Those who live in Scarborough must have noticed the almost identical land-use patterns at the intersections of McCowan Rd /Finch Ave and Warden Ave / Finch Ave. Both intersections are the centre of a circuitous road surrounding it, which are Sandhurst Circle and Bridletowne Circle respectively.

One corner of the both intersection lies the local shopping mall, (Woodside Square and Bridletowne Mall), while the remaining three corners has includes a cluster of multi-storey residential units. The area outside of the two circle roads includes low density residential.

I have always noticed to how systematic these two communities were developed even at a young age. Now with a bit of planning knowledge, I would perhaps consider it a little too systematic--as both communities almost feel identical. Nevertheless, both communities work very well in the suburban environment, methinks.

The high density residential and the local shopping centre work well to support one another. Home owners and renters value the convenience of having local retail, as well as well-served public transit in both north-south and east-west directions. I think this configuration is an awesome idea. We totally should've made of these types of land-use configurations.

You might also be aware that there are two other similar developments, Alton Towers and Bamburgh, which are just slightly north of the Sandhurst and Bridletowne communities. These two communities were similar in that they both include a retail centre in one quadrant, while high density residential fill up the other three.

There are a few subtle differences however. The retail centre is not an enclosed mall like Woodside Square and Bridletowne Mall-- it is more of a large retail strip plaza. Another difference is that the Alton Towers and Bamburgh communities lack a east-west bisect. I think this road configuration is what made these two communities less successful.

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But here's the thing. If you know Scarborough well, you must have known that Passmore Ave runs from Kennedy Rd to Midland Ave and more east from Middlefield Road to east of Tapscott Rd. Well, if you look carefully at the alignment of the road, you will realize that Passmore must have once been connected, or at least planned on being connected.

Look at the residential subdivision that truncates Passmore Ave. You will notice how streets such as Copthorne Ave, Withycombe Cres, Andrelane Ct, Oakhaven Dr, Hillfarm Dr, and Ketchum Pl make a straight line between the truncated segments of Passmore Ave.

If Passmore Ave was connected from Midland Ave to Middlefield Rd, it would have created the east-west bisect that we would expect for the Alton Towers community. Also, if Passmore Ave was extended to the west, you will realize a similar phenomenon. In fact, the road would go as far as Victoria Park Ave to connect with Gordon Baker Rd.

I wonder why planners decided to screw up the greatness that was Sandhurst and Bridletowne. Hopefully someone will know the answer.