DOCSLIB.ORG

BY SCOTT TORRANCE Six Tips for Refreshing the 6Ix

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
BY SCOTT TORRANCE Six Tips for Refreshing the 6Ix NATURE: THE ULTIMATE DESIGN PARTNER BY SCOTT TORRANCE Six tips for refreshing the 6ix. In the booming city of Toronto, often so distracted by the urban buildings are soaring higher and environment and their devices higher and getting closer and and digital screens, they’ve closer to one another. But amid become disconnected from the concrete, glass and asphalt, natural processes. As the square there is plenty of opportunity for footage of condos gets smaller, parks, nature and people places. the need for natural spaces gets The city’s extensive ravine system bigger. We can’t magically snap and waterfront location are two our fingers and have another of its most valuable assets. And High Park open up in the middle sometimes your best design of downtown Toronto. So we partner can be nature itself. have to find innovative ways to let nature take its course through So how does a deep love of nature the city. square with the hard-edged realities of the city? People are WEST TORONTO RAILPATH, TORONTO VAUGHAN CIVIC CENTRE RESOURCE LIBRARY, TORONTO HERE ARE SIX SUGGESTIONS FOR DESIGNING NATURAL PUBLIC SPACES IN THE 6IX. 1. GO NATIVE Whenever possible, use native, non-invasive plants. These plants are meant to be here; they thrive in the local climate, they support birds and other pollinators, they change with our seasons. And because they’re meant to be here, they pretty much take care of themselves, when planted in the right conditions. Sensitive plant communities and habitat, including a functioning wetland, were key in the design for the West Toronto Railpath, a 2.1 km linear park that runs alongside an active rail corridor in the city’s west end. REMINGTON PARK, MARKHAM WEST TORONTO RAILPATH, TORONTO 2. GATHER EVERYONE’S PERPECTIVE A park means something different to everyone: a quiet space for reflection, a place to romp and play, a sports field. It can take months to sort through the asks and expectations of the stakeholders and the community. Then strong leadership skills are needed to guide it all towards one clear vision that all stakeholders can agree to. ESRI CANADA, TORONTO 3. RETHINK WHAT’S NATURAL Some spaces in a city don’t fall under the conventional definition of unconventional spaces that work as natural places are rooftops around natural, but they naturally occur in an urban environment. These in- the city, most notably the Victoria Park Subway Station, Native Child between spaces under expressways and in laneways can become and Family Services of Toronto, and the Scarborough Civic Centre skateboard parks, basketball courts and urban playgrounds. Other Branch of the Toronto Public Library. TORONTO BOTANICAL GARDEN AND EDWARD GARDENS, TORONTO 4. SET THE BAR HIGHER Torontonians may look around at existing green space and feel that it’s just fine as is. But we can do better and expect more. For example, the Toronto Botanical Garden and adjacent Edwards Gardens are now being transformed into an international destination. While it will certainly be beautiful, it is also a unique opportunity to demonstrate best practices for an urban watershed. And it can help heal Wilket Creek that runs through the site. 5. TAKE THE LONG VIEW With nature as your design partner, the project doesn’t end on opening day. It will grow and evolve for decades to come. We typically approach master planning in terms of five to 25 years. However, on a recent consultation with an elder from Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, she described the indigenous concept of ‘Seven Generations’ and encouraged us to think and plan for much longer time lines. There are 140-year old trees in Toronto – that’s seven generations of people that have witnessed their growth, appreciated their shade and enjoyed their leaves changing colour. VICTORIA PARK SUBWAY STATION, TORONTO 6. BE PEOPLE- CENTRIC People come to natural spaces to experience joy, have a little fun, take pleasure in being outside. A design needs to have a unique identity and identifiable features. When a parent takes that selfie or photo of their kids, they want to know they were at a particular park, not just some generic park. Good design also has an invisible component called back-of-house. These are the operational considerations that people only notice when they’re not working properly; things like washrooms, trash receptacles and park maintenance. The best designers measure the success of their projects not by awards, but by the way people take to the spaces that have been designed. It’s thrilling to watch people use a park as planned, but it’s even more fulfilling to see them find their own connections to the space. CATHEDRALTOWN NORTH PARK, MARKHAM Scott Torrance is the practice SCOTT lead for FORREC’s landscape architecture studio. An award- FORREC.COM winning landscape architect TORRANCE 219 DUFFERIN ST, with more than 22 years’ SUITE 100C, SOUTH BUILDING experience, his team designed TORONTO, ON, M6K 3J1 all the projects mentioned in CANADA this article and many more. You can reach him at [email protected].
