
Directing sensitive and positive change
Bloor West Village is home to an established and vibrant main street, the first Business Improvement Area in the world (1970), residential neighbourhoods of varied building types, and is defined by significant topography and natural features. In recent years, the area has become the focus of redevelopment interest with the scale of individual projects increasing in size.
The Avenue Study led by DTAH directs and guides future development with clear standards that ensure a comfortable, convenient, safe and high quality public realm. It also establishes the quantitative requirements for the transportation, site servicing and community services infrastructure to support the existing and future population and employment.
Extensive and well attended public consultation activities were key aspects of this Study. Stakeholders and the community-at-large contributed to the overall vision and helped to inform the outcome.
Location
Toronto, Ontario
Client
City of Toronto
Bloor West Village is a special part of our city, a success story of community collaboration and placemaking.
Maintaining the character, quality and local scale of retail is vital to the success of this Avenue’s future development. Future change must further improve this special place in the city, not diminish what makes it great today. The 10 Guiding Principles identified in the study are: reinforcing village identity, reinforcing cultural and built heritage, encouraging a context sensitive built form, supporting main street economic vitality, protecting adjacent neighbourhoods, parks, and open spaces, preserving and protecting natural heritage areas, building a clear and consistent planning policy, creating a green, safe, attractive place, improving mobility and balancing movement priorities, and improving infrastructure, community services and facilities.
