The Don Mills and Eglinton area is a unique part of the industrial fabric of the the City of Toronto. Designed to
showcase the latest innovations in architectural design, the low-rise, concrete, modernist structures that line the CPR
corridor and Wynford Drive speak to an era in which developers were experimenting with new types of complete
neighbourhoods for a rapidly expanding city. Built as an
integrated part of the planned communities at Don Mills and Flemington Park, it was transportation
infrastructure that drove the development of the area throughout the 1950s and 1960s. The construction of
automobile-oriented infrastructure through the extension of Eglinton Avenue as well as the Don Valley Parkway made
Don Mills and Eglinton a highly accessible area in close proximity to the downtown core. Despite the fact that the
area was easy to access, however, its car-centric design and poor connections to the surrounding neighbourhoods
mean that it has only ever really been populated throughout the working day. With the approval of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT in 2009, a new wave of transportation infrastructure centred on
the transit line will once again transform the area for the next generation of use. Increased pedestrian traffic means
that there is an opportunity in future planning policy to address a broad range of considerations related to public
realm, built form, improved connectivity, and pedestrian amenities. It is likewise important to draw out the unique
modernist aspect of the area and once again make it a focal point within the City of Toronto. By leveraging the
existing architectural features present in the Don Mills and Eglinton area and integrating them with future investments,
the vision of modernist progression and prosperity that existed in the 1960s can resonate within the next generation
of development.
