Don Mills: Canada’s Model Town Remodeled

Don Mills was planned as a self-supporting “new town” that was Canada’s answer to the Levittowns south of the border. It was built between 1952 and 1965 on 835 hectares (2,062 acres) of land between the west and east Don River valleys. Industry, commerce, and major roads were arranged to be accessible but insulated from residential areas. Green spaces preserved natural watercourses and provided pedestrian routes between different neighborhoods. Don Mills Shopping Centre was inspired by the marketplaces of ancient Greece with retailers organized around a central arcade. An immediate critical and commercial success, Don Mills has been imitated in suburban development across Canada. Seventy years later, Don Mills is again a focus of the development industry with a successful mall redevelopment (Shops at Don Mills), a number of residential tower-in-the-park intensification projects, and the spectacular Aga Khan Museum.