Urban Strategies

Urban Strategies is leading the master planning and development approvals process for the redevelopment and re-urbanization of Galleria Mall, including the integration of Wallace Emerson Community Centre. The overarching goal of the project is to reconnect the site to its surrounding urban fabric while enhancing the suite of public amenities already operating in Wallace Emerson Park. The result will be a walkable, vibrant, pedestrian-oriented hub that responds to the site’s past, present, and future. To achieve these objectives, our team provided expertise in urban design, land use planning, mixed use development, policy, and public consultation.

The Galleria Mall site has long been imagined an ideal location for urban intensification. Its sizeable, and underused, footprint offers numerous opportunities for new housing, commercial and retail use. Working with City staff, the project team, and the community, our team developed a Master Plan that establishes a human-scale experience informed by parks and open spaces, thoughtful urban design, and pedestrian-oriented streets and walkways. The site’s history as an industrious enclave has been captured and enhanced through the introduction of maker spaces adjacent to laneways and Dupont Street. The mall itself will be redeployed through a retail strategy organized around smaller floor-plates at grade, replicating the fine-grained identity already familiar to residents and visitors. Finally, mobility across the site has been strengthened and formalized through the introduction of new streets, mews, and laneways.

All images created by: Cicada Design