Centred in Motion presents a strategy for adapting the existing suburban development of Pickering, Ontario to accommodate contemporary needs. The cultural and geographical conditions that generated Pickering, along with similar suburbs in the Toronto area and across North America, are vastly different from current conditions. An adaptive response addressing these suburbs is necessary to foster intelligent future growth in the Greater Toronto Area. The thesis proposes the design of a mixed-use complex that builds on existing infrastructure and adds density in centrally located, underutilized space within Pickering. A key element is an “inhabitable bridge” that connects the Pickering Town Centre mall in downtown Pickering to commuter services at the GO Transit station and lands to the south. The project embeds a variety of residential, commercial, and civic programs within this infrastructure, providing new services to existing residents, and creating expanded living options with a reduced dependency on personal automobiles within Pickering.

Centred in Motion presents a strategy for adapting the existing suburban development of Pickering, Ontario to accommodate contemporary needs. The cultural and geographical conditions that generated Pickering, along with similar suburbs in the Toronto area and across North America, are vastly different from current conditions. An adaptive response addressing these suburbs is necessary to foster intelligent future growth in the Greater Toronto Area. The thesis proposes the design of a mixed-use complex that builds on existing infrastructure and adds density in centrally located, underutilized space within Pickering. A key element is an “inhabitable bridge” that connects the Pickering Town Centre mall in downtown Pickering to commuter services at the GO Transit station and lands to the south. The project embeds a variety of residential, commercial, and civic programs within this infrastructure, providing new services to existing residents, and creating expanded living options with a reduced dependency on personal automobiles within Pickering.