Will Toronto’s new car-free street pave a different path?
Toronto is set to build Centre Commons, its first public street designed exclusively for pedestrians, as part of the development of Ookwemin Minising in the Port Lands. The project integrates Indigenous knowledge and Scandinavian urban design principles to create a vibrant, nature-rich community space. The car-free street and revised urban layout aim to foster social interaction, increase density, and enhance ecological and cultural connectivity.
- ▪Centre Commons will be Toronto's first public street built from scratch for pedestrians only, located on the newly created Ookwemin Minising island.
- ▪The design includes a car-free corridor and the Sandbar Trail, both reflecting Indigenous heritage and ecological restoration in the area.
- ▪The project received unanimous support from Waterfront Toronto’s Design Review Panel and is set to begin development next year.
- ▪Revised urban plans increased density by 27% on public lands while preserving public space and improving design quality.
- ▪The design team includes SLA, Trophic, Allies and Morrison, and other consultants focused on accessibility, sustainability, and community engagement.
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Open this photo in gallery:A visualization of Centre Commons, the first public street in Toronto to be built - from scratch - for pedestrians only.Norm Li/SuppliedShareSave for laterPlease log in to bookmark this story.Log InCreate Free AccountKids are dancing in the street. In the shade of a bur oak, parents have set up a table for a birthday party; over by the birdhouse, a little boy draws on the pavement while a squirrel scampers by.This is how landscape architects SLA and Trophic have imagined Centre Commons, the first public street in Toronto to be built - from scratch - for pedestrians only. It will form the spine of Ookwemin Minising (OM) island in Toronto’s Port Lands. Here, a street is a gathering place full of nature and human activity – and, in one case, with no cars.
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