TOcore: Downtown Parks and Public Realm Plan
Zhao Zichen   Apr 25.2020

Introduction

“The Downtown Parks and Public Realm Plan provides a visionary roadmap for the transformation of Toronto’s downtown core, an approach that relies strongly on the development of parks, public space, and verdant streetscapes. This comprehensive plan works at all scales, taking advantage of both iconic experiences and hidden opportunities to reimagine civic life. Five big ideas animate it: reimagining the valleys, bluffs, and islands that surround the city as a Core Circle; creating a network of Great Streets; reconnecting downtown to the waterfront; placing parks at the heart of distinct districts; and stitching small local spaces into the city fabric. It’s a bold, complex plan of enormous power, capable of spurring a sustainable future for a growing city.”

– 2019 Awards Jury

Reason to Be Selected

The Downtown Parks and Public Realm Plan helps strengthen enhance quality of life within a rapidly intensifying urban core. The project won 2019 ASLA Analysis and Planning Awards of Honor.

Highlights:

Public Engagement

Rebalancing the public domain

Details

The plan integrates the best available information related to the development status and trends of downtown Toronto, which comes from the life experiences of residents, job seekers and stakeholders, and proposes five transformative ideas including:
1) "Core Circle": Reimagine the valleys, cliffs, and islands around the urban area, making it a fully connected landscape system with a total area of 900 hectares, while providing continuous walking and bicycle paths to create immersive nature Experience.

2) "Magnificent streets": enhance the most representative street features of the urban area, making it an excellent civic place and playing a connecting role.

3) "Sealine stitching": reconnects the urban area and the waterfront area, and connects the core circle landscape in the east and west directions.

4) "Park area": Reimagine the special area in the urban area centered on the park. Park Districts: Re-imagining Downtown ’s distinct districts with parks at their hearts.

5) "Local place": Revisit the local public place in order to better support community life and expand the utility of the public domain system.
The plan is divided into three scales ,which are "Regional scale" "Block scale"and "Local scale",and implemented into a series of specific measures and actions.

Conclusions

The Downtown Parks and Public Realm Plan helps strengthen enhance quality of life within a rapidly intensifying urban core, by creating a Five Transformative Ideas: The Core Circle, Great Streets, Shoreline Stitch, Park Districts, and Local Places which aims to support urban life and achieve a bold and transformative legacy for future generations.

 

FULL STORY:

https://www.asla.org/2019awards/635140-TOcore_Downtown_Parks_And_Public_Realm_Plan.htm

https://www.gooood.cn/2019-asla-analysis-and-planning-award-of-excellence-tocore-downtown-parks-and-public-realm-plan.htm



Lat: 43.6415
Lng: 79.3655
Type:
Region: NorthAmerica
Scale: City
Field: Landscape
City: Toronto