 |
| She wants to grow main street |
Toronto fledgling chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat cited five priorities for Toronto that will guide her tenure. Ms Keesmaat, who was appointed last year, spoke to the Board of Trade today. She said the city’s “Avenues” or great streets (such as Eglinton Avenue E above) needed to grow in such a way that jobs and work places were more closely linked. All these streets, St. Clair, Eglinton, the Lake Shore, have tremendous capacity for growth, Ms. Keesmaat said. With existing transit infrastructure and proximity to green space, they could accommodate new mid-rise buildings in a way that would not negatively affect surrounding communities. Ms Keesmaat criticised the political polarization at city hall, saying that conditions there are sometimes not pretty. It should be a priority to change this, she said. Other major goals: Fixing transit, the impact of climate change and the legacy of green space and land use. National Post.
