In 2005, Toronto Community Housing formed a Design Review Panel for Regent Park as part of that community's revitalization. The Design Review Panel was formed to set a new standard of architectural and design excellence in the City.

Building on the success of design review in Regent Park, Toronto Community Housing is now expanding the panel to include all revitalization initiatives in its portfolio.

Toronto Community Housing now has five revitalization projects underway at Allenbury Gardens, Leslie Nymark, Alexandra Park, Lawrence Heights and Regent Park, all in various stages of planning approvals. The Toronto Community Housing Design Review Panel supports staff in delivering design quality in all of our large-scale communities. The panel will give input on the public and private realms, from parks and open spaces, to streets and other infrastructure, as well as buildings.

For Toronto Community Housing, design quality is measured by the aesthetic qualities of building design and how the architectural designs uphold revitalization objectives. These objectives include:

• building inclusive communities

• producing functional buildings that support Toronto Community Housings's operational goals as a landlord

• creating market value with our development partners

• improving the physical environment of our tenants' lives in mixed-income communities.

Continuity of members on the panel is important for phased long-term projects. It takes time for third parties to develop an understanding of Toronto Community Housing's design objectives, as seen through the lens of their particular professional expertise.

The Design Review Panel will meet on an as-needed basis, likely about three times a year. For a project to move forward, the panel will have to reach a consensus about their support or non-support.

The panel is an independent body to guide and provide input into Toronto Community Housing revitalization initiatives throughout the City of Toronto. The Design Review Panel is officially recognized by the City of Toronto and acts in an advisory capacity to Toronto Community Housing and is in no way intended to replace the City of Toronto's regulatory approval process.

Design Review Panel Members

Core Members 

Shirley Blumberg
Partner, Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects 

Ken Greenberg
Principal, Greenberg Consultants Inc. 

David Leinster
Partner, The Planning Partnership

Harold Madi
Partner, The Planning Partnership 

Sybil Wa
Architect, Diamond Schmitt Architects

Mara Nicolaou
Sr. Staff Architect, Toronto Community Housing

Lizette Zuniga, Chair
Director Real Estate & Development, Toronto Community Housing

Local Expert Members

Alan Waterhouse
Architect