Ever Taller: UrbanToronto’s Top 24 News Stories of 2024 | UrbanToronto

Happy New Year, and welcome back! As we kick off 2025, we are looking back on the defining moments of 2024 as captured on UrbanToronto. It was a year of continued growth and challenges for Toronto and the Greater Golden Horseshoe region at large; from record-breaking towers rising into the skyline, to ambitious transit-oriented community plans driving the future of our area, 2024 saw Toronto’s ongoing evolution into a denser, more integrated metropolis, all the while dealing with the ongoing concerns with changing real estate markets, transportation challenges, and the pace of development.

To properly reflect on all that 2024 had to offer, we’ve gone above and beyond our monthly Top 10 format to bring you the Top 24s of the year in three parts, starting here with the Top 24 news stories of 2024. These stories capture the moments that mattered most to UrbanToronto readers and highlight the trends shaping our region. Later today, we’ll continue this year-in-review, covering the Top 24 Database Files and the Top 24 Forum Threads, so stay tuned!

While towering heights, masterplanned communities, and transit developments captivated readers, public space revitalization was another common theme in the most read stories. Let’s dive in, starting with a big plan in Vaughan:

24. Toromont Proposes Multi-Block Community Up to 74 Storeys at Vaughan Metropolitan Centre

After months of anticipation, progress was finally seen on the glass block cladding for KING Toronto:

23. Glass Block Installation Begins at KING Toronto Construction Site

Continuing progress on the glass block installation at KING Toronto, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor neuhaus

Long envisioned as a massive project over the Union Station Rail Corridor, the Rail Deck Development has taken another step forward despite past hurdles, with a resubmission adding over 1,800 residential units with towers up to 72 storeys:

22. Rail Deck Development Resubmission Adds Another 1,800 Units

21. Masterplanned Development Proposal Urbanizes Oakville’s Palermo Area

The City’s Transit-Oriented Community (TOC) initiative aims to improve the redevelopment of land around Ontario Line 3 stations. UrbanToronto covered several in 2023, including the Gerrard-Carlaw South TOC:

20. Transit-Oriented Community Program Unveiled South of Gerrard Station

Meanwhile, transit was a much-discussed and debated issue throughout the City, with Reece Martin’s look at Metrolinx’s concepts for the Sheppard Subway Extension:

19. Extending Sheppard Line 4… The Better Way

18. Transit-Oriented Community Program Unveiled at Thorncliffe Park Station

17. Cadillac Fairview Celebrates 160 Front Street West with Ribbon Cutting

The Jane and Finch Mall Redevelopment joins the growing trend of transforming the GTA’s suburban shopping centres into massive mixed-use communities:

16. Jane and Finch Mall to be Redeveloped as Master-Planned Mixed-Use Community

15. The One About To Surpass One Bloor East’s Height

Looking southeast to The One on New Year’s Day, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor Johnny Au

14. Masterplanned Community Proposed at Hwy 7 and Martin Grove in Vaughan

Not long after the opening of The Well‘s Wellington Market, the Food Hall at Waterworks added to Downtown Toronto’s growing dining venue options:

13. The Food Hall at Waterworks Opens Today

12. 

Arcadis and SLA Unveil David Crombie Park Redesign

Renders of revitalized David Crombie Park, image courtesy of SLA and Arcadis

11. 

Atria Development Proposes Four Towers in Downtown Oshawa

10. Ontario Announces Completion of Finch LRT Stops and Stations as Toronto Awaits Line’s Opening

9. Master-Planned Development Proposed Across From Vaughan Mills Outlet Mall

Few projects have captured the readers and Forum users’ attention like The One. Despite its financial challenges, including entering into receivership and an interim general contractor, Tridel has now been named the new development partner, and the project continues to climb, closing in on its final height of 85 storeys:

8. The One: The Story and Storeys That Just Don’t Quit

7. Ontario Line 3 Fully Under Construction as Don Valley Bridge Work Starts

6. Settlement Increases Future Supertall at 19 Bloor West to 99 Storeys

5. Massive Redevelopment Proposed to Replace Cineplex Queensway Cinemas

4. Shoppes on Steeles Redevelopment Proposed in Markham

Reece Martin’s continued coverage on Toronto’s transit came in at #3 and #2, including a look at the East Harbour TOC:

3. Canada’s Most Important Transit Oriented Development

An aerial view looking east to East Harbour, designed by Adamson Associates Architects for Cadillac Fairview

2. GO Lakeshore Expansion: Toronto’s First Taste of RER

At #1, Pinnacle One Yonge has garnered so much attention with its 105-storey second phase, SkyTower. As the country’s future tallest building, a slight height bump from 344.9m to 345.5m was enough to make for the year’s most-read news story:

1. Canada’s Tallest Tower to be Taller, Again

Looking south to Pinnacle One Yonge and fireworks welcoming 2025, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor mburrrrr

We will be back later today with the Top 24 Threads and Database Files of 2024!

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UrbanToronto has a research service, UTPro, that provides comprehensive data on development projects in the Greater Golden Horseshoe — from proposal through to completion. We also offer Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.​​​