City Building
Designing A Community That Connects and Inspires
When you think of a beautiful city, what do you envision? You may picture places like Paris or London with their old architecture or perhaps Buenos Aires or Cape Town with their tree-lined streets. But Rob Spanier, President of the Spanier Group and a part of the Lakeview Community Partners Limited team of consultants, believes there should be more to the definition.
“Beauty is placemaking to me. It’s not just about the architecture of a building or design of a street because that may not always make a city as a whole memorable. It may make a pocket standout, but not an entire community,” he says. “To build truly beautiful cities, you need to create a memorable experience at the pedestrian level so that everyone can experience the true joy of a place.”
That means including the services and amenities that matter to people of all ages and stages on the ground floor of buildings – or at the very least where they feel they can connect with them. Things like retail, restaurants, cultural opportunities, educational spaces, patios, and parks are critical toward achieving this success.
“When you design with all of these elements in mind, you create a symphony for the senses for each visitor or resident,” he says. “Some people experience places based on what they see, while others gain a sense of emotion based on how they feel in a place. Some people are impacted by their sense of smell while others are attracted to what they can hear. The greatest communities – those memorable places that we all remember – afford each person the opportunity to interact with their surroundings and take part in a community that’s vibrant and full of life. At Lakeview Village, we’re taking a very intentional approach to building that type of place where there should be an appeal to everyone at some level.”
Here’s what that will look like.
Lively Social Hub
“At the heart of our project is the Lakeview Village Square, a dynamic hub that will be vibrant and engaging,” says Rob. “We've curated a mix of best-in-class retail – charming independent non-national (‘mom-and-pop’) businesses to cater to everyone’s needs. There will be restaurants, patios, water features, specialty grocery shopping. We like to think of the retail plan at Lakeview Village like a museum with carefully curated exhibitions, but in this case with places to shop and enjoy activities.” It will be a space where people can gather, buy presents for friends and family, raise a glass to celebrate a moment or just simply people watch (“one of the most underrated activities”). “It will be somewhere where memories are made and memorable things can and will happen.”
Expansive Green Spaces
Not to be outdone are the parks that are being built within Lakeview Village.
“The project, when complete, will deliver a network of more than 45 acres of parks and green space that will have connections to Lakeshore Road and the Waterfront Trail,” Rob says. To ensure each enhances the beauty of the unique lakeside location, he adds, the design team has carefully configured every green space and varied the amenities that will be available for all to enjoy. For example, parks are being constructed within eyesight of patios and seating; this will allow those looking to enjoy the serenity of Lakeview Village to enjoy some quiet time as they enjoy the incredible public realm.
“Our greenspaces and parks will be akin to some of the greatest parks in the world, where people can enjoy a number of activities outside and immerse themselves in nature. We want people to be able to do more than just walk from the 68-acre Jim Tovey Lakeview Conservation Area to Ogden Park. We want them to experience nature, each other’s company, and life by the lake.”
Creative Work Oasis
Imagine working in a location where you can easily stroll to a local coffee shop for a meeting or enjoy a run in the Jim Tovey Lakeview Conservation Area at lunch. This will become a reality within Lakeview Village thanks to the much talked about Innovation District. The 20+ acre campus will be an important part of the community, not just because it will bring great minds together, but because it will invite new and creative businesses to set up leading-edge businesses in south Mississauga right at the foot of Lake Ontario. This will benefit not just Lakeview Village and its residents (many of whom will work within the community) but the Region of Peel as a whole. “There will be up to 1.8 million sq. ft. available for people to work, learn, teach, interact, and grow… it will foster the development of the highest quality of life – with a true integration into the unique mix of uses at Lakeview Village. Employee satisfaction will be high.”
Arts & Culture Spaces
An important aspect for Rob is the amount of thought being put into building up Lakeview Village as a vibrant centre for arts and culture. “When you visit a city, what you remember most – beyond the great restaurants, retail, people watching, and parks – is how a city expresses itself culturally. Whether that’s through street art, art walks – like in Barcelona – or open-air exhibitions. It makes a community feel open, supportive, and liveable.” He adds that in Lakeview Village, people will be able to spend a Sunday afternoon touring the Art Trail, catching a concert by the water, or discovering great thinkers at a literary festival. “Lakeview Village will become a place that will inspire.”
Making Lakeview Village a Reality
Of course, as with everything, there are several challenges to building a beautiful and integrated community, the greatest of which is time, notes Rob. “In the old days people would talk about developing a new project and they would want it to happen overnight. But the kind of legacy development that is timeless – one that’s memorable – takes years to design and to bring to life.”
He adds there’s a significant amount of coordination required between all levels of government to successfully deliver these types of complex, large-scale, mixed-use developments. “As they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day. It often takes three or four political terms to bring something like a Lakeview Village to life… that’s what was required in Chicago to transform its waterfront. Political will and consensus at all levels of government to usher things forward is paramount to a project's overall long-term success. But the end result is always worth it and truly rewarding for all those who will one day visit.”
The Building of a Legacy
“What we’re building at Lakeview Village is about more than just constructing a real estate project. Our goal is to ensure the community stands out as a distinct and special place. With its mix of housing, green spaces, retail, and business opportunities, Lakeview Village will be more than just another development. We aim to offer the City of Mississauga and the GTA a truly exceptional experience that is unmatched,” Rob says.
He adds: “While development trends may change, the desire for a sense of place is timeless. Whether you prefer living in a small building or closer to the waterfront, Lakeview Village will provide access to amenities that enhance your quality of life because we’re starting from the ground floor plane. We've planted the seeds for this vision, and while it will evolve over time, our commitment remains steadfast. We aspire to make this the greatest waterfront development in Canadian history, creating a lasting legacy for the community.”
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