Design, housing and public space in the intensification of downtown Toronto: Good intentions and neo-liberal realities

The history of downtown Toronto is one of cycles of intensification framed by governmental efforts to counterbalance neo-liberal processes with more widely distributed social objectives.  The paper discusses two instances in the past 50 years when unfettered development was successfully counterbalanced by governmental intervention on behalf of the perceived needs of the public at large.  The first was a city government reaction to the development of dense, high office building construction by name designers, in favor of stronger environmental quality controls and the stimulation of new downtown housing for all segments of the population.  The second was a federal government project to open up access by the public at large to formerly industrial land along the lakeshore, just south of the Central Business District.  In both instances, a measure of accomplishment of the stated goals was accomplished, while, over time, the continuing pressures of neo-liberalism dwarfed these good intentions with unprecedentedly intensive residential and commercial construction unencumbered by considerations for the public good.  The extent of this disparity is clearly illustrated.