Great Cities Reward Results. Toronto Should Too. Toronto can deliver far more with the talent it already has by having performance-based compensation.

Read the full memo here: buildtoronto.com/memos/reward...

This memo proposes:

1️⃣ Created a define Senior City Service with performance-linked contracts and real authority

2️⃣ Give each division one objective scorecard with 1-3 measurable targets

3️⃣ Delegate routine decisions to staff and set stable citywide targets in law so leaders can actually deliver

Contrast this with a place like Singapore, where senior public leaders are paid at levels competitive with the private sector. High compensation is paired with clear, objective performance expectations, and the authority to make changes to meet them.

Toronto caps senior-staff bonuses at 20-25 percent and allows them only in agencies. This is too small to motivate performance and unavailable to most municipal public leaders.

Toronto asks its leaders to deliver more housing, modernize infrastructure, and run major services, yet it doesn't reward the civic leaders who actually do.

buildtoronto.com/memos/reward...

Small 4-6 unit multiplexes shouldn't require the same governance and reserve requirements as 200-unit condos.

Other jurisdictions (including BC) have simpler, more lightweight ownership structure for small multi-residential buildings. ON and Toronto should take a look!

Free Multiplexes from Big Condo Ownership Rules Toronto should make it easier to build, sell, and own multiplex housing by exempting small buildings from the city’s cumbersome condominium process and allowing ownership conversions as-of-right.

Toronto should take a similarly pragmatic approach to exempt small unit buildings from condominium application process meant for large towers: buildtoronto.com/memos/multip...

This isn't the case elsewhere. British Columbia introduced new Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing reforms that have enabled ownership for sixplexes. That means that it's easy for multiple families to own units in the same building.

These steps adds friction, cost and uncertainty to what should be a straightforward process. This means that while multiplexes are now permitted to build, they are difficult to sell to end users.

And if you own an older multiplex with rental units that you want to convert to ownership, you have to get additional special permissions.

If you build a multiplex and want to sell individual units in the building, you have to complete a full condominium application. The same process used for a 200-unit tower – with multiple reviews and thousands of dollars in fees – is used for a 4-unit building.

Multiplexes are finally legal to build in Toronto, but the rules for how they can be owned and sold haven't caught up.

Adaptive Traffic Intersections to Cut Toronto’s Congestion Toronto should modernize all 2,500 traffic signals with intelligent systems at an estimated cost of about $125 million.

buildtoronto.com/memos/adapti...

4. Measure and report results – publish results to ensure accountability to the public

3. Create a joint funding model – a City-Province partnership fund can ensure every intersection is upgraded without overburdening city budgets.

2. Adopt clear technology standards – leverage the global standard of camera-based detection

This memo proposes:
1. Modernize Toronto's traffic signals – move from outdated fixed-time plans to intelligent and adaptive signals

Similar systems in China saw trip time reductions of ~20% after using adaptive traffic systems.

The system adapts to the reality on-the-ground rather than a fixed schedule. This means it'd be able to respond to construction detours, traffic surges when a Leafs game ends, or to unexpected incidents on the Gardiner.

It doesn't have to be this way. In the Netherlands, signals are designed to be responsive. Pedestrian walk phases are only triggered when a person is actually waiting. Vehicle and bicycle detection systems shorten or lengthen greens based on the traffic that has actually arrived.

This is because most intersections run on fixed plans written years ago, unable to adjust to modern or real-time needs.

Toronto's intersections could be so much better.

If you've driven, walked, cycled or taken transit in Toronto, you've probably been frustrated by them. Whether that's a green light that's too short for all the demand to clear, or advancing on a green only to be hit by a red at the next block.

Want even better parks and public spaces in Toronto? With better maintenance, programming, and events?

Toronto already has a great example of a public space managed by a non-profit - The Bentway!

Today’s memo is simple, how can we get more places like it?

Take a read!

Using Conservancies to Build Great Public Spaces The Bentway shows how public-space conservancies can combine public ownership with independent care, unlocking better programming, maintenance, and design.

What's more, they can look to identify and invite opportunities for new partnerships, such as Riverdale Park, Hanlan's Point, or sections of the Waterfront.

buildtoronto.com/memos/conser...

With a clear Conservancy Partnership Framework, the City could move from one-off exceptions to a standardized framework. This framework should outline clear legal, operational and funding arrangements.

However, there are still limitations in Toronto's approach to conservancies. As they look to grow, each phase requires unique approvals and exemptions. Many different departments need to be navigated, approvals from previous phases are not rolled over to the next, and there is no sustained funding.

This combines the stability of public ownership with the agility and ambition of non-profits and philanthropies.

This was possible because of The Bentway Conservancy. Conservancies are non-profit organizations that manage publicly owned land through long-term agreements with government. Ownership remains public, but operations, programming and fundraising are handled by independent entities.

The Bentway is a great public space. It transformed unused space beneath the Gardiner Expressway into a park, with art, recreation, and community recreation, that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors ever year.

buildtoronto.com/memos/conser...