Synergy and movement within suburban mixed-use centers: The Toronto experience

The article measures the intensity of interaction between activities within suburban mixed-use centers (also referred to as suburban downtowns or edge cities), and the reliance on walking for intra-center journeys. It examine s whether or not these centers are achieving, as intended in planning docum ents, an inner dynamic that distinguishes them from typical suburban commer cial developments. A survey of office workers within the Greater Toronto Ar ea's three most developed suburban mixed-use centers reveals a moderate lev el of inner synergy (interaction between activities beneficial to all those involved) and of walking for intra-center journeys. The article highlights the advantages of such an inner dynamic for activities located within subu rban mixed-use centers. Ir also points at the surveyed centers' car orienta tion and the inhospitality of their walking environment to explain why syne rgy and pedestrian movements are not arty higher. This leads to an examinat ion of the advantages that would accrue from a more intense pedestrian-base d synergy and of the means of achieving such an outcome.