Toronto again leads latest crane count
Toronto again remains at the top of Rider Levett Bucknall’s (RLB) biannual crane count.
The Q3 report from the consultants finds that there are 83 tower cranes in use the city. That figure is down significantly from previous RLB reports, which used a much larger catchment area.
This latest iteration of the report is the first to prioritize the city’s downtown core only, which has the highest density of construction projects. The revised radius is 3.5 kilometres from the Bloor St W and Avenue Rd centre. RLB says this area contributes to approximately 35% of Toronto’s overall crane count.
The RLB crane count for the first quarter of 2024, for the full city, listed more than 220 cranes in use.
This latest report shows an increase of three cranes in use in the city over the past six months.
The residential sector continues to lead with 43 cranes, an increase of 11, while the mixed-use sector decreased to 26 cranes. Growth is also evident in the healthcare, education, public assembly, and transportation sectors.
For comparison, Los Angeles had the second-highest crane count in RLB’s third-quarter report with 42. That figure was down eight from the first-quarter report.
The only other Canadian city tracked in RLBs report is Calgary. The report finds that the number of cranes in use in the city just by 20% to 24 over the past six months. RLB says this signals significant growth in capital projects.
Major developments include the $1.2 billion Calgary Events Centre and the $1.2 billion Future Energy Park project. Meanwhile, approximately $550 million in residential projects have begun to address affordable housing needs.
Overall, the RLB report finds a slight decrease of 5% (15 cranes) from the first quarter edition. Of the 14 North American cities surveyed, Boston, Portland, San Francisco and Seattle experienced decreases of more than 20%. A further seven – Calgary, Chicago, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Toronto, and Washington D.C. – reported increases. Three cities – Denver, Los Angeles, and New York City – held steady.v
The majority of the cranes in use in the third quarter of this year were stationed at residential and mixed-use projects, making up 69% of the overall count.