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Bikeway Trails Implementation Plan
    STAFF REPORT ACTION REQUIRED Bikeway Trails Implementation Plan Date: April 27, 2012 To: Public Works and Infrastructure Committee From: Acting General Manager, Transportation Services Wards: All Wards Reference P:\2012\ClusterB\TRA\TIM\pw12012tim Number: SUMMARY City Council, at its meeting of July 12, 13 and 14, 2011, adopted, as amended, the staff report, titled “Bikeway Network – 2011 Update” (PW5.1) and directed Transportation Services to report to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee on specific links and installation priorities of a multi-year Bikeway Trails Implementation Plan. Transportation Services staff have consulted with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation (PF&R), Hydro One, Toronto Water and a number of other stakeholders, and organized a public open house to receive input from cycling groups and individual cyclists, to identify opportunities for new bikeway trail connections to expand and enhance Toronto's bikeway network. A feasibility assessment was undertaken by staff that included a review of technical and design considerations, network connectivity, property implications, approval requirements and preliminary estimated costs. As a result of this consultation and feasibility assessment, 77 km of new bikeway trails is recommended to build on the existing network of 286 km of bikeway trails. Twelve new trail construction projects, totalling approximately 30 km, and four trail feasibility studies will be undertaken as short term priorities, to be implemented in 1-5 years. Staff also evaluated all of the existing major multi-use trails to identify gaps and links that need to be upgraded. The Bikeway Trails Implementation Plan includes an annual program to upgrade the existing trails where required to improve safety and connectivity.
    [Show full text]
  • West Toronto Railpath Environmental Stewardship Plan
    West Toronto Railpath Environmental Stewardship Plan Milkweed plant at Ruskin Avenue Date of Last Revision: August 27, 2017 2 1 Introduction 1.1 The Railpath and the Friends The West Toronto Railpath (the “Railpath”) is a linear park located in the west end of Toronto, in the Junction Triangle neighbourhood. The Railpath is both a human-powered multi-use recreational path and a biologically beneficial nature corridor. Railpath supports many animal and insect species and is part of bio-diverse eco-system. Most of the Railpath is owned by the City of Toronto, and some of it is leased to the City by Canadian Pacific Railway. The West Toronto Railpath became a city park in 2009, and is maintained by the City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation. The Friends of the West Toronto Railpath (the “Friends”) is a community-based group that was founded in 2001 when members of the Roncesvalles Macdonell Residents’ Association (RMRA), got together, formed a partnership with the Community Bicycle Network and Evergreen to advocate for the creation of WTR. The Friends are dedicated to the maintenance, expansion, and improvement of the Railpath. Our vision is for the Railpath to be a community connector, an ecological asset, a meeting place for the neighbourhood, and a resource for the whole city. 1.2 History of the Railpath Planting The Railpath is located on land that was once a CP railway spur line serving industries in the west end of Toronto (see photo below). The land was purchased in 2003 by the City of Toronto. Old Bruce service track, looking south from Wallace Wallace Ave Looking North, October, 2009 Ave.
