This cottage has a driveway carved from a granite wall

Dear reader,

Observing the recent history of Wallace-Emerson is an exercise in reputation rehab. Sure, the neighbourhood always had quaint single-family homes and cute parks—but it was also run down, industrial and boring. More like an inner suburb than an urban hot spot, it was always screaming for some TLC.

Then came the 2010s: sparkling condos along Dupont, delightful bars and restaurants and the emergence of Geary Avenue as one of Toronto’s coolest strips. Cheaper rent also allowed students, artists and young families to migrate there from below Bloor. The transformation was analogous to the rise of Brooklyn in NYC, a once-dismissed borough that, to me, now offers a much better quality of life than fancy-pants Manhattan.

Just south of Geary is the charming Lappin Avenue, the site of Curb Appeal’s top post this week, an ivory semi inspired by Portugal with contemporary design. It also adds increased density and super-green tech—something both Wallace-Emerson and the rest of the city desperately need.

Also in today’s newsletter: a Torrance retreat with a driveway that looks like the Trans-Canada Highway. Plus, three mega mall execs explain how they’re staying afloat in the age of e-commerce. Visit torontolife.com or subscribe to our print edition for all of our real estate coverage and more.

Here’s a $1.9-million, 2,600-square-foot home in Wallace-Emerson. It comes with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, supreme efficiency, terracotta floors, 15-foot ceilings, custom oak everything and a private terrace with a skyline view. Take the tour now.

What hideaway in Torrance would be complete without 28-foot ceilings, a 500-bottle wine cellar, automated four-season rooms and a two-slip boathouse that doubles as a one-bedroom apartment?

Pickleball, rollerskating and giant Chinese dragons: in the e-commerce era, Toronto’s mega malls are getting creative to attract shoppers. Here, four mall execs lay out their vision for the future.

In the latest issue: our annual ranking of where to eat now. Plus, the small-town doctor who tore his community apart, confessions of a reformed shoplifter, an eye-popping history of Budweiser Stage, and more. Still not receiving Toronto Life at home? Subscribe today.