The former Downsview Airport site in Toronto was shuttered in 2024, but its 370 acres are set for a $30bn (£22bn) transformation into a new city for roughly 50,000 people09:37, 05 Jun 2026An abandoned airport is edging closer to being transformed into a £22bn city for approximately 50,000 people. Downsview Airport in Toronto, Canada, shut its doors in 2024, and the 370-acre plot has been designated for a $30bn redevelopment (roughly £22bn) that could accommodate around 50,000 residents.‌Known as YZD, the enormous project is anticipated to span more than 30 years and will encompass homes, shops, schools and parks. It is regarded as one of the most ambitious projects in North American history.‌A 1.24-mile former runway will be transformed into a park connecting the neighbourhoods - described as the area's "connective tissue". And it appears the scheme is now gathering momentum.‌Last month, revised plans for the Downsview West District section of the former airport refined proposals for a large-scale "mixed-use community" around Downsview Park TTC and GO station.Urban Toronto reports that the resubmission involved firms Urban Strategies, Trophic Design, and ERA Architects, and "further develops the district framework" following feedback.‌YZD represents "one of the largest urban transformation areas" in North America. Downsview West emerged in 2024 as the first key "Canada Lands-led district" positioned north of Downsview Park, to edge closer to "implementation".The outlet states: "The proposal has evolved through continued consultation with City staff, Indigenous communities, agencies, and local stakeholders, resulting in this March 2026 resubmission of Zoning By-law Amendment and Draft Plan of Subdivision applications to the City of Toronto."The plans divide the area into three: Station Quarter, Heart at the Crossroads and the Mews neighbourhood, with the tallest structures "concentrated closest to transit"; towers will reach a maximum height of 197m.‌Some of the other elements covered by the submission include tower placement and the "transition between taller station-area buildings" and mid-rise blocks, as well as materials.The Downsview Airport site was utilised for warplane production during the Second World War before being taken over by an aerospace firm in the 1990s.‌Derek Goring, the CEO of the company in charge of the project, Northcrest Developments, told CNN: "One of the biggest challenges with large-scale urban redevelopments is when you don’t have anything to start with, they can feel generic."He went on to say: "We want to lean into what's there and make as much use of it as possible. It helps bring character and it makes it more interesting and unique."Under the latest proposals, the development would deliver about 8,800 residential units — 20% of them affordable — plus a blend of "employment, retail, institutional and community uses". The plans also advance the Depot Mews "shared street" concept.Article continues belowDerek went on to say: "There's a lot of embedded carbon in the existing buildings and rather than tearing them down and building everything new, there's a big carbon benefit to retaining those buildings."