Brandon Donnelly

Toronto’s Chief Planner, Gregg Lintern, posted this on Twitter a few days (if you can’t see it below, click here):

44% of Toronto households in 2016 reported living in apartment units in buildings with 5 or more storeys; given rapid growth in that building form, I suspect by the 2021 census, we'll be a majority apartment dwelling unit city (if we are not already) pic.twitter.com/I4i7T1STdp

— Gregg Lintern (@GreggLintern) November 18, 2019

A couple things came to mind when I saw this.

First, it’s a reminder that census data is painfully slow. Five years is a long time and a lot can and will change during that time period, including the kind of built form that people are living in.

Second, I agree with Gregg. Toronto is in the process of transforming into a majority apartment/condo dwelling city (if it hasn’t already), and it signals a pretty important juncture in our city’s history.

It also begs an important question: How should our planning response change and adjust as this percentage of urban dwellers continues to creep upward?