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Cover
Downsview Secondary Plan: A conceptual rendering of the Ravine Underpass, as seen from the west. This conceptual rendering was submitted by the Canada Lands Company and Northcrest Developments as part of their Official Plan Amendment applications. Image courtesy of the City of Toronto. See page 12.
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2024-2025 OALA Governing Council
President Aaron Hirota
Vice President & Secretary Justin Whalen
Treasurer Paul Marsala
Past President Steve Barnhart
Councillors
Matthew Campbell
Stefan Fediuk
Matt Perotto
Cameron Smith
Intern Councillor—Senior Sujana Devabhaktuni
Intern Councillor—Junior Steven Shuttle
Lay Councillor Karen Liu
Appointed Educator
University of Guelph Afshin Ashari
Appointed Educator
University of Toronto Elise Shelley
University of Guelph
Student Representative Adrienne Kou
University of Toronto
Student Representative Guiliana Costanzo
OALA Staff
Executive Director Aina Budrevics
Registrar Ingrid Little
Coordinator Olivia Godas
Membership Services Administrator Angie Anselmo
About
Ground: Landscape Architect Quarterly is published by Ontario Association of Landscape Architects and provides an open forum for the exchange of ideas and information related to the profession of landscape architecture. Letters to the editor, article proposals, and feedback are encouraged. For submission guidelines, contact Ground at magazine@oala.ca. Ground reserves the right to edit all submissions. The views expressed in the magazine are those of the writers and not necessarily the views of OALA and its Governing Council.
Upcoming Issues of Ground
Ground 69 (Spring)
Chirp
Ground 70 (Summer)
Placekeeping
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About OALA
The Ontario Association of Landscape Architects works to promote and advance the profession of landscape architecture and maintain standards of professional practice consistent with the public interest. OALA promotes public understanding of the profession and the advancement of the practice of landscape architecture. In support of the improvement and/or conservation of the natural, cultural, social and built environments, OALA undertakes activities including promotion to governments, professionals and developers of the standards and benefits of landscape architecture.
Needs You
Ground relies on OALA members, people from related professions, and those simply passionate about landscapes.
If you would like to contribute in any form, whether it’s writing, photography, or participating as a member of our Editorial Board, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at magazine@oala.ca
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You do not need to be an OALA member or landscape architect to contribute to either the Editorial Board or the magazine, and anyone who expresses interest will be seriously considered.
03/ Up Front Information on the ground Refugia:
08/ Untapped Wilderness: the potential of suburban residential landscapes
TEXT BY DEVON KLEINJAN, OALA
12/ Round Table
Urban Refugia: fostering habitat within growing cities
MODERATED BY GLYN BOWERMAN, AND SHAHRZAD NEZAFATI, OALA
20/ Barefoot in der Park: how a German sensory pathway helps people connect with nature
TEXT BY MANUEL SPILLER
26/ Emerald Necklace a waterfront vision
TEXT BY WALTER KEHM, OALA EMERITUS
32/ Notes
A miscellany of news and events
42/ Artifact Rouge Park
TEXT BY GLYN BOWERMAN
President’s Message
“Refugia means an area supporting natural flora and fauna that is resilient to the pressures facing the surrounding region, natural or man-made.”
Being resilient to surrounding pressures often requires shifts—in thinking, processes, and implementation. I am reminded of this as I take on the role of President of the OALA, stepping in for Stefan Fediuk. While this is a shift in our leadership group, I believe we have a very resilient team on Council who will soldier on as we quickly approach the Annual Meeting of Members in April. Thank you to our staff and volunteers who make the OALA such an amazing organization.
As write this, it is election day across Ontario. While we await the results, we must remind ourselves to be resilient in our efforts to advocate, engage, and inform members of the new Ontario government about our profession as we continue our journey towards the passing of the Landscape Architects Practice Act. Our Association also continues to monitor the political situation in the United States and the growing concern of tariffs levied against Canada and the potential pressures that may impact on our profession.
The OALA’s Annual Meeting of Members will take place at 10 a.m. on April 24, 2025. The format of the meeting has shifted to align with the requirements of the Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (ONCA). This year’s meeting will also be held virtually and will be using a new platform to help address some of the technical issues we faced in previous years’ meetings.
