Don Mills, Toronto: From Paper Mill to Planned Community

Don Mills is a distinctive neighborhood in Toronto's North York district, shaped by one of Canada's most ambitious post-war suburban planning experiments. Its name originates from the Don River (which flows through the area) and the Don Mills Paper Company established in 1911 by Frank W. Horner.

Historical Evolution

• 19th century: Agricultural settlement known as Hogg's Hollow (after early settler James Hogg)
• 1911: Don Mills Paper Company opens; industrial hamlet develops
• 1950s: Industrialist E.P. Taylor acquires 2,100 acres; commissions Macklin Hancock (Project Planning Associates) to design Canada's first fully integrated "new town" based on Garden City principles
• 1953–1965: Phased construction of four quadrants, each with own schools, parks, shopping, and curvilinear streets discouraging through-traffic
• 1960s–1980s: Don Valley Parkway (DVP) completion accelerates growth; Don Mills Centre mall opens (1965)

Planning Innovations

Don Mills pioneered concepts now standard in Canadian suburbia:

• Neighborhood unit design (self-contained quadrants)
• Separation of pedestrian and vehicle networks (cul-de-sacs, footpaths)
• Mixed housing types (detached, semi, townhome, rental apartment)
• Integrated green space (Edwards Gardens, Wilket Creek Park, ravine system)
• Commercial core at major intersection (Don Mills & Lawrence)

Today's Don Mills

• Population: ~35,000+ across 4 quadrants
• Housing: Mix of original 1950s bungalows, split-levels, infill custom homes, luxury condos (recent high-rise clusters)
• Commercial: Shops at Don Mills (lifestyle center replacing Don Mills Centre), CF Fairview Mall (adjacent), office towers (Concorde Place, Wynford Drive)
• Transit: Line 5 Eglinton Crosstown LRT (under construction, Science Centre & Aga Khan Park stops), multiple bus routes
• Institutions: Ontario Science Centre, Aga Khan Museum, Aga Khan Park, top-ranked schools

Don Mills remains a case study in planning history—celebrated for its green infrastructure and neighborhood cohesion, critiqued for its car-dependency and socio-economic homogeneity. It's a Toronto neighborhood that feels deliberately designed, because it was.