A Design Strategist, CX/UX Strategist
PROJECT TYPE:
Project Development based on International Charrette on Institute Without Boundaries
PROJECT DURATION: 5 Months
MY ROLE:
Design Strategist, Facilitator, Project Manager, Brand Strategist, Photographer, Visualization & Print
PROBLEM STATEMENT:
Outdated zoning, lack of affordable housing, and misperceptions of density are pricing people out of the city of Toronto.
DESIGN QUESTION:
How might we unlock value from within our “stable neighbourhoods”?
MISSION
To create healthy neighbourhoods through more choices of housing and complete communities.
VISION
Everyone has the choice of living in a healthy, affordable neighbourhood.
Research and Planning
Key Research Components
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Causes low enrollment and cuts recreation programs. Cuts services in your neighbourhood.
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Toronto doesn’t have enough variety of affordable housing. (This is problematic because the city is missing housing at different price points for different levels of income.)
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Overprotecting these neighbourhoods with zoning has made them less livable.
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Our city’s outdated zoning bylaws don’t meet the needs of the changing population. (The Official Plan concentrates growth along the Avenues and designated urban centers, putting pressure on existing services, public transit and infrastructure.)
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There are misperceptions of density and what it means to have more people in our neighbourhoods. (There are concerns of reduced safety, more traffic, overcrowding and strain on infrastructure and services. But getting into a neighbourhood in time doesn’t give you the right to deny others a home in the same neighbourhood.
Problem Statement
Outdated zoning, lack of affordable housing and misperceptions of density are pricing people out of the city of Toronto.
Recommended Strategy
We have identified problems through primary and secondary research and recognized issues and opportunities within three different neighbourhoods in Toronto to challenge the idea of a "Stable Neighbourhood."
DESIGN QUESTION
How might we unlock value from within our “stable neighbourhoods”?
A pilot plan to make Toronto’s “stable neighbourhoods” more liveable by introducing mixed-use zoning and adding more choices of housing.
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Unlocking value in stable neighbourhoods
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Redefining stable neighbourhoods
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Reimagining stable neighbourhood
Ideation Review
WHAT
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TYPES OF HOUSING + COMPLETE COMMUNITY = HEALTHY NEIGHBOURHOOD
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URBAN PLANNING = TOOL to CREATE HEALTH NEIGHBOURHOOD
WHO
Target Group: City Councillors, Developers, Millennials
WHY
We want more people to have the choice to live in a neighbourhood where they have what they need.
HOW
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Rezoning (Density = Affordability)
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Mixed Use • Residential • Commercial • Parks
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Mixed Tenure • Own • Rent • Undivided Co-Ownership/strata
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Mixed-Income • R.G.I. (30% subsidies) • Market price • Seniors • Young Adult
Our Solution and Proposed Strategy
Meliorise
MELIORISE is a strategy to rezone existing neighbourhoods and challenge Toronto’s Yellowbelt concept of a “stable neighbourhood” by introducing a variety of housing typologies and new neighbourhood services within the community to create a healthy neighbourhood.
Meliorise expands the choice of neighbourhoods that people can afford to live in.
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Allowing for city-wide rezoning. Introducing mixed-use and multiple-dwelling zoning into a neighbourhood.
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Creating choices for a variety of housing and adding gentle density.
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Activating more services, employment, community amenities and better transit in the community.
We can create a healthy neighbourhood by,
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Mixed tenure and a variety of housing types create access to housing that’s otherwise too expensive. Healthy neighbourhoods should include a mix of owned homes, strata housing, rental homes, rent-to-own programs, and subsidized housing.
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Mixed income promotes diversity and inclusion with no impact on property values. Social opportunities between people of various ages will breathe new life into these “stable neighbourhoods.”
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Mixed-use zoning allows for local businesses, services, and amenities. Studies show that mixed-use zoning increases neighbourhood safety. A healthy neighbourhood means there are work opportunities near home.
Physical Component of Healthy Neighbourhood
Healthy neighbourhoods require these basic components and can be measured by the number of new work opportunities, social opportunities, safety and amount of free amenities.
Meliorise works with city-wide rezoning but examines the needs of particular neighbourhoods. The plan implements mixed-use zoning along neighbourhood edges, to bring more commercial, employment and residential spaces within walking distance in the community. Within the neighbourhood blocks, Residential - Multiple Dwelling zoning is implemented to add gentle density, through more variety of housing choices.
Impact of Meliorise
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Creates healthy, more liveable neighbourhoods
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Improves safety with more eyes on the street and improves schools and recreation programs for children and youth
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Brings accessible services within walking distance
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Facilitates more social interaction in the community
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Supports local businesses and creates job opportunities
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Promotes diversity through a variety of housing at different price points for different types of people
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Reduces traffic by supporting active transport
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Brings better public transit to the neighbourhood
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Mid-rise buildings can house more people on a smaller footprint and can create new green spaces.
Publication Strategy
Story Board
The main goal was to create an engaging exhibition that resonated with everyday individuals, inspiring a deeper commitment to the issue.
To accomplish this, we designed a specific storyboard to convey our research findings efficiently and proposed solutions to a broader audience, ensuring a comprehensive grasp of the core issue. Based on that, we designed a booklet as a takeaway for our exhibition attendees and established branding guidelines for both the booklet and a dedicated pillar focused on in-depth discussions of the issue.
Branding Guidelines
Our branding guidelines were guided by the following criteria:
Concept: Meliorise means "To make better; to improve." embodies the essence of improvement, particularly within neighbourhoods.
Target Audience: City Council Members, Developers, Millennials
Guiding Principles
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Professional yet Approachable: Our brand exudes professionalism to gain credibility, but it also remains approachable to resonate with everyday individuals.
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Strong and Persuasive: We convey a powerful, convincing message.
Key Elements
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Language: Our brand employs robust and compelling language.
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Logo: We need a distinctive logo.
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Tagline: We feature a memorable tagline.
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Colour Palette: We utilize specific colours to evoke our brand identity.
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Typography: We adopt specific fonts for consistency.
Meliorise Booklet
We designed and printed a booklet to serve as a critical takeaway for our exhibition attendees, effectively communicating our research findings and proposing solutions to a wider audience, ensuring a thorough understanding of the main issue.
Meliorise Pillar
We established a dedicated pillar within the Institute Without Boundaries exhibit to efficiently convey our research findings and present solutions to a broader audience, guaranteeing a comprehensive understanding of the central issue.