SLA designs car-free neighbourhood for Toronto's Port Lands

Danish landscape studio SLA, alongside engineering lead GHD, Ontario-based Trophic Design, and British architects Allies and Morrison, has designed Ookwemin Minising, a 98-acre car-free neighbourhood on a manmade island in Toronto's Port Lands district. The project received approval from city planning officials. The development features a 760-meter pedestrian route called Centre Commons, touted as Canada's longest and most ambitious year-round car-free space, and the Sandbar Trail tracing a historic isthmus. The design incorporates five sitewide strategies—Living Legacy, Local Character, Prioritise Nature, Strategic Density, and Everyday Mobility—and six distinct character spaces. It aims for a 27% increase in density over the 2017 Villiers Island framework by Waterfront Toronto, with over 12,000 homes including 3,000 affordable units. Climate-safe infrastructure will retain stormwater and mitigate flooding and urban heat islands. A first-phase investment of $975 million CAD comes from the City of Toronto, Government of Canada, and Province of Ontario. Occupancy is expected to begin in 2031.