    [Show full text]
  • Les Numéros En Bleu Renvoient Aux Cartes
    210 Index Les numéros en bleu renvoient aux cartes. I13th Street Winery 173 Banques 195 The Upper Deck 64 Tranzac Club 129 37 Metcalfe Street 153 Barbara Barrett Lane 124 Velvet Underground 118 299 Queen Street West 73 Bars et boîtes de nuit Woody’s 78 314 Wellesley Street East 153 beerbistro 85 Bellwoods Brewery 117 Baseball 198 397 Carlton Street 152 Bier Markt Esplanade 99 Basketball 198 398 Wellesley Street East 153 Birreria Volo 122 Bata Shoe Museum 133 Black Bull Tavern 85 Beaches Easter Parade 199 Black Eagle 78 Beaches International Jazz Bovine Sex Club 117 Festival 200 A Boxcar Social 157 Accessoires 146 Beach, The 158, 159 Brassaii 85 Beauté 115 Activités culturelles 206 Cabana Pool Bar 60 Aéroports Canoe 85 Bellevue Square Park 106 A Billy Bishop Toronto City Castro’s Lounge 161 Berczy Park 96 Airport 189 C’est What? 99 Bickford Park 119 Toronto Pearson Clinton’s Tavern 129 Bière 196 International Airport 188 Crews 78 Aga Khan Museum 168 Bijoux 99, 144 Crocodile Rock 86 Billy Bishop Toronto City INDEX Alexandra Gates 133 dBar 146 Airport 189 Algonquin Island 62 Drake Hotel Lounge 117 Bird Kingdom 176 Alimentation 59, 84, 98, 108, El Convento Rico 122 Black Bull Tavern 74 115, 144, 155, 161 Elephant & Castle 86 Allan Gardens Free Times Cafe 122 Black Creek Pioneer Village 169 Conservatory 150 Hemingway’s 146 Alliance française de Lee’s Palace 129 Bloor Street 139, 141 Toronto 204 Library Bar 86 Blue Jays 198 Annesley Hall 136 Madison Avenue Pub 129 Bluffer’s Park 164 Annex, The 123, 125 Melody Bar 117 Brigantine Room 60 Antiquités 84, 98 Mill Street Brew Pub 99 Brock’s Monument 174 N’Awlins Jazz Bar & Grill 86 Architecture 47 Brookfield Place 70 Orbit Room 122 Argent 195 Brunswick House 124 Pauper’s Pub 129 Argus Corp.
    [Show full text]
  • Pdfs/2000874-Equitable-Development- Environmentalists and EJ Advocates (See Sandler & Pezzullo, 2007)
    Cities xxx (xxxx) xxx–xxx Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Cities journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/cities “We're not in the business of housing:” Environmental gentrification and the nonprofitization of green infrastructure projects ⁎ Alessandro Rigolona, , Jeremy Némethb a Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA b Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Colorado Denver, USA ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Keywords: Environmental gentrification, or the influx of wealthy residents to historically disenfranchised neighborhoods Environmental gentrification due to new green spaces, is an increasingly common phenomenon around the globe. In particular, investments in Environmental justice large green infrastructure projects (LGIPs) such as New York's High Line have contributed to displacing long- Urban green space term low-income residents. Many consider environmental gentrification to be an important environmental Park nonprofits justice issue, but most of this research has focused on distributional justice; that is, quantifying whether LGIPs Sustainability have indeed contributed to gentrifying neighborhoods around them. Limited work has focused on procedural justice in the context of environmental gentrification, or how planning processes can shape project outcomes. This is a particularly critical oversight because many LGIP planning processes are led by nonprofits, a govern- ance model that has already raised important equity concerns in the context of planning and maintenance of smaller neighborhood parks. Yet less is known about the impacts of park nonprofits leading LGIPs. To address these gaps, we study the planning process of the 606, a rails-to-trails project located in Chicago, U.S. that contributed to environmental gentrification.
