In 2005, Toronto Community Housing formed a Design Review Panel for Regent Park as part of that community’s Revitalization. This panel was formed to set a new standard of architectural and design excellence for the buildings built as part of Revitalization.
Toronto Community Housing currently has a number of Revitalization projects underway in various stages of planning approvals or implementation. Building on the success of design review in Regent Park, Toronto Community Housing has now expanded the panel to include all
Revitalization initiatives .
How design review works
The Design Review Panel supports staff in delivering design quality by giving input on public and private realms, from parks and open spaces to streets and other infrastructure, in addition to the buildings themselves.
Design quality is measured by the aesthetic qualities of building design as well as how the architectural designs uphold Revitalization objectives. These objectives include:
- Building inclusive communities
- Improving the physical environment of our residents’ lives in mixed-income communities
- Producing functional buildings that support our operational goals as a landlord
- Creating market value with our development partners
The Design Review Panel meets on an as-needed basis. For a project to move forward, the panel needs to reach a consensus in support of the proposal.
The panel is an independent body to guide and provide input into Toronto Community Housing’s Revitalization initiatives throughout the City of Toronto. It is officially recognized by the City and acts in an advisory capacity to Toronto Community Housing. It is in no way intended to replace the City of Toronto’s regulatory approval process.
Design Review Panel members
The members of the Design Review Panel were selected in late spring 2015, with new resident members joining in the fall of 2017.
The Design Review Panel is made up of:
- 12 professional members
- Three primary resident members
- Three alternate resident members
The new members are as follows:
Panel Chair
Anne McIlroy, Chair, Principal, Brook McIlroy
Panel Members
Antoine Belaieff, Vice-Chair, Director, Regional Planning, Metrolinx
Ali Elchanti, Resident, Regent Park
Andre D’Eila, Principal, Superkul Architects
Berhane Abraha, Resident, Lawrence Heights
David Anselmi, Director, Canada Lands Company
David Leinster, Partner, The Planning Partnership
Graeme Stewart, Principal, ERA Architects
Gunta Mackars, Principal, Stantec Consulting
Labib Chowdhury, Resident, Alexandra Park Atkinson Housing Co-op
Paul Bailey, Director, REVIVE
Roland Rom Colthoff, Director, RAW Architects
Rubesha Zia, Resident, Regent Park
Samuel Abebe, Resident, Lawrence Heights
Shirley Blumberg, Partner, Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects
Sybil Wa, Senior Associate, Diamond Schmitt Architects
William Shane, Resident, Alexandra Park
Yiwen Zhu, Associate, Urban Strategies Inc.
Meetings in 2019
Meetings in 2018
Meetings in 2017
Meetings in 2016
