Tower Renewal Blog

Saunders: A nation of suburban apartment dwellers

Apartment Cluster, Mississauga Ontario


Doug Saunders, columnist for the Globe and Mail and author of the remarkable book Arrival City, among other notable works, recently wrote a good piece on Tower Renewal, challenging Canada to rethink itself as a “nation of suburban apartment dwellers”. One in five within the Toronto region lives in a high-rise building outside of the urban downtown centre, which makes us a world leader in this residential form.

The article cites German architect Thomas Sieverts, who warns these peripheral apartments areas, high in population and low in services, have become “cities without cities”. In conversation with ERA’s Graeme Stewart, the article discusses Tower Renewal, and points to opportunities for how to think of our suburb apartments as places of opportunity for newcomers and the city as a whole.

To read Saunders’ full article, please go to the Globe & Mail.