    [Show full text]
  • Walking in Toronto
    Toronto Walking in Toronto Parks Toronto's tagline is 'a city within a park' - and it's true! But parks are not the only options to escape the city and get some air! Here are some ideas. Mar 2014 15 7 8 9 Thomas Guignard jauntful.com/timtom 6 14 2 5 3 4 12 10 13 11 1 ©OpenStreetMap contributors, ©Mapbox, ©Foursquare Humber Bay Park West 1 Humber River Recreational Trai... 2 High Park 3 West Toronto Railpath 4 Park Trail Outdoors & Recreation Other Outdoors The meandering paths on the mouth of The portage trail along the Humber river Toronto's biggest park isn't exactly a Walk along an active rail line and get a the Mimico river offer a contrasting to the First Nation outpost of 'Taronto' hidden gem, and can be pretty busy. The behind the scenes look at what used to panorama for bird lovers and near Lake Simcoe gave the city its trails on the north end of Grenadier Pond be one of the most active industrial photographers looking for nice views of current name. are less traveled. areas of the city. Bonus outdoor art! the skyline. 1 Humber Bay Park Rd. W., Toronto Humber river, Toronto University of Toronto 5 Don Valley Trail 6 Kay Gardner Beltline Trail 7 Mount Pleasant Cemetery 8 University Trail Trail Cemetery At the heart of the city, the UofT St. Ravines are a distinct feature of the Built on a decommissioned railway Escape the city hubnub and come pay George campus offers a quaint, old- Toronto geography.
    [Show full text]
  • The Fife and Drum, July 2017, V. 21 No. 2
    The Newsletter of The Friends of Fort York and Garrison Common v. 21 No. 2 July 2017 1 Fort York Guard Footsore for Canada 5 New Managing Editor Sought for 8 Redeveloping the Abattoir Site 3 More on Thomas J. Sutherland’s Trial Fife & Drum 8 The Bentway Update at Fort York 6 Manager’s Report 9 Vimy 100 Toronto at Fort York 4 Friends of Fort York Hold AGM 7 Community Leader and Upper Canada’s 10 Upcoming Events 4 More Parkland in the Vicinity of First Catholic Bishop Commemorated in Fort York Approved Neighbourhood Schools Fort York Guard Footsore for Canada by William Stewart To mark the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation this year, the editors invited one of the guard who marched in 1967 from Fort Niagara to Fort York to write about it. he Fort York Guard continues to play a significant role portray- ing the life of a British soldier garrisoned at York in the early 1800s, making history come alive for visitors to the fort as the Tsoldiers carry out their duties. I had the good fortune to join the guard as a part-time employee of the former Toronto Historical Board in the spring of 1967 when I was a high school student and a trooper in the Queen’s York Rangers. Other student guardsmen also served in various Militia regiments in Toronto. The guard's nominal strength was increased for Canada's centennial of Confederation to a complement of thirty-five to forty members. I was paid approximately $1.25 per hour.
    [Show full text]
  • Fertile Ground for New Thinking Improving Toronto’S Parks
    Fertile Ground for New Thinking Improving Toronto’s Parks David Harvey September 2010 Metcalf Foundation The Metcalf Foundation helps Canadians imagine and build a just, healthy, and creative society by supporting dynamic leaders who are strengthening their communities, nurturing innovative approaches to persistent problems, and encouraging dialogue and learning to inform action. Metcalf Innovation Fellowship The Metcalf Innovation Fellowship gives people of vision the opportunity to investigate ideas, models, and practices with the potential to lead to transformational change. David Harvey David Harvey has many decades of experience managing environmental and municipal issues in government and in politics. Most recently he served as Senior Advisor to the Premier of Ontario, working to develop, implement and communicate the Ontario Government’s agenda in the areas of environment, natural resources, and municipal affairs. He played a key leadership role in many aspects of the Ontario Government's progressive agenda, including the 1.8 million acre Greenbelt, the GTA Growth Plan, the City of Toronto Act and the Go Green Climate Action Plan. He was awarded a Metcalf Innovation Fellowship in 2010. Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................. 4 Introduction – Parks and the City........................................................................... 8 “Parks” and “the City”.........................................................................................10
    [Show full text]
  • Planning Parks and Open Space Networks in Urban Neighbourhoods