The CSLA/OALA Congress takes place in Ottawa, June 5 - 7 at the Rogers Centre. We are welcoming landscape architects from across the country to our nation’s capital to learn, network, and celebrate our profession. Registration is now open and I look forward to seeing many of you in June.
As we move ahead, we must remind ourselves to be like Refugia, resilient and willing to adapt to the pressures that surround us.
AARON
Editorial Board Message
When the editorial board contemplated the theme of Refugia, we were inspired by the idea of an issue focused more on plants and animals. The term “refugia” refers to areas inhabited by flora and fauna that, even after being impacted by a continental climatic change (such as glaciation), remain centres of relict forms from which new dispersion and speciation may take place.
The cornerstone of this idea is explored in our round table discussion, where we reconsidered what it meant for humans and anthropocentric activity to be the catalyst of that climate change. For this we amassed a lively panel of mixed professionals. We hope you find the conversation as interesting as we do!
Other articles in this issue expand on the idea of seeking refuge: be it through the expansion of our world views and exposures to different cultures and landscapes when traveling, or the opportunity of interconnected green spaces along Toronto’s waterfront.
Finally, we explore the intersectionality between the plant and animal communities and people. This concept is reflected in two pieces: one where we explore the idea of refugia as it relates to suburban residential landscapes, and the second is related to a German trail that builds human-nature connectivity.
I would also like to acknowledge that the editorial board is aware that the issues are behind our production schedule. We are committed to getting back on track in 2025. However, we need the support of our wider membership to accomplish this task. We need writers and pitches! If you are curious about the process, reach out to us and we can help guide you.
We hope you enjoy this issue of Ground and that it inspires you to think of how you can support the future issues of the magazine through volunteering to moderate a round table or submitting a pitch to the Editor. We look forward to hearing from you for future issues!
MARK HILLMER CHAIR, EDITORIAL BOARD MAGAZINE@OALA.CA
Up Front: Information on the Ground
In July 2005, the bustling City of Dujiangyan, renowned for its tourism, welcomed an extraordinary visitor: a giant wild panda. This unexpected guest captivated the city and inspired the creation of the Panda Wander installation. The panda’s journey began downtown, near the Zouma River, where it swam ashore and wandered into the riverfront dining and entertainment strip, surprising locals. Under the moonlight, some mistook its shadow on a wall for a thief, only to discover it was a panda playing hide-and-seek with the city.
DESIGN
Panda Gates
01-05/ Three-dimensional text-based gateway design Panda Panda in Dujiangyan, China.
IMAGES/ Courtesy of Ning Huang
The night was filled with excitement and chaos. Residents chased the panda from midnight until dawn, some even attempting to embrace the bewildered creature. Finally, the panda escaped and climbed a towering London plane tree, where it fell asleep. In the morning, rescuers acted quickly, sourcing a dozen mattresses from nearby stores to cushion its afall after tranquilization. Their plan succeeded, and the young female panda was treated for minor health issues before being released back into the wild. This remarkable event reinforced Dujiangyan’s connection to pandas and its role in conservation.
In 2015, as part of the city’s gateway design initiative, I led the design of a new public space near the panda’s landing site. While a conventional gateway with grand arches and bold names seemed fitting, I saw a chance to address an urgent local issue: the lack of playgrounds. Instead of a typical gateway, the proposal was for an interactive space that celebrated the panda’s story, redefined urban design by addressing the community’s need for a playground, and served as a landmark to fulfill the gateway’s symbolic function.
06-10/ The Dujiangyan Gateway honours the city's history and Daoist roots. IMAGES/ Courtesy of Ning Huang
The Panda Wander installation blends ecological storytelling with engaging elements. A steel-woven panda head serves as a climbing structure, offering children a space to crawl on and peek out. Black-and-white arches evoke the panda’s limbs, with swings beneath them becoming a favourite feature. This design transforms a symbolic sculpture into an interactive playground, balancing iconic imagery with community needs.
Rooted in the true story of 2005, Panda Wander captures the playfulness of the panda’s river swim and the intrigue of its shadowed appearance. These moments are reimagined in a whimsical and meaningful space that encourages reflection on human and wildlife coexistence. By transforming a traditional gateway concept into an engaging playground, this project demonstrates how landscape architects can push boundaries, enrich communities, tell unique stories, and create their own reality—when the soil happens to be right.
