A City In The Sky: Engaging The Vertical Public Realm

Abstract

Urban public spaces are synonymous with the social fabric of the city, forming overlapping networks of face-to-face interaction. As population growth in Toronto intensifies, the city is experiencing an increase in developer-driven, private high-rise residential buildings and subsequent loss of public space for social interaction. Face-to-face interaction is vital to human health and well-being as it satisfies the need for self-identity and relationships at the scale of the individual and the community. Architectural design provides the means to explore possibilities for alternative social spaces in contemporary cities through the design of a vertical public realm within high-rise residential towers. The socio-spatial organization and disposition of public and private space can foster social interaction across a variety of scales. This is vital in forming communities within a high-rise residential tower that will grow together over time, creating a cohesive urban system at the scale of the neighbourhood, community and city