{"id":126773,"date":"2025-10-25T15:10:47","date_gmt":"2025-10-25T14:10:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/landezine.com\/?p=126773"},"modified":"2025-10-25T15:10:49","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T14:10:49","slug":"mvva-selected-to-lead-runway-design-guidelines-at-yzd-redevelopment-in-toronto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/landezine.com\/mvva-selected-to-lead-runway-design-guidelines-at-yzd-redevelopment-in-toronto\/","title":{"rendered":"MVVA Selected to Lead Runway Design Guidelines at YZD Redevelopment in Toronto"},"content":{"rendered":"

Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates<\/a> (MVVA) has been selected to develop the design guidelines for the transformation of the former 2.1-kilometre (1.3-mile) runway at the heart of YZD<\/a>, a 149-hectare redevelopment project on the former Downsview Airport lands in Toronto. The selection follows an international competition organised by Northcrest Developments<\/a>, attracting 47 submissions from more than 150 firms across 20 countries.<\/p>\n

YZD, named after the site\u2019s former airport code, occupies a decommissioned airfield in North Toronto<\/a>. Aviation operations ceased in 2024, marking the closure of a site originally developed for de Havilland aircraft manufacturing and later used as a military air base. The area is now undergoing long-term transformation into a mixed-use urban district composed of seven new neighbourhoods.<\/p>\n

At the centre of the project is the former runway. The corridor is being reimagined as a linear civic space connecting future neighbourhoods while supporting mobility, ecological functions, and public use. The brief calls for a set of strategic design guidelines rather than a fixed masterplan. These guidelines will ensure consistency of intent while allowing the runway to evolve incrementally over time.<\/p>\n