TEXT/ NING HUANG, OALA, CSLA, ISA CERTIFIED ARBORIST, IS A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT WITH EXPERIENCE PRACTICING IN BOTH CANADA AND CHINA.
13/ The Panda Wander playground gateway.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of Ning Huang
14-15/ Reflection pool under the Dujiangyan Gateway design.
IMAGES/ Courtesy of Ning Huang
13
11/ Swingsets at the Panda Wander playground gateway.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of Ning Huang
12/ Detail from the Dujiangyan Gateway design.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of Ning Huang
When traveling to a new city, it’s easy to focus on the spectacle of monuments, views, architecture, or gardens. These attractions are diverting for a reason: they display a majesty unique to that culture or place and often convey something about either those who commissioned them or the surrounding city. Landscape architects, however, may know the experience of walking through a city and spotting a small detail of paving, lighting, or planting that catches their eye. We take in the overlooked elements of the built environment; those that, piecemeal, define the character of a place. Once, at Mont Royale in Montreal, my partner explained “she’s a landscape architect” to a few quizzical onlookers who stopped mid-conversation as they caught sight of me kneeling on rain-soaked pavement, inspecting the newly-installed granitepaved gutters. In our profession, we’re often found crouched down, snapping a shot with our phones, or pointing the lens at our feet, capturing a fragment of the city most other people hurry past without taking any notice. And it really is no surprise, since many of us spend hours of our lives detailing every curb cut, bollard, concrete sidewalk, and unit paver within the scope of our projects. Beyond the property line, we are bound by the standard city details, outlined for us by the engineers and public works officials who define them. We are challenged every day to perceive our surroundings, not just for
perspective, but for the parts that create the larger sum. So, when I travelled to Copenhagen with my family this summer, I found myself looking at the ground… a lot.
What I saw made me realize the most ordinary elements of a city have the ability to completely change its character and can be an insight into the values that informed city-builders. It was the smallest details which ended up determining how this city looked and felt. The materiality and design of ordinary components within the right of way stood out to me as individual elements of material, proportion, and texture. Copenhagen is known for many beautiful things, but beyond the pastel-hued harbour and sleek architecture, it also has it's own unique approach to the articulation of its ground plane that I felt was worthy of exploring in the context of landscape architectural practice. It seemed to me that, ironically, Copenhagen’s standard city details were almost meant to be ‘non-standard.’
We generally understand city standards as a means to regulate safety concerns, by standardizing elements of the public realm to improve accessibility, ease the path of travel, or allow for simplified maintenance practices. My impression of the overall approach to city details in Copenhagen was that of a desire to not only address these practical concerns, but to maintain a level of flexibility and aesthetic quality in the streetscape. This
16/ Typical sidewalk paving with granite sets and concrete slab pavers in Copenhagen
IMAGE/ Tash Varga
17/ Cycle path and pedestrian walkway differentiated by paving types and with strips of granite sets in Copenhagen.
IMAGE/ Tash Varga
18/ Slanted parking spots carved into the typical street sidewalk.
IMAGE/ Tash Varga
was accomplished using high-quality materials and streetscape detailing that was customized to its location. For example, the standard sidewalk detail throughout the city was an element that repeated wherever you were. The repetition created a sense of identity and was frequently woven into newer design interventions, such as SLA’s Sankt Kjeld’s Square. The design itself wasn’t strict, however, and the cobblestones behaved in such a way as to expand into wider spaces or contract until they formed simple dividing lines between paths of travel. In the historic neighbourhood, the cobbled streets used smoother and more tightly-jointed paving units alongside the vehicular lanes, so cyclists would have a smoother ride. In Nordhavn, the newly-built post-industrial neighbourhood on Copenhagen’s northern coast, the paving and street furniture was all carefully designed, with a materiality that complimented the older parts of the city, without sacrificing on ease of use or durability. The city’s standard details seem to be able to respond to varying conditions and sets of priorities. It was this flexibility when it came to how the city approached it’s standard practices that created visual interest and fostered a sense of intentionality around even the most mundane streetscape elements.
