Parks in Action is a massive research project spearheaded by the University of Toronto and focused on the city’s aging postwar apartment buildings and the communities that surround them. The researchers created a suite of maps, tracking everything from flood risks to urban heat exposure, in Toronto’s tower-in-the-park communities. They also staged exhibitions, consulted extensively with residents, and carried out detailed case studies of individual neighbourhoods. Perhaps the most thought-provoking outcome of the project is a series of economical, actionable proposals to improve Toronto neighbourhoods: bike stations that double as social hubs, gazebos that collect rainwater, and playgrounds that integrate native plant species.
Team: Fadi Masoud (University of Toronto) and Victor Perez-Amado (Toronto Metropolitan University) with Alex Sheinbaum and Rashmi Sirkar
Field studies and community consultation lead to a series of neighbourhood-scale recommendations for improving life in Toronto.