The City of Toronto released the Urban Design Streetscape Manual in a new online format. Available at www.toronto.ca/streetscapemanual, the manual focuses on design quality in the public right-of-way, with an emphasis on coherence, beauty, durability, accessibility, pedestrian amenity and tree canopy in the sidewalk zone.
Developed by an interdivisional team of City staff, the manual is an important reference tool used by city planners, designers, engineers, and others to guide the design, construction and maintenance of streetscape improvements in Toronto.
“The new online format streamlines the planning process by making this comprehensive source of information immediately accessible to everyone involved in streetscape design and review,” said Chief Planner Gary Wright.
The Streetscape Manual assists with the implementation of Official Plan policies and Air Quality targets of the Toronto Green Standard on all arterial roads and a selection of important collector and local roads in Toronto. The manual emphasizes design quality and consistency through the use of placement guidelines and a large inventory of design details for decorative paving, street trees, medians, lighting and street furniture.
The streetscape recommendations found in the manual are implemented incrementally through construction activity in the public right-of-way carried out by the City or external stakeholders (for example, business improvement areas and private developers). The manual provides urban design direction for specific streets across Toronto and should be referenced during the preparation of development applications and all street or sidewalk construction projects.
Detailed streetscape information can now be quickly accessed by searching the alphabetical Street Index at http://www.toronto.ca/planning/urbdesign/streetscape/disclaimer_streetindex.htm for specific locations in the city or the Streetscape Element inventory at http://www.toronto.ca/planning/urbdesign/streetscape/disclaimer_designdetail.htm for a more general overview. An interactive map-based search is coming soon.
For more information, visit http://www.toronto.ca/streetscapemanual or e-mail [email protected].