    Planning parks and open space networks in MAKING urban neighbourhoods CONNECTIONS– 1 – What we’re all about: Toronto Park People is an independent charity that brings people and funding together to transform communities through better parks by: CONNECTING a network of over RESEARCHING challenges and 100 park friends groups opportunities in our parks WORKING with funders to support HIGHLIGHTING the importance innovative park projects of great city parks for strong neighbourhoods ORGANIZING activities that bring people together in parks BUILDING partnerships between communities and the City to improve parks Thank you to our funders for making this report possible: The Joan and Clifford The McLean Foundation Hatch Foundation Cover Photo: West Toronto Railpath. Photographed by Mario Giambattista. TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary ........................................................4 Introduction ....................................................................7 Planning for a network of parks and open spaces ......9 What are we doing in Toronto? ................................... 12 The downtown challenge ....................................... 15 The current park system downtown ...................... 17 8 Guiding Principles Opportunities in Downtown Toronto .....................40 For Creating a Connected Parks and Open Space Garrison Creek Greenway ........................................... 41 System in Urban Neighbourhoods..........................20 The Green Line .............................................................42
    [Show full text]
  • 9:00 Am – 12:00 Pm Walkshops Are Fully Included with Registration, with No Additional Charges
    Tuesday, September 10 & Wednesday, September 11 9:00 am – 12:00 pm WalkShops are fully included with registration, with no additional charges. Due to popular demand, we ask that attendees only sign-up for one cycling tour throughout the duration of the conference. Active Transportation Building Out a Downtown Bike Network Gain firsthand knowledge of Toronto's on-street cycling infrastructure while learning directly from people that helped implement it. Ride through downtown's unique neighborhoods with staff from the City's Cycling Infrastructure and Programs Unit as they lead a discussion of the challenges and opportunities the city faced when designing and building new biking infrastructure. The tour will take participants to multiple destinations downtown, including the Richmond and Adelaide Street cycle tracks, which have become the highest volume cycling facilities in Toronto since being originally installed as a pilot project in 2014. Lead: Adam Sweanor & Daniel Samson, City of Toronto Transportation Services Mode: Cycling Accessibility: Moderate cycling, uneven surfaces This WalkShop is sponsored by WSP. If You Build (Parking) They Will Come: Bicycle Parking in Toronto Providing safe, accessible, and convenient bicycle parking is an essential part of any city's effort to support increased bicycle use. This tour will use Toronto's downtown core as a setting to explore best practices in bicycle parking design and management, while visiting several major destinations and cycling hotspots in the area. Starting at City Hall, we will visit secure indoor bicycle parking, on-street bike corrals, Union Station's off-street bike racks, the Bike Share Toronto system, and also provide a history of Toronto's iconic post and ring bike racks.
    [Show full text]
  • Sterling Road Essentials
    THE NEW T3 Sterling Road is 420,000 square feet of heavy timber office across STERLING three buildings. Rich in industrial soul and stacked with amenities, T3 is in a connected Toronto neighbourhood that’s buzzing with creative energy. A TRANSIT-CONNECTED SOLID, SUSTAINABLE TIMBER CULTURAL HOTSPOT These striking timber and steel buildings STANDARD This location is one of the best in the city for ooze industrial soul, and embody a modern, transit – and a rising destination for Toronto renewable future for office design. culture, life, and work. A MAGNET FOR TOP TALENT LOWER COSTS PER This connected office hub will help top EMPLOYEE companies attract and retain the finest minds in the city. And WELL, LEED and Smarter floorplans, higher specs, soaring Wired Score standards will keep them ceilings, and natural light keep employees MODERN happy and healthy here for years. happy. Shared amenities keep them here HEAVY TIMBER CREATIVE longer. Costs are lower. Everyone wins. OFFICE COMES TO THE JUNCTION TRIANGLE THE POWER OF T3 T3 Sterling Road combines timber, transit, and technology to create the kind of inspired workplace today’s talent loves. TIMBER Heavy timber design delivers warm interiors, industrial character, and next-generation sustainability – all aligned closely to today’s innovative work culture. TRANSIT T3 Sterling Road boasts an unbeatable Transit Score of 100, with a location that’s in walking distance to two key TTC Bloor subway line stops, three streetcar routes, a GO Train stop, the UP Express, and the West Toronto Railpath. TECHNOLOGY T3 Sterling Road is fully future-proofed, with WiredScore Platinum Certification, 5G capacity, advanced building systems, highly efficient workspace design, and amenities tailored for the modern creative workforce.
