An urban revitalization proposal is underway at the site of the Galleria Mall on Dupont Street, Toronto. Visualizations provided by Cicada are now being used in a community consultation process, to involve local residents and businesses in discussions of the proposed development.
The site was purchased last year by Freed and ELAD Canada. The early community conusltation process is a refreshing take on property development, as the community is being engaged so early on, as expressed in the recent article in Urban Toronto. Joe Svec of Galleria Developments, representing the joint venture between Freed and ELAD, along with Hariri Pontarini Architects worked closely with Cicada to achieve images that best represent the conceptual direction for the site and input from the community thus far. Svec himself describes the aspirations and included features of the new development:
Creating complete communities, establishing a finer grain street and pedestrian network, redesigning the existing park to reflect the needs of the community, and improving transit and multi-modal transportation options.
The community continues to have involvement as the project evolves, including in a recent community meeting open house. This continued process will be of interest to follow in the way it shapes the Galleria site, and future community-centred developments.
