The Orbit is the vision for a new central neighborhood for the Canadian town of Innisfil, designed in response to the arrival of high-speed mass transit that connects to downtown Toronto. Located 60km north of Toronto -Canada’s largest city and North America’s fourth largest overall -Innisfil is one of the fastest-growing communities in the region as people seek more affordability outside of the city. The project was spurred on by the announcement of the Province’s Transit Oriented Community program with a new GO Train Station that will start construction by 2022, connecting the Town to downtown Toronto and inevitably leading to major growth in population.

PARTISANS was commissioned to realize its plan for housing and infrastructure that will support responsible, dense population growth and discourage sprawl, car traffic, the decentralization of civic services, and over development of the rural surroundings of the town. The design of the Orbit leverages cutting-edge technology to create a city that is more accessible and sustainable, with a plan for mass fiber optic cable systems that will provide connectivity across sidewalks, streets, and buildings as well considering ‘future forward’ concepts such as drone ports and self-driving cars to anticipate future development over the longer term.

The GO Train Station and the Orbit are widely seen as the most important opportunity the community has for shaping the expected population growth. The first phase of the Orbit will take place over the next 3-5 years, starting with developing the GO Train Station and immediate surrounding buildings including residential towers, retail and hospitality spaces, bus and car routes, and green space throughout with public art installations. PARTISANS designed the GO Train station to integrate a landscape that converts the central infrastructure of the Orbit into a park-like space, a nod to the rural surroundings of the community.