GHD and SLA reveal ‘Growing Streets’ vision for Ookwemin Minising
Leading global professional services company GHD and global nature-based design studio SLA have, together with Waterfront Toronto, unveiled the design for the public realm and streetscapes of Ookwemin Minising – Toronto’s new island community in the Port Lands.
Rooted in the team’s visionary “Growing Streets” concept, the design places streets and public spaces at the beginning of city-making – shaping not only how the neighbourhood looks, but how it lives, grows and connects.
Nature at the core of climate resilience
The streets of Ookwemin Minising are designed to perform as infrastructure – managing stormwater, reducing urban heat and supporting biodiversity – while also creating beautiful and meaningful public spaces. Rainwater is captured, filtered and reused through integrated green infrastructure, while diverse planting strategies create habitats for local species and improve microclimate comfort year-round.
“This project demonstrates how infrastructure and public space can work as one integrated system,” said Chris Hunter, GHD Chief Executive Officer for the Americas. “By embedding climate resilience, water management and low-carbon strategies directly into the streetscape, we’re creating infrastructure that not only performs at a high level but also enhances everyday life and supports long-term sustainability.”
GHD is the prime consultant and technical lead for the project, working alongside SLA as design lead for the urban realm and landscape.
Growing Streets: a living urban ecosystem
The team’s “Growing Streets” concept reimagines streets as dynamic, living systems that evolve like ecosystems over time. The design is structured around five sitewide strategies – including Living Legacy, Ookwemin Minising Character, Space for Nature, Strategic Density and Everyday Mobility – and expressed through six distinct character spaces, from the vibrant retail life of Villiers Street to the nature-rich Centre Commons and the culturally significant Ookwemin Street.
“In Ookwemin Minising, we start with life between buildings,” said Rasmus Astrup, Design Principal and Senior Partner at SLA. “By designing streets and public spaces first, we create the conditions for a truly great neighbourhood, one where nature, culture and everyday life are deeply intertwined. ‘Growing Streets’ is about designing urban spaces that evolve over time, that invite people in, and that allow both community and ecology to flourish together.”
Designing with history, ecology and Indigenous presence
The public realm design is deeply rooted in the site’s history and its ongoing transformation from industrial waterfront to restored river landscape. Developed in close collaboration with Indigenous co-designers Trophic Design, the design reflects a “Living Legacy” approach, embedding Indigenous knowledge, storytelling and spatial practices into the fabric of the city.
The broader design team includes Allies and Morrison (architecture and density), Transsolar (sustainability and low-carbon infrastructure), Monumental Projects (public engagement and community outreach) and Level Playing Field (accessibility services).
A new North American model for city-building
Spanning 10.9 hectares of mixed-use development and designed to support approximately 21,000 people and 2,900 jobs, Ookwemin Minising represents a new model for dense, green, and livable urban development, comparable in scale to downtown Toronto, yet rooted in nature.
With first occupancy expected in the early 2030s, Ookwemin Minising sets a new benchmark for how new North American cities can grow – starting with streets, shaped by nature and guided by the everyday life of its residents.
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About GHD
GHD is a leading professional services company operating in the global markets of water, energy and resources, environment, property and buildings, and transportation. Committed to a vision to make water, energy, and communities sustainable for generations to come, GHD delivers advisory, digital, engineering, architecture, environmental and construction solutions to public and private sector clients. Established in 1928 and privately owned by its people, GHD’s network of 12,000+ professionals is connected across 165 offices located on five continents.