The Dundas Connects Master Plan will shape the future look and feel of a significant corridor in the City of Mississauga. By focusing on long-term, transit-supportive intensification, a greater mix of land-use, and creating connected open and public spaces, the City is in a strong position to pro-actively direct growth and change.

The Dundas Street corridor is 17 kilometres long, stretching from Mississauga’s border with Oakville in the west to the City of Toronto’s Kipling Station in the east. Over the next 35 to 40 years the number of people who live, work, and travel along this route is expected to substantially increase as the city shifts from an automobile-dependent, suburban model toward targeted intensification along transit nodes and corridors. Dundas Street represents a major opportunity to expand Mississauga’s urban network -- the street is full of stores, businesses, parks, industrial uses, schools, churches and beautiful neighbourhoods. Also, a concentration of mid-century tower-in-the-park apartment buildings along this robust corridor include hundreds of affordable rental housing units. Collectively, these urban elements remain disconnected, plagued with traffic congestion within a context that currently does not maximize the potential of an accessible and dynamic public realm.

SvN began by examining potential land-use and urban design opportunities and constraints at two scales: (1) a corridor-wide approach, taking into account the provincially-led planning policy framework; and (2) a focus-based approach, assessing geographic-specific policies, attributes, and challenges around seven major areas.

The resulting  Master Plan optimizes the best balance between growth and transit infrastructure with a tailored response to the corridor's alignment. Specific recommendations to provincial and municipal policies include: a decision on the type of transit that can be implemented along Dundas; advice on how to manage the impacts of flooding; strengthening connections; and improving the overall streetscape design.