    [Show full text]
  • Toronto's Natural Environment Trail Strategy
    Natural Environment Trail Strategy June 2013 City of Toronto Prepared by LEES+AssociatesLandscape Architects and Planners with ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The City of Toronto’s Natural Environment Trail Strategy is a product of over fifteen years of cumulative trail management experiences, outreach, stewardship and efforts by many groups and individuals. We would like to thank the following people who helped create, shape and inform the strategy in 2012: Natural Environment Trails Program Working Group Garth Armour Jennifer Kowalski Rob Mungham Michael Bender Scott Laver Brittany Reid Edward Fearon Roger Macklin Alex Shevchuk Norman DeFraeye Beth Mcewen Karen Sun Ruthanne Henry Brian Mercer Ed Waltos Natural Environment Trails Program Advisory Team Lorene Bodiam Jennifer Hyland Jane Scarffe Christina Bouchard Dennis Kovacsi William Snodgrass Susanne Burkhardt Sibel Sarper Jane Weninger Susan Hughes City of Toronto Teresa Bosco Jennifer Gibb Wendy Strickland Jack Brown Jim Hart Richard Ubbens Chris Clarke Janette Harvey Mike Voelker Chris Coltas Amy Lang Soraya Walker Jason Doyle Nancy Lowes Cara Webster Carlos Duran Cheryl Post Sean Wheldrake Jason Foss Kim Statham Alice Wong Councillor Mary Fragedakis Christine Speelman Toronto and Region Conservation Authority Adele Freeman Alexis Wood Adam Szaflarski Amy Thurston Keri McMahon Vince D’Elia Arlen Leeming Steven Joudrey Susan Robertson Natural Environment Trail Strategy Project Team Lees+Associates Azimuth Decarto Sustainable Trails The Planning Environmental Consulting, Ltd. Ltd. Partnership consulting,
    [Show full text]
  • Since 1923 Number 628 May 2017
    Since 1923 Number 628 May 2017 Black-eyed Susans, Crothers Woods. Photo: Ken Sproule REGULARS FEATURES Children`s Corner 21 TFN Grant Report: Bird Studies Canada 14 Coming Events 26 Toronto’s Trailing Arbutus and Relatives 15 Extracts from Outings Reports 18 From the Archives 25 Q&A: Pollination 16 In the News 23 Toronto Ravine Strategy Update 17 Keeping in Touch 20 Cottonwood Flats Monitor Program 19 Monthly Meetings Notice 3 Nominating Committee Report 19 Monthly Meeting Report 13 President’s Report 12 Striped Coral Root 20 TFN Outings 4 My Nature Journey 22 Weather – This Time Last Year 24 TFN MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL 27 TFN 628-2 Toronto Field Naturalist May 2017 Mission Statement: BOARD OF DIRECTORS Toronto Field Naturalists connects people with President & Outings Charles Bruce-Thompson nature in the Toronto area. We help people Past-President Nancy Dengler understand, enjoy, and protect Toronto's green Vice-President Charles Crawford spaces and the species that inhabit them. Secretary-Treasurer Bob Kortright Environment Elizabeth Block Special Projects & Nature Reserves Jane Cluver Toronto Field Naturalist is published by the Toronto Field Newsletter Vivienne Denton Naturalists, a charitable, non-profit organization. Issued monthly September to December and February to May. Webmaster & Newsletter Lynn Miller Views expressed in the Newsletter are not necessarily those Finance Anne Powell of the editor or Toronto Field Naturalists. The Newsletter is Promotions Jason Ramsay-Brown printed on 100% recycled paper. Monthly lectures Alex Wellington ISSN 0820-636X ONLINE MAILED MEMBERSHIP FEES NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER IT’S YOUR NEWSLETTER! We welcome contributions of original writing (between 20 YOUTH (under 26) $10 $20 and 500 words) of observations on nature, especially in the SENIOR SINGLE (65+) $30 $40 Toronto area.
    [Show full text]