^True, but Toronto has a tradition of mixing the public with the private, particularly around subway entrances. PATH, for example, is both commercial space and a pedestrian route that remains open after stores close. And while it's true that a mall is a private space, the owners depend on public use of that space in order to make money. If it were entirely private, like say for instance someone's back yard, then this would be an entirely different discussion.
What I think is interesting is the developer's apparent blind spot: it's as though the idea that people might object to the disappearance of climate-controlled space in the neighbourhood took them totally by surprise. I don't think the Don Mills Centre is particularly successful as an urban project: it's actually hideous and I'm glad to see it redeveloped. What drew me into this discussion was dismay over the readiness to vilify.
And no, Tony, I'm not elderly. Just human.
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The world is so full of a number of things
-- Robert Louis Stevenson
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