From Preservation to Production: Better Planning and Management of Employment Lands in the City of Toronto

This paper examines provincial and municipal planning policy related to the Employment Areas land-use designation found in the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe intended to protect and preserve the traditional manufacturing sector. While manufacturing jobs have declined in the City of Toronto, employment areas face pressure to preserve existing industrial uses or risk conversion to ‘higher and better uses,’ especially as the City becomes increasingly built-out. Drawing on two case studies of employment areas in the City of Toronto and local and international best practices, this paper aims to propose specific recommendations for better planning and management of these significant lands.