What is the latest in urban trends... "Instant Downtowns?"
I first heard of the term "instant downtown" while driving in suburbia Toronto. This type of city centre development generally targets North American suburban areas that are of single family use, strip malls and highway networks with multple subdivisions in the vicinity. By combining them with mixed use retail projects, in the hopes of bringing round-the-clock life to "downtown". It's a reversal from traditional urban development where the adjacent neighborhoods are built outward from the City Centre over time. The new urban concept of instant downtown places more emphasis on branding than architecture.
Downtown Markham Phase 1 by Remington Group.
The current project for Markham Downtown is a good example of this new urbanism concept. The area is still very car-centric with very few pedestrians and sidewalks in sight.
More interesting articles:
Understanding the Urban Landscape
Anne Lok is a Realtor with Homelife/ Realty One Ltd. Toronto. She understands architecture, design, resource-efficiency, sustainable design for healthier environments, comfort and value for modern living. Her services are not only limited to design conscious homes, she also has expertise in helping you source and market all aspects of conventional properties that suit your individual needs in Toronto's hip, vibrant and socially responsible communities.
Pls goto website http://www.urburbia.ca/ or http://annelok.com to check out Anne's marketing, special services, and sale/purchase/retrofit services for new and resale homes, and green properties in Toronto.