TRAVEL details
Copenhagen is a city well known for good design, from furniture to buildings. What I found is that design, material quality, and attention to detail didn’t stop at the rightof-way; they extended into the curbs and gutters lining every street. Variety and flexibility in the city standards seemed to foster a practice where details were not constrained by rigid requirements. Design didn’t stop at the property line. I left Copenhagen with the impression there was something to be learned from this approach to landscape practice in an urban context. If our cities were to focus on increasing the quality of design, right down to the details, the overall effect may be to increase the quality of the cities themselves. We tend to focus on the larger showpieces in our own practice, but it may just be that the most important factor is the humble standard city detail.
19/ Clay brick pavers to direct stormwater from downspouts
IMAGE/ Tash Varga
20/ Parking area differentiated with permeable grass granite sets.
IMAGE/ Tash Varga
21/ Detail of the intersection between granite sets and larger slabs.
IMAGE/ Tash Varga
22/ Sankt Kjleds Plads & Bryggervangen, customization of existing sidewalk paving typology with integrated trench drains.
IMAGE/ Tash Varga
23/ Nordhaven shared surface with a different take on the linear sidewalk design using tactile strips.
IMAGE/ Tash Varga
TEXT/ TASH VARGA IS A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURAL INTERN AND GROUND EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBER.
TEXT BY DEVON KLEINJAN, OALA
We are hard pressed to find evidence of untouched nature in much of Ontario, much less so in built-up urban areas in Southern Ontario. Many of our favourite landscapes have been carefully restored and designed and the natural process of succession has taken over. To the untrained eye, it would be hard to know these sites were once completely disturbed.
There are many excellent examples of these projects: the Port Lands, Tommy Thompson Park, and Evergreen Brick Works in Toronto, Rock Garden in Hamilton, and Waterloo Park in Waterloo. These highly public urban spaces receive deserved attention—they are the manifestation of countless years of study, design, and execution to restore a once-destroyed site to vibrant ecosystems that, among other things, provide biodiversity, urban cooling, and stormwater regulation. At the same time, they provide greenspace, outdoor
the potential of suburban residential landscapes
01/ A large suburban front garden.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of LandArt
02/ Wide suburban backyard plots allow for significant green spaces.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of LandArt
03/ This backyard garden features variety of plants, including those for pollinators.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of LandArt
04/ The smaller plantings of this backyard slope upwards to the more established greenery surrounding the property.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of LandArt
activities, and spaces for quiet reflection. Local culture is preserved by remembering what went before, providing interpretative memorials to the history of the site.
Ontario’s population is highly urban, with a 90/10 urban/rural divide. Approximately 80 per cent of these city dwellers live in suburban neighbourhoods. Within Ontario’s Census Metropolitan Areas, almost 90 per
cent of land area is sub-urban, with only 10 per cent being the urban core. These suburban land areas are also reflective of highly disturbed land. Beginning as forests, grasslands, or wetlands, and eventually drained for agricultural endeavours. From there, topsoil was stripped, drainage systems and infrastructure were installed, and countless homes and businesses built. While not bereft of local and regional parks, these suburban areas are characterized by roads, driveways, and fences. Clear lines are drawn between private and public space, there are obligatory street trees, and foundation plantings to blend in with the neighbours. In an effort to green the concrete jungle, great swaths of lawn grace private yards and boulevards.
I challenge our collective thinking and assert there is large potential in the suburban setting, via private residential spaces, to design spaces for biodiversity, culture, and people on a much smaller, but exponentially impactful scale. As suburban areas in Ontario continue to expand, the challenge of these sprawling landscapes can be transformed into an opportunity for innovative design.
Gone are the days when the idyllic green lawn was the pinnacle of residential landscaping. Today, there is a growing emphasis on sustainable plantings, reduced water consumption, and the reclamation of outdoor living spaces. Landscape architects are in a prime position to employ their skills to create private sanctuaries where both people and nature can thrive.
05/ A view of the same property from the other side of the fence and retaining wall.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of LandArt
06-07/ A departure from the simple idyllic green lawn.
