The Growing Up Urban Design Guidelines are a result of a two-year study and two-year period of implementation and monitoring, focused on how new mid-rise and tall buildings can be developed as vertical communities to support social interaction and better accommodate the needs of all households, including those with children.

The Guidelines address three scales of development: the neighbourhood, the building, and the unit. The Guidelines speak to the collective responsibility to address quality of life for children and youth in vertical communities. This includes ensuring the provision of safe streets to support children’s independent mobility, parks, schools, community facilities, retail and amenities in addition to a diversity of housing sizes to accommodate larger households, including multi-generational households with seniors.

Planning for Children in New Vertical Communities: Final Urban Design Guidelines

Information & Reports

Growing Up: Planning for Children in New Vertical Communities produced guidelines to direct how new development can better function for larger households at three scales: the unit, the building and the neighbourhood. The objective is that developments deliver tangible outcomes to increase liveability for larger households at each scale.

Planning for Children in New Vertical Communities: Final Urban Design Guidelines, 2020

Phase 1 focused on background research including a series of local and international case studies, population and market analysis.

View the staff report and the Phase 1 consultation summary report.

Phase 2 work involved drafting and testing of the draft guidelines. Development of the guidelines followed an iterative process, incorporating feedback from staff, the public and stakeholders. Both phases of the Study included a diverse range of consultation activities.

View the staff report and draft Growing Up Guidelines.

After a two-year period of implementation, the Final Recommendation Report recommends adoption of the Growing Up: Planning for Children in New Vertical Communities Urban Design Guidelines, and requests the development of a monitoring program to track the provision of residential unit types and sizes, and changes to housing occupancy trends of households living in buildings greater than five stories. The Final Recommendation Report provides analysis of implementation of the Guidelines to date, and speaks to the impact that the Guidelines have had on raising awareness about how rapidly intensifying cities can develop as inclusive and welcoming environments for their youngest citizens.

View the Final Recommendation Report.