We’re on a Mission From G-d: Thornhill as a Walkable Jewish Suburb

Jewish Thornhill, located in Vaughan, York Region, was intentionally designed and planned as a walkable Jewish suburb. Though it is an auto-oriented suburb, Thornhill is also a walkable neighbourhood that caters to the distinct needs of its large Jewish community. Orthodox Jews require ready access to kosher food; they also require synagogues within walking distance as they do not drive cars or take transit on the Sabbath or Jewish holidays. The master planning of Thornhill was made possible by developers who recognized the Jewish community’s predictable migration pattern along Bathurst Street and purchased land in Thornhill two decades before the Jewish community had reached Thornhill. Topics that were researched for this paper included walkability, Toronto’s Jewish history, the intersection of religion and urban planning, and smart growth.