IMAGES/ Courtesy of LandArt
Biodiversity
With so much of our urban land area occupied by the private domain, we are presented with a unique opportunity to put this land to use in the greater context of increasing biodiversity and complete ecosystems. This includes more than just pollinator gardens. It extends to birds, butterflies, soil microbiomes, tree diversity, and so much more that does not immediately meet the eye. Nature is a complex web of interdependencies that cannot easily be distilled by a flow chart. We can provide the resources, land, soil, and water, and without much effort at all, natural systems take over. One mature tree supports over 2,300 different species, and provides a highway for different bird species to use. Reducing hard surfaces and fertilizer and increasing root networks and soil aeration improves soil quality, increasing absorption and fertility.
In the greater context of our urban fabric, unique individual plots of urban gardens become patches, which translate to corridors and connections to larger plots, or parks. As more and more land area is added to this fabric, it will have an exponential impact on the biodiversity and sustainability of the ecosystem.
This is a wonderful ideal, and makes logical sense on paper, but changing collective cultural opinions as well as various bylaws and ordinances is daunting. This takes a redefinition of what “beautiful” is, and what constitutes a well-maintained property. It requires more work, initially, to create design standards and learn new techniques. But this work is important, and it’s our responsibility to share.
Where does it start? It starts from the grassroots, by experimentation and exploration. Things don’t change overnight, but if small, incremental adjustments are made over time, the effect will be magnified.
08-09/
IMAGES/ Courtesy of LandArt
10-11/ A
and a smooth stone walkway in Guelph is a major departure from less absorbent green lawn.
IMAGES/ Courtesy of LandArt
Ask yourself, your neighbour, and clients questions. Can a native plant be used here instead of a highly bred cultivar? These plants require less water, are more beneficial to pollinators, and less susceptible to disease. What alternatives can be used for the lawn? A meadow style planting, full front yard gardens, or trees might suit the needs just as well. What maintenance techniques can be used to reduce time commitment—often the largest concern of busy homeowners. Nature is messy, allowing plants to overwinter, go to seed, or generally be a little less groomed are personal preferences that can be challenged.
Personal Refugia
With the constant demands of work, social pressures, and broader mental health challenges, people are busy. It is increasingly important to find spaces for personal quiet, apart from the busy world around us. As we saw, over 80 per cent of city dwellers live in suburban properties. Every suburban home has a yard surrounded by a fence —these spaces are often neglected or rarely thought of.
The pollinator plants provide habitat for different animals, while the earth is able to absorb runoff in this stone walkway.
mix of plantings, natural stone,
Backyards can be completely transformed into little oases of calm in our own backyard, our own spaces. This can be done through thoughtful, intentional design, using the natural elements of trees, shrubs, and perennials as the backdrop—with physical elements like patios, walkways, and shade providing the structure. These combine to create special moments for reading, conversations, and reflection.
In my own life, going out to sit in the garden after a long stressful day, or meandering the pathways while on a phone call, grounds me and provides a stabilizing force.
Getting physically involved in the garden is another great way of reaping the benefits. Physical work in the garden reduces cortisol and increases dopamine, both leading indicators for sustainable mental health. It is also very rewarding seeing our hard work progress throughout the season, as new life starts, progresses, and bears fruit. There are many excellent examples of private residential landscape design achieving these types of spaces. It’s not really a question of if it can be done, as it is how can we share the principles we all know with the growing population of suburbanites? How can we make these amazing spaces accessible to the average homeowner, so they can reap the benefits of these spaces, at a price point that is affordable?
My own experience is the principles of good design are less about construction methods and expensive materials and more about the space that is created. So, sharing and exploring design styles is where it starts. A collaborative approach to design, where we learn from site users and past examples, can show us a way to future successes. A pathway can be created with mulched wood chips, a small patio with reclaimed bricks, and there is an excellent economy for plant sharing and propagation.
So, while large city parks provide resources for nearby residents, private residential space represents a frontier for social impact, research, and tranquillity in a busy world.
Cultural Refugia
A lot can be learned about a culture from studying private residential spaces. From the utilitarian roots of the English Cottage Garden movement to the artistic expressions of Zen Gardens, each have their impact on the way we interact with the world and express ourselves creatively.
Private landscapes can be microcosms of the social fabric they are a part of. Landscapes can also reflect diverse cultural styles, borrowing from different traditions while adapting to specific climatic contexts.
