Toronto Mayoral candidate Sarah Thomson has just announced a plan to fast-track ‘good building designs’ through the cities’ approval process. Other compelling ideas include a ‘design for excellence’ program that would designate — similar to LEED — high design projects and a plan to rethink the zoning of areas designated as high-transit.
I’m obviously a huge supporter of superb design. I also think its an excellent idea to reconsider the zoning along transit corridors. Streets like St Clair Avenue, with its right-of-way streetcar, are perfect examples of arteries that should, at the very least, have European-scaled mid-rise buildings. But due to an arduous approvals process and smaller margins as a result of the smaller scale, developers haven’t really been building a whole lot at the mid-rise level. Streamlining the rezoning and entitlement process would be one way to encourage this type of development.
My only concern with fast-tracking good design is that it has the potential to simply add another layer of subjective bureaucracy. What constitutes good versus bad design? Sustainability, on the other hand, would be easier to identity in a more transparent and clear way. If you’re building to LEED Gold equivalent, for example, you get fast-tracked. But I will reserve full judgement until more info is released.
Image: Flickr
