The Case for an Urban Oasis
YORK FOREST
Protected by the Gardiner Expressway for over half a century, this relatively modest parcel of land has fostered some of the most magnificent trees in the city. Its uncompacted soil -- almost unheard-of for an urban lot -- gives the site unique potential to support a diverse, mature forest in downtown Toronto. York Forest proposes to celebrate and re-imagine this preserved, ecologically dormant site as an urban forested wild, with 90% of the site's area covered by vegetative canopy.
Toronto is a vibrant, diverse, and evolving metropolis. The exponential population and density increases of recent decades are forecast to continue, driving the need for outdoor public spaces that are ecologically active and culturally meaningful. Toronto's waterfront is currently a tourist-oriented, fair weather zone. Our team, which includes residents of Toronto and future users of these spaces, sees the potential for new, year-round landscapes to enrich this historic city district. The success of open spaces depends on consideration and accommodation of diverse users' needs and interests. As a team we are committed to manifesting our understanding of these needs in landscape that enhances community and highlights the value and character of its location.
Urban landscapes have a social and environmental obligation to improve and inform their surrounding communities. An urban forest will provide sensory richness, wildlife habitat, and overall enhanced quality of life for park visitors. The proposal encourages varied experiences, adaptation, and dissimilar concurrent uses through subtle layering of space and adjacencies.
The proposal focuses on making a lasting landscape, a verdant oasis built on this unique site with our leadership in landscape technologies, adapted urban plant communities, visible site systems, and enduring constructions. Our team has expertise in developing attainable and lasting solutions to complex urban projects that are informed by our knowledge of regional ecosystems, natural systems, site archaeology, engineering, landscape resilience and management, sustainable technologies, and material sciences. York Forest weaves our expertise and knowledge into poetic revelations of the site's and city's ambiguous histories and lost ecologies. This proposal strives to reveal and celebrate Toronto's interconnected histories of natural systems, infrastructure, culture, and community.
(Competitor's text)
Honourable Mention:
York Forest
The Jury felt that this design was a beautiful response to the request in the brief for an immersive green experience. The incorporation of a narrative about water and water use into the landscape translated into a proposal for a beautiful feature. The juxtaposition of dense nature with skyscrapers was compelling.
Nevertheless, the Jury felt that the incorporation of a functioning wetland on this site would impose onerous operating obligations on Parks, Forestry and Recreation and reduce the usable area within the park. The Jury felt that while the vegetation was nurturing and embracing, the park was too inwardly focused and could have been better connected to its surroundings. The Jury also found that there was no easy way through an interior that seemed too dark and dense.
(From jury report)
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