Residential landscapes can honour the historical roots of specific geographic areas through traditional stonework, masonry, and native plantings—and become a method of preserving history.
Gardens also have a way of bringing a community together, through different events, discussions, and working alongside neighbours. In such an intimate personal context, this takes on a whole different involvement than a commercially maintained park.
Private residential spaces are truly a wealth of opportunities for experimentation, research and advancing the goals
12/ Private landscapes can be microcosms of the social fabric they are a part of.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of LandArt
13-14/ The mental and physical health benefits of places to commune with nature are well-documented. And gardens are a way to express yourself.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of LandArt
of a healthy, more sustainable urban environment, and impact a vast number of our population. They serve as protected spaces for biodiversity, by allowing plants to grow, thrive, and serve as a home for a multitude of different organisms. They can be a personal refuge, by providing an escape from the world around us, and increasing our well-being. Private residential spaces can be a location for cultural and social impact, preserving what was and improving what is to come. With an untapped “wilderness” in front of us, what kind of impact can we make through landscape architecture?
BIO/ DEVON KLEINJAN, OALA, IS A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER AT LANDART. HE HELPS CLIENTS ENVISION AND ACHIEVE POSSIBILITIES THEY NEVER IMAGINED FOR THEIR HOME OR LANDSCAPE.
fostering habitat within growing cities
MODERATED BY GLYN BOWERMAN, AND SHAHRZAD NEZAFATI, OALA
BIOS/ STEVEN HEUCHERT IS A PROFESSIONAL PLANNER AND THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT PLANNING AT THE TORONTO AND REGION CONSERVATION AUTHORITY (TRCA) IN CANADA. TRCA WAS CREATED TO SAFEGUARD AND ENHANCE THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING OF WATERSHED COMMUNITIES IN THE GREATER TORONTO AREA THROUGH THE PROTECTION AND RESTORATION OF THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND THE ECOLOGICAL SERVICES THE ENVIRONMENT PROVIDES. HIS RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT OF THE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW AND PERMITTING SERVICES FOR THE TRCA’S JURISDICTION WITHIN THE CITY OF TORONTO, DURHAM REGION, CITY OF MARKHAM AND THE TOWN OF WHITCHURCH-STOUFFVILLE.
ERIC TURCOTTE IS A PARTNER WITH URBAN STRATEGIES INC. HE IS A FOUNDING MEMBER AND PAST PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL FOR CANADIAN URBANISM (CANU). HIS PRACTICE FOCUSES ON URBAN DESIGN AND CITY-BUILDING PROJECTS ACROSS CANADA AND INTERNATIONALLY.
ALEX ZELLER IS A SENIOR ECOLOGIST AND MANAGER OF THE NATURAL SYSTEMS ECOLOGY PRACTICE AT ARCADIS IN CANADA. WITH OVER 20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN TERRESTRIAL AND AQUATIC ECOLOGY, OPEN SPACE PLANNING, AND NATURAL HERITAGE IMPACT ASSESSMENT, HE HAS CONTRIBUTED TO NUMEROUS NATURAL HERITAGE PLANNING AND ENGINEERING DESIGN PROJECTS ACROSS EASTERN ONTARIO AND CANADA. ALEX IS DEDICATED TO FOSTERING COLLABORATION WITH MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAMS TO CREATE SUSTAINABLE AND INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS.
Refugia means an area supporting natural flora and fauna that is resilient to the pressures facing the surrounding region, natural or man-made. In this discussion, we asked our experts to project this concept onto the natural urban landscape.
Glyn Bowerman: How can the concept of refugia be integrated within city building policies, long-term regional planning, and site-specific projects, with respect to human and climate impact in Ontario?
01-02/ Downsview Secondary Plan: A & B conceptual rendering of the Ravine Underpass. This conceptual rendering was submitted by the Canada Lands Company and Northcrest Developments as part of their Official Plan Amendment applications.
