Down North
In Toronto, the north is both who and where we are in the world. We are the geographical, cultural, and economic gateway to the top of the continent. DOWN NORTH is a programmed urban forest park that is about our resilient approach to seasonal adaption, our connection to the land, and a celebration of stories about how we have lived and how we will live up here, down north in Toronto.
The design takes its inspiration from the land found just up from the water's edge, the hinterland, where the Great Lakes forests have provided shelter and livelihood for centuries of human habitation. DOWN NORTH has all-season toboggan chutes, a forest walk, a firepit and a lookout tower. It has snow fireworks, mist makers, and lighting that make the urban forest a magical place to be all year. It is a wildlife habitat, a carbon sink, a water filter, and a cooling refuge from the summer heat and sun.
DOWN NORTH brings 'up north' downtown.
(Web site excerpt)
The Jury appreciated the creative design of this park and the contemporary and graphical approach of the proposal. The winter-positive landscape proposed in this design was appreciated and the Jury found that the team had a well-developed and integrated approach to stormwater management. It was felt that the playful presentation and approach to design indicated that this team completely understood and met the requirements for integrated play for this site.
This scheme included significant staffing and operational requirements that the Jury thought would be problematic for Parks, Forestry and Recreation. It found that the toboggan run was not multifunctional or realistic year-round within a community park. They also found that the proposal contained lots of built form and hard surfaces, but not enough greenspace for the site.
(From jury report)
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