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- The runway stays, and that is exactly what makes this place different
- Seven neighbourhoods, not one giant “new build blob”
- The hangars are not being demolished, they are being re-used
- The honest timeline: what you might see by 2031, and what will take longer
- Why this project matters, even if you do not live in Toronto
Summary:
- Downsview’s former runway is set to become a 2 km runway-park promenade.
- The master plan mentions seven neighbourhoods with housing and daily services.
- Existing hangars will be repurposed for work, culture, and commercial uses.
- The first phase, the Hangar District, targets roughly 3,000 homes by 2031.
- This is a long project. The district will grow in stages, not overnight.
Some places sit right in the middle of a city, yet feel completely off-limits. Airports are the perfect example. They are huge, fenced, functional, and built for movement, not for everyday life. You can live nearby for years and still never step inside. Massive land, almost zero access, and a strange feeling of empty space you cannot use.
Downsview Airport in Toronto (code YZD) closed in 2024, and instead of letting the site fade into a forgotten zone, the city is backing a full transformation. The plan is called YZD, and it is built around one clear anchor: keeping the runway as the spine of a new district. At full scale, it is expected to host around 50,000 people across seven neighbourhoods, with a 2 km promenade where planes once took off.
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The runway stays, and that is exactly what makes this place different
A runway looks useless once planes are gone. But it has one rare quality: it cuts through everything in a straight, readable line. It is a natural connector, and it gives the site a shape you can understand instantly. At YZD, the runway is not being erased. It is being turned into the district’s main public space.
The idea is simple: a long promenade that works as a park, a walking route, and a shared meeting point. It will not be a small patch of green squeezed between new buildings. It will be a 2 km central spine that links neighbourhoods and makes the area walkable by design.
That kind of space changes how a place feels. It gives people somewhere to go without buying anything. It creates an “easy” path you can follow without thinking. And it makes the district legible, even for first-time visitors. A free public corridor often becomes the true heart of a neighbourhood.
If you have seen new developments that feel polished but lifeless, you know why this matters. Good districts are not only about architecture. They are about movement, pauses, and those casual moments when people cross paths. A runway-park is basically a built-in habit for daily life.
Seven neighbourhoods, not one giant “new build blob”
A lot of big urban projects make the same mistake. They build everything at once, everything looks the same, and the result feels like a showroom for years. It is new, but it does not feel lived in. Fresh concrete, no character.
The YZD plan takes a different route. It talks about seven neighbourhoods, each meant to have its own services and everyday rhythm, rather than one official centre that everyone depends on. That approach can help a district feel more natural, because it allows variety to appear over time.
In practice, it means more than just a planning map. It can affect how you experience the place day to day. You are more likely to have essentials nearby, and you get different “micro-centres” where cafes, libraries, schools, or local shops can anchor life. Smaller hubs tend to create stronger routines.
There is also a very real question sitting behind every long redevelopment: affordability. The nicer the public space, the faster prices often climb. The plan can be smart and still become exclusive. Who gets to live there, and at what cost, will shape the district as much as any design choice.
The hangars are not being demolished, they are being re-used
One of the most interesting details is what happens to the existing hangars. Instead of flattening everything and starting from scratch, YZD plans to repurpose hangars for work and cultural uses. That might sound technical, but it matters for one reason: districts fail when they become purely residential.
A neighbourhood that only sleeps becomes quiet and empty during the day. Hangars can support studios, production, workshops, events, and commercial spaces. In other words, they can keep energy on-site. Jobs and activity are what prevent a place from turning into a commuter-only zone.
There is also something more subtle here: atmosphere. Hangars have scale and texture. They do not look like a standard condo block, and that difference can become an identity asset. If you have been to cities where old industrial buildings turned into creative districts, you know the vibe. Raw volumes often allow unexpected uses.
Reusing existing structures is also a practical move. It reduces demolition, material waste, and the “wipe the slate clean” feeling. Keeping pieces of the past is one of the easiest ways to make a new district feel believable.
The honest timeline: what you might see by 2031, and what will take longer
The big question is always the same: when does it actually happen. The short answer is that YZD is a long project, often described as unfolding over around 30 years. That is not unusual for a redevelopment of this scale.
The first phase is the Hangar District, with reporting pointing to roughly 3,000 homes by 2031. That means you will see early change, but you will not see the final district for a long time. Visible progress, yes. Finished city, no.
Here is what feels realistic between now and 2031: early infrastructure, the first adapted hangars, some public space segments, and the first wave of housing. You will be able to visit parts of it, but the full neighbourhood network will still be growing. First landmarks will appear before the full lifestyle does.
And then comes the slow part, where the district becomes real: more neighbourhoods, more services, more public spaces, more transport links, and that moment when people stop saying “the project” and start saying “the neighbourhood”.
Before vs After (the practical shift)
| Before (airport site) | After (YZD district) | |
| Purpose | Aviation and restricted land | Mixed-use neighbourhood district |
| Central feature | Aircraft runway | 2 km runway-park promenade |
| Access | Fenced, limited public entry | Walkable, open public corridor |
| Buildings | Hangars and infrastructure | Reused hangars plus new buildings |
| Timeline | Closed in 2024 | Built in phases over decades |
Why this project matters, even if you do not live in Toronto
What makes YZD interesting is not only its scale. It is the mindset: turning a closed piece of city into something shared, without erasing the site’s identity. The runway remains, the hangars remain, and the future district keeps a link to what came before.
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If the project delivers on its promises, it will not just be housing. It will become a place people visit, walk through, and spend time in, even if they never rent an apartment there. A place to pass by can become a place to stay.
And that is often how new “must-see” neighbourhoods are born. Not from hype, but from a few strong decisions that make the space easy, open, and genuinely pleasant.