IMAGES/ Courtesy of the City of Toronto
03/ An aerial view of the current Downsview lands looking south. This image shows the now-decommissioned airport runway with downtown Toronto in the background.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of the City of Toronto
KIM STATHAM IS THE DIRECTOR OF URBAN FORESTRY FOR THE CITY OF TORONTO. HAVING EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN ALL ELEMENTS OF NATURAL AREA AND FOREST PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT, SHE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TORONTO'S RAVINE STRATEGY AND STRATEGIC FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN, ENSURING EQUITY AND BIODIVERSITY ARE KEY CONSIDERATIONS FOR URBAN CLIMATE RESILIENCY.
GLYN BOWERMAN (MODERATOR) IS THE EDITOR OF GROUND MAGAZINE AND THE HOST OF THE SPACING RADIO PODCAST ON CANADIAN URBAN ISSUES.
SHAHRZAD NEZAFATI (CO-MODERATOR), OALA, IS A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT AND ASSOCIATE AT DILLON CONSULTING AND A MEMBER OF THE GROUND MAGAZINE EDITORIAL BOARD.
Steven Heuchert: We do this quite a lot, especially in the context of urban redevelopment. Taking a site that has been historically altered anthropogenically, through human activities, within areas of wetlands or floodplains and, when it comes time to redevelop those properties, there are often opportunities to shrink the footprint of the urban influence. Perhaps you extend the development up higher and then expand out and replace what is already developed with natural areas, in order to deal with climate change.
For example, at 3100-3200 Bloor Street West and 4-6 Montgomery Road, Toronto, between Royal York Station and Islington Station. It’s an old car dealership and the ravine runs through it. The entire site is part of that ravine, and it was built before the days when we didn’t build in floodplains. We worked with the developer to remove the car dealership and replace part of the site that is then filled out of the floodplain
with a new 10-storey multifamily residential building. And we built a floodplain landform along the edge of the site and buffered the development from it, and took all the rest of the paved parking lot that was there and replaced it with green space, in order to accommodate flooding, while also providing a resilient, natural system that ultimately will put the lungs back in the neighbourhood. That will provide this incredible refugia for the local neighbourhood.
Eric Turcotte: We’re already doing this to a certain extent, at different scales. But there isn’t much untouched land left. Many of the policies being put in place are about determining which areas require protection. Toronto and the region are doing a very good job in areas such as “natural heritage.” For example, some areas, as Steven mentioned, like wetlands or floodplains, are protected and it is clear you shouldn’t build on them. On a more granular level, you also have
to decide what are appropriate activities for some of these spaces. What can you do in a ravine, for example? Parts might be appropriate for including recreational areas, while other portions, you probably want very little human activity, because you want it to function as a place for aquatic life or the “lungs for the city.” So, in a way, refuge comes from the creation of these places, and policies help guide how development occurs.
Alex Zeller: There’s an academic understanding of refugia, from a landscape ecology perspective, where an isolated ecosystem can sustain a population of plants and animals in generally unfavourable conditions, independent of the surrounding landscape. This is commonly associated with very specific, favorable, microclimatic conditions. In the urban context and the way we’re applying it now, we can bring a
social lens to it as well as an environmental one—it adds a lot of value to urban design. I appreciated Steven’s example because it is refugia in terms of both the social and ecological. It varies from the true definition because it’s connected through a natural heritage system, through a water course, so it’s not truely an isolated area. But having connected features adds a lot of natural heritage value to the urban landscape and provides the idea of ‘refugia’ from a social perspective by promoting human health and other benefits.
04/ A satellite view of the Downsview site that is planned to be re-developed over the next 30 years. The site is generally bound by Highway 401 to the south, Keele Street to the west, Sheppard Avenue West to the north, and Wilson Heights Boulevard to the east.
IMAGES/ Courtesy of the City of Toronto
05/ A conceptual perspective view, looking down the length of the re-imagined Downsview Runway. The Runway is envisioned to be a continuous publicly accessible open space corridor.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of the City of Toronto
06/ A conceptual perspective view of the Runway showing how it may intersect with parks.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of the City of Toronto
Kim Statham: In Toronto, our official plan states that the natural environment, including how it’s related to climate change, is a priority for the City, and all of our bylaws and regulations are informed by that. Whether we’re talking about the soft landscaping bylaw, green roofs, the Toronto Green Standard, our tree protection, or what we do to complement the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority with our ravine and natural feature protection bylaw, what they really indicate is that refugia is important.
It’s important to