Northcrest Developments is asking Torontonians to reimagine the former Downsview Airport as something more than an airfield, with a new campaign positioning the future YZD community as “Your Place to Land.”

Developed by Fuse Create, the awareness campaign aims to shift perceptions of the 370-acre site – dubbed YZD in a nod to the air field’s former call-sign – toward its future as a mixed-use community that Northcrest is calling one of North America’s largest urban redevelopment projects.

Images courtesy of Fuse Create

For generations, the site was defined by aviation, first as a Canadian Forces base and later as a Bombardier aerospace hub. Northcrest Developments VP of brand, marketing and communications Chantelle Cole says the goal is to help people experience YZD as a community before the neighbourhoods are complete.

The digital, OOH, OLV and paid-media campaign builds on the experiences already taking place at the site, including events at Rogers Stadium, Centennial College’s aerospace industry campus, Runway Reels drive-in movies, community gatherings and seasonal programming.

The campaign is designed to help people see themselves as part of Toronto’s next major city-building project, with first occupancies scheduled for 2031. The rollout integrates the YZD brand identity developed with design firm Pentagram and supports the first phase of the redevelopment, the Hangar District, which will include nearly 3,000 new rental and ownership homes, including townhouses and 14-storey apartment buildings.

At the centre of YZD is the site’s two-kilometre runway, which Northcrest says will evolve from a launchpad for aircraft into a shared public space connecting future neighbourhoods and businesses.