Public meetings, online forums, and open houses are the most recognized and familiar vehicles for the City to gain feedback on a particular project or initiative. While these consultations continue to be cornerstones of the planning process, Toronto's City Planning Division has been making strides in gathering input from a broader cross section of people by reaching out to the community in new and exciting ways. The Toronto Planning Review Panel, not to be confused with the city's Design Review Panel, helps the City guide growth and change while providing essential commentary on major planning undertakings.
A total of 12,000 invitations were delivered to randomly selected households in September 2015, asking residents to participate in a new panel that would provide public input on planning initiatives and policies. The City received interest from over 500 people. From that pool of candidates, 28 names were randomly selected based on multiple criteria, including gender, age, visible minority status, and location based on Community Council District representation. These volunteers, which boast a variety of disciplines and levels of expertise, have committed to a two-year term of service. Between October 2015 and November 2017, members of the Planning Review Panel will meet 16 times. Their input will be referenced in reports when the Planning Division advises City Council on a variety of matters such as transportation plans, the desired built form of neighbourhoods, heritage and public art, and the location of new civic amenities like parks and libraries. This concept of a citizen reference panel selected by a civic lottery was popularized by public engagement firm MASS LBP and extended for the City's purposes.
Composition of the panel, image courtesy of City of Toronto
In the fall, four days of orientation introduced the panel to the tools of city planning and the trends shaping the urban fabric of Toronto. Following these intensive sessions, the panel created a series of principles and priorities that will guide their work. Inclusivity, safety and security, innovation, affordability and prosperity, community wellbeing, and functionality were all identified as guiding principles. Complementing this, the panel listed 24 planning priorities that will be enhanced by the input provided over their two-year term. These include the creation of safe multi-purpose parks, the need for additional tools to make housing more affordable, improving coordination and the efficiency of transit, and providing room for density where appropriate.
To understand the workings of this newly-created group, UrbanToronto attended the panel's second meeting, which was held at Metro Hall on Saturday, April 2. Hosted by Daniel Fusca, Coordinator Stakeholder Engagement & Special Projects at the Office of the Chief Planner, the meeting began by reminding members of their duties and the principles and priorities they had adopted last year. Since their inaugural meeting in January, a number of planning projects have progressed. Growing Up: Planning for Children in New Vertical Communities, Ontario's recent inclusionary zoning announcement, and the advancement of numerous transit developments were each cited as significant plans that will shape Toronto in the years to come.
Adam Popper presents to the panel members, image by Marcus Mitanis
Following this brief introductory address, the panel was tasked with providing feedback on the upcoming Complete Streets Guidelines. Each member was provided with an information packet and a lengthy presentation by Adam Popper, manager of the Complete Streets project. Noting that Toronto's 5,600 kilometres of streets serve a practical purpose alongside acting as important public places, the guidelines look to ensure safe and accessible streets for people of all ages and abilities, give people a range of transportation choices, create healthy and livable neighbourhoods, support economic prosperity, and improve environmental sustainability. All street design projects would consider five categories of directives under the guidelines: place, link, safety, greening, and lifecycle and maintenance. As City staff finalize the first full draft of the document, which will be presented to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee, Popper asked for feedback on the guidelines, what improvements could be made, and how to better communicate the plan to the public.
Queens Quay, image by Marcus Mitanis
The panel makes every attempt to engage external stakeholders who are then invited to respond to staff presentations. Nancy Smith Lea, Director of the Toronto Centre for Active Transportation, was joined by Brian Moore, who currently works with the Ontario Government on the implementation of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, in commenting on Popper's presentation. Queens Quay was mentioned as an example of a complete street, but Smith Lea raised the issue of conflicts between pedestrians and cyclists along this corridor. Moore agreed, stating that as a visually impaired person, there needs to be more delineation between bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure than merely a painted line. They both approved of the general intent to make streets more accessible for all users, with Smith Lea especially hoping that the guidelines would not be a voluntary exercise resulting in a piecemeal implementation.
Panel members discuss the Complete Streets Guidelines, image by Marcus Mitanis
Members then split into a roundtable discussion to comment on the finer details of the guidelines. They were tasked with answering three questions:
- What value do you see in the City's proposed approach to street design?
- Is there anything you believe could improve the City's proposed approach to street design?
- What are good ways to explain these new guidelines to Torontonians so that they can understand how decisions about streets get made?
Results of the panel discussions, image by Marcus Mitanis
After intensely examining the project's contents and merits for one hour, each roundtable reported their findings. The enlightening discussions resulted in a range of recommendations. Visual aids were recognized to be crucial ways of portraying information; a before and after comparison of a project like Queens Quay would easily tell the public how complete streets could be realized. The panel felt that the beneficiaries of street revitalization projects should be more clearly conveyed, so the public is aware of its positive community impacts. This could be communicated through a dedicated website which would allow users to possibly input their postal code and discover the public realm improvements and construction taking place in their neighbourhood. A range of street furniture was also suggested as a way of enhancing a street's functionality. Facilities like washrooms, cooling and heating zones, sturdier waste receptacles, additional benches, and even "designated poop areas" for dogs were just some ideas vocalized by the panel. The general consensus was that the Complete Streets Guidelines is a worthy initiative that rightfully aims to improve traffic flow and accessibility for all users.
Results of the panel discussions, image by Marcus Mitanis
This process of reviewing a City initiative and deliberating in small groups was repeated again in the afternoon, this time looking at one aspect of the Planning Division's TOcore study.
So far, the Toronto Planning Review Panel has proven to be a successful way of introducing Torontonians of all ages and occupations to the Planning Division's whole gamut of projects that are continually shaping how we live, work and play in the city. The relatively small scale meetings eliminate the intimidation of formalized public consultations, opting for a domain where all opinions can be voiced in a dialogue-driven setting. It's a more meaningful and enduring way of interacting with City staff and it promises to produce some interesting discussions in the years ahead.
To find out more about the Toronto Planning Review Panel, visit the City's official website. Do you think the panel is a good way of fostering a higher level of dialogue? Let us know by leaving a comment in the field provided below.