Urban Designer

1 week ago | renx.ca | Naama Blonder |Steve McLean |Don Wilcox |Urban Designer

In Canada and much of North America, it’s culture that keeps families out of apartments. If we want to solve our housing crisis, we need to tackle this head-on. A Canadian ideal that no longer fitsFor generations, the single-family house has been the aspirational home for many Canadian families. It symbolizes independence, privacy and a piece of land to call your own. But this ideal is becoming harder to attain.

Oct 8, 2024 | renx.ca | Naama Blonder |Mario Toneguzzi |Steve McLean |Urban Designer

When we think about the design of our cities, we typically consider architects and urban planners as the masterminds behind the spaces where we live. We overlook another group of professionals that holds an outsized influence on the shape and function of our urban environments: traffic engineers. They often focus on the smooth and safe flow of vehicles.

Sep 16, 2024 | renx.ca | Naama Blonder |Steve McLean |Danny Kucharsky |Urban Designer

Addressing the challenges of long-term development and creating complete, sustainable communities has been at the forefront of our discussions in the Greater Toronto Area for many years. Master planning is a complex, long-term process that requires foresight and flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances. What looks promising on paper can take decades to fully develop, and the realities of time often shift the course of even the most well-intentioned plans.

Sep 6, 2024 | renx.ca | Naama Blonder |Tyler Choi |Steve McLean |Urban Designer

“Toronto is full.” “Toronto is dense enough.” There’s “no more space.” These are all assertions I frequently hear, especially as part of my job as an architect and urban planner. Some even suggest directing growth to smaller cities that “still have room.” The problem with this view is that it is wrong from the start. Not only does Toronto have plenty of room, it has that room in areas with existing access to transit.

Apr 1, 2024 | renx.ca | Naama Blonder |Steve McLean |Don Wilcox |Urban Designer

Commercial Design Toronto / GTA Naama Blonder Architect, Urban Designer, Urban Planner | B.Arch, OAA, RPP, MCIP 2023 was the year the City of Toronto started taking a harsh look at its Mid-Rise Building Design Guidelines. In June 2023, council requested moving forward with community consultations regarding proposed changes to the Rear Transition Performance Standards, changes that aim to replace the "wedding-cake" effect caused by angular planes and current guidelines.