How Toronto is leading the way in the sustainable regeneration of industrial waterfronts
The Canadian city is offering the world a lot to learn from as it ‘renaturalises’ a harbour once used to accomodate an industrial port district.
The regeneration of Toronto’s former industrial harbour is a lesson in sustainable development that many portside cities can learn from. Following decades of planning, the waterfront is in the midst of a major renovation. Jutting into Lake Ontario on the east side of the city, a bleak, 240‑hectare area that was previously home to refineries, coal facilities and shipping infrastructure will soon feature a park, an art trail and modern, affordable housing for 15,000 people.
At the centre of this project is the “renaturalisation” of the Don Valley River, the mouth of which was given an unnatural 90‑degree bend in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to accommodate an industrial port district. This intervention created a risk of catastrophic flooding during major storms until a bid for Toronto to host the 2008 Summer Olympics finally nudged authorities from all levels of government to form a plan to make it accessible and liveable for Torontonians.
“The project doesn’t just unlock the land, it reimagines this whole quadrant too,” says Chris Glaisek, Waterfront Toronto’s chief planning and design officer, who has been working on it for two decades. The first phase was unveiled in July 2025 with the opening of Biidaasige Park, named in the local Indigenous language.
The park is dissected by the new river mouth, which was extended by more than 1km using cranes and cleaned on‑site soil, and allowed to snake naturally. Kayakers paddle in the now‑clean water, while families walk along the shore path. The Lassonde Art Trail is a big draw for visitors, featuring open‑air contemporary pieces embedded into the park. The only theme connecting them is the artist’s inspiration from the landscape.
As the surrounding wetlands slowly regenerate, design work is under way for the nearby community and housing development, with the first residents expected by 2031; it is named Ookwemin Minising, after the cherry trees that once grew here. “We have changed our relationship to the Don River and the city,” says Glaisek. “I hope that this will be a model for more positive development in Toronto.” Other cities that are struggling with housing issues should also take note and make more of their overlooked industrial port areas in 2026.
Comment:
From London and Los Angeles to Singapore and Sydney, port cities are struggling for space – and overlooked former industrial areas might hold the answer. Toronto’s waterfront offers a glimpse of how to do it responsibly, sustainably and in style.
