The City of Toronto Parkland Strategy is envisioned to frame aspects of urban design and landscape architecture design practices by introducing a clearly defined strategy to manage the implementation, transformation and upkeeping of the city’s parks. While this case study is not a design product in its essence, it delves into the understanding of design and city building practices in order to frame future design work. Its very structure follows key design impact aspects as follows:
1. Design Embodies the Vision
The Parkland Strategy is Toronto’s strategic parks planning framework, which will ensure that Toronto’s parks system grows and evolves to support a liveable city. The Strategy provides a unique and innovative methodology for measuring parkland provision. An examination of parkland need considered six lenses: provision, population growth, distribution, access, equity, and climate change. The Strategy applies these findings and identifies Parkland Priority Areas for the development of future parks acquisition and improvements.
To achieve the Strategy’s vision of expanding and improving Toronto’s parkland, the Strategy is guided by four principles:
Expand: Ensure Toronto’s system of parks expands as the city grows and evolves.
Improve: Invest in park improvements to meet the changing needs of users.
Connect: Extend the park experience by connecting parks to each other and between other open spaces.
Include: The diversity of Toronto is reflected in its system of parks.
2. Design Enhances Functionality
The project team, a cross-disciplinary group of city and consultant landscape architects, planners, spatial analysis experts, and engagement specialists undertook a thorough examination of parkland need by considering six lenses: parkland provision, the impact of population growth, providing equitable access to parks, the distribution and diversity of parks, accessibility and connectivity, and adapting to and mitigating climate change.
With a comprehensive understanding of parkland need across the city, the Strategy provides direction for the city to make informed decisions about how to expand, improve and connect the parks system so that it grows and evolves in an equitable manner. In addition to strategic actions, four strategic implementation tools will guide decision-making on parkland planning, acquisition and investment:
The Park Catchment Tool, a new and innovative parkland provision measurement methodology which measures the total amount of parkland available to residents within a 500 m walking distance;
Updated parkland provision mapping that shows relative parkland need and defines low parkland provision;
Parkland Study and Acquisition Priority Areas that have been determined by low parkland provision, low existing parkland supply, high growth, and high percentage of low-income households; and
A Parkland Acquisition Assessment Tool that evaluates sites in a consistent, transparent manner and applies Parkland Strategy principles to guide investment.
3. Design Creates Brand
Toronto’s parks are as diverse as the people who use them. There is not a one-size fits all solution to preserving, building and supporting Toronto’s parks system across the city. Therefore, the Parkland Strategy provides a multi-faceted approach to addressing the range of parkland need, so that the city can ensure that the parks system remains sustainable in the face of increased development intensity and evolution of the urban environment.
4. Design Embeds Environmental Benefits
Parks are an integral part of the city’s green infrastructure that helps mitigate impacts of climate change while themselves being greatly impacted by climate change. Toronto, like other major urban centres, is vulnerable to the stresses and shocks associated with increased frequency and intensity from extreme weather events caused by climate change. As the impacts of climate change intensify, the infrastructure that the city depends on for urban and ecological services will be increasingly impacted.
In 2016, Toronto became a member city of 100 Resilient Cities, a network of one hundred cities around the world that have pledged to develop action plans to become more resilient. The city has also developed Toronto’s Resiliency Strategy, launched in summer 2019, which sets out a vision, principles, and actions to help Toronto survive, adapt and thrive in the face of any challenge, particularly climate change and rising inequality.
Parks contribute to the city’s resiliency. They provide a stormwater conveyance and management function by intercepting and absorbing water. Parks also play a role as microclimate adjusters, by reducing the impacts of Urban Heat Island (UHI), and improving air quality by filtering carbon and particulate matter from the atmosphere.
Availability of parkland to contribute to the city’s green infrastructure is crucial for future resiliency against climate change. Toronto must continue to grow the parks system, and also design parks to specifically maximize their capacities for climate adaption and mitigation. Although parkland expansion, green infrastructure, and purposeful design has a cost, data indicates that the cost of doing nothing is much greater.
5. Design Promotes Health and Wellbeing
To ensure that the Strategy reflects the needs and desires of Torontonians, extensive public and stakeholder consultation occurred between spring 2017 and fall 2018. An equity lens was applied throughout the engagement process so that under-served and equity-seeking communities were represented, and their concerns understood. For example, communities will low online engagement participation were targeted for place-based engagement opportunities.
6. Key Success Performance Indicators
Strategy established the blueprint to support and enhance strong communities
Strives to maintain the quality of life expected by residents
Helps mitigate heat island effects
Supports and conserves natural habitats
Provides for a comfortable and safe environment
Promotes socialization and outdoor exercise
Promotes community engagement by diverse users
Builds local brand recognition i.e. “Place Keeping”
Connects people to place
Fosters pride in local residents
7. Metrix
Number of visitors forecasted
Environmental restoration indicators
Urban Canopy increase
