88 Queen St S | 44 fl | Proposed

[dubya]

Design can never be objective by nature. Aesthetics is a wholly subjective thing.

That said, we really ought to have a design panel in this region that can work with the developers, architects, region and the cities. Something not directly affiliated with them, who has people like architects, artists, designers, planners, engineers etc who can analyze and critique a design.

I am considering reaching out to some people to see about starting something like this, but it will be a complicated and long process. I have a few days this coming week where I am not busy, so maybe I'll write up a proposal and submit it to the region and cities. Do we have anyone here who works in any of the previously mentioned fields?

100% to this. It exists in Toronto. No highrise development goes up without having to appease the Design Review panel. The Toronto process helps immensely with both activating the sidewalk level and skyline level. Buildings IMPROVE the streetscape and mega projects like FDB and the proposed Westmount/Erb development would never happen with the panel in place because every tower in the development must have a unique look (even if it is just that the cladding is different). 

Building approvals aren't Regional purview. Each city would need this. It would help if this was a coordinated approach across the three cities though. 

Copy paste what Toronto has in place to expedite!

Here is more context and samples of the results:
https://urbantoronto.ca/news/2022/03/exp...view-panel

Project early proposal and fail: https://urbantoronto.ca/news/2019/03/kin...view-panel
Same project revisions as a result: https://urbantoronto.ca/news/2021/07/rev...view-panel

Fail: https://urbantoronto.ca/news/2021/05/pro...ign-review
Result: https://urbantoronto.ca/news/2022/03/pro...-park-size

Even Civic projects go to scrutiny with remarkable results:
https://urbantoronto.ca/news/2022/03/che...view-panel