Don Mills

For other uses, seeDon Mills (disambiguation).

Don Mills
Neighbourhood
View fromShops at Don Mills
Coordinates:43°44′14″N79°20′36″W
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
City	Toronto
Municipality established	1850York Township
Changed municipality	1922North Yorkfrom York Township
Changed municipality	1998Torontofrom North York
Government
•MP	Michael Coteau(Don Valley East)
•MPP	Adil Shamji(Don Valley East)
•Councillor	Jon Burnside(Ward 16Don Valley East)
Population (2006)
• Total	25,435
Time zone	UTC−05:00(EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00(EDT)
Postal code	M3B, M3C
Area code(s)	416, 647

Don Millsis a mixed-use neighbourhood inToronto,Ontario, Canada. It was developed in the 1950s and 1960s to be a self-supporting "new town"and was at the time located outside Toronto proper in the suburb ofNorth York.Consisting of residential, commercial and industrial sub-districts, it was planned and developed by private enterprise.

In several ways it became the blueprint for postwar suburban development in Toronto and contemporary residential neighbourhoods. It is bounded byYork Mills Roadto the north,Canadian Pacific Railwayto the south,Leslie Streetto the west, andDon Valley Parkwayto the east. It is part of federal and provincial electoral districtDon Valley East,and Toronto electoral ward 16: Don Valley East.

History

The Don Mills area was first settled by Europeans in 1817. The area was a considerable distance from the town ofYork,but theDon Riverprovided an easy means of transportation, and also a source of power for a number of mills along its length.

While the city ofTorontosteadily expanded, the Don Mills area remained rural until after theSecond World War.It was cut off from the city by ravines to the south, east, and west. Only two roads connected to the area:York Mills RoadandDon Mills Road.In 1950 the area consisted of about 20 farms.

Development

The homes in Don Mills from the early 1950s and 1960s combined principles of theGarden city movement,and themodernistBauhaus-style of architecture.

Don Mills was designed as a model community between 1952 and 1965. Land use, architectural design and building materials were carefully regulated. Many aspects of its design have been imitated in suburban developments across Canada. Its planners would give people priority over industry and cars.

This combination of emptiness and proximity to the city attracted the attention of industrialistE.P. Taylor.His original plan was to erect abreweryon the site, along with a small community to house the workers. Taylor had limited previous experience in the property development business, but had built a project named the Wrentham Estates in York Mills. Seeing the profit to be made with such projects, Taylor abandoned the brewery idea and decided to simply build a new town on the 2,000 acres (8.1 km²) he had acquired.

In 1951, he began planning the Yorktown community (as it was first known), and it was announced on March 11, 1953.The community was to be built on about 8.35 km²(3.22 sq mi) of farmland centred at the intersection of Don Mills Road and Lawrence Avenue East, with an expected cost of $200 million. Development was headed by the Taylor-owned Don Mills Development Company, (known as O'Keefe Realty in the days of the brewery development).

Design principles

The design of Don Mills was influenced byEbenezer Howard'sGarden City,and by the principles of two American town planners,Clarence SteinandHenry Wright,who developed the garden city community ofRadburn, New Jersey.Design of the project was entrusted toMacklin Hancock,the son-in-law of Taylor's executive assistant. Still in his mid-20s, Hancock was a graduate student at Harvard when approached for the job. At Harvard Hancock had studied under a number of the founders of modernism and new town planning includingWalter Gropius,William Holford,andHideo Sasaki.

These studies led Hancock to envision a self-contained community distinguished by consistent design principles and amoderniststyle. Several names were proposed for the new development, including Eptown after Taylor. It was called Yorktown at its initial unveiling, but the name Don Mills was finally adopted at the suggestion of Hancock.

The design was based on five planning principles, which had not been implemented in Canada before:

1. The neighbourhood principle – which broke down the community into four neighbourhood quadrants, all surrounding a regional shopping centre,Don Mills Centre,at the southwest corner of Don Mills and Lawrence. Each quadrant was to contain a school, a church, and a park.
2. Separation of pedestrian and vehicle traffic – which was accomplished through the creation of a network of pedestrian paths providing easy access through parks to area schools and the town centre, while roads were designed to slow vehicular traffic through the use of winding roads, T-intersections, and cul-de-sacs.
3. Promotion of modernist architecture and the modern aesthetic – Don Mills Development controlled the architectural design, colours, and materials of all buildings in Don Mills. As well, the corporation insisted that builders use company-approved architects who had been educated according toBauhausprinciples, to prevent the project from deteriorating into a typical post-war subdivision of builder's homes.

   

   Moccasin Trail Park, a park linked to other green spaces as well as the rest of theToronto ravine system.

4. Creation of a greenbelt – linked to a system of neighbourhood parks that would preserve the beauty of the surrounding ravines.
5. Integration of industry into the community – which followed Howard's ideals for the Garden City. Planners felt that it was important for residents to live and work in the same satellite town so that Don Mills would not become a bedroom community. A sizable number of high residential densities—rental townhouses and low-rise apartments—was essential if the town were to attract a cross-section of residents working in local industries.

Home situation design was also influential to subsequent subdivisions in Canada. The homes were located on square lots with long street frontages. Houses were previously situated on rectangular lots, narrow end to the street. The square lots meant that houses faced the street with their long side, but had less deep backyards.

The developers also affected two highway projects being developed concurrently. The 'Toronto Bypass', now known asOntario Highway 401does not have an interchange at Don Mills Road due to the development.TheDon Valley Parkway,built in part to service the community, was originally to be built on Don Mills Road, but was moved east to the Woodbine Avenue right-of-way north of Lawrence.

Recent history (2000–present)

In 2006,Don Mills Centrewas demolished to make way forShops at Don Mills,a large shopping centre. The shopping centre opened in April 2009.

At Wynford Drive and the Don Valley Parkway, a new $300 million cultural project was built on 6.8 hectares (17 acres) of land. The project, whose foundation was laid on May 28, 2010 byPrime MinisterStephen HarperandHis Highness the Aga Khan,is designed by award-winning architects: India-basedCharles Correa,Japanese architectFumihiko Maki,Lebanese landscape architect Vladimir Djurovic and the Toronto-basedMoriyama & Teshima Architects.

TheAga Khan Museumwas opened in September 2014.

The project was completed in 2014, with the opening of theIsmaili Centre,theAga Khan Museumand a public park.The museum provides an exhibition space for Islamic art and historyand it also provides a centre for the Ismaili community in Canada.

Demographics

The city places Don Mills in a community called Banbury-Don Mills. In 2006, it had a population of 25,435.

Majorethnicandculturalgroups (byancestry) in 2001:

• Chinese- 12%
• English- 11%
• Canadian- 11%
• Jewish- 7%
• Scottish- 7%
• Irish- 5%
• East Indian- 4%
• German- 3%
• French- 2%
• Polish- 2%
• Other - 36%

The percentage of population below thepoverty linedropped from 13% (in 1996) to 12% (in 2001).

Education

Don Mills Collegiate Instituteis a public secondary school located in the neighbourhood.

TheToronto District School Board(TDSB) is apublicschool boardthat operates threeelementary schoolsin Don Mills, Greenland Public School, Norman Ingram Public School, and Three Valleys Public School. TDSB also operates onesecondary schoolin the neighbourhood,Don Mills Collegiate Institute.

In addition to TDSB, three other public school board also offers schooling to residents of Don Mills, theToronto Catholic District School Board(TCDSB),secular schoolboard; and two Frenchfirst languagepublic school board, the secularConseil scolaire Viamonde(CSV), and it separate counterpart,Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir(CSCM). However, none of the three school boards operate school in Don Mills, with CSCM, CSV, and TCDSB students attending schools situated in other neighbourhoods in Toronto.

Recreation

Don Mills branch of theToronto Public Libraryis located in the neighbourhood.

Don Mills is home to a number of municipal parks including Bond Park, which has sports fields and an arena, Chipping Park, and Moccasin Trail Park. The latter two parks are situated near theDon Valley,which forms a part of theToronto ravine system.Municipal parks in the neighbourhood are managed by theToronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division.The neighbourhood is also home to the Don Mills branch of theToronto Public Library.

Several retail outlets, and shopping malls are also located in Don Mills. Shops at Don Mills is alifestyle center-styled shopping centre located at the southwest corner ofLawrence AvenueandDon Mills Road,on the site of the former Don Mills Centre.

Transportation

Several major roadways are situated in Don Mills, including Lawrence Avenue, and York Mills Road, which serves as the neighbourhood's northern boundary. To the east, the neighbourhood is bounded by theDon Valley Parkway,a major municipalcontrolled access highway.Eglinton Avenueis a major roadway situated south of Don Mills.

Public transportationin Don Mills is provided by theToronto Transit Commission(TTC). The TTC operates severalbus routesin the neighbourhood. The TTC plans forlight railservice in the neighbourhood by 2024, with the opening ofLine 5 Eglinton,a light rail line to be operated as a part of theToronto subwaysystem. Stations for the new line would be located along Eglinton Avenue, withAga Khan Park & MuseumandScience Centre stationsituated just south of Don Mills. The neighbourhood serves as a transition point for Line 5 Eglinton, with the line operating as a surface level route for every stop east of Science Centre station.

References

• Sewell, John. "Don Mills."The Second City.

External links

Media related toDon Millsat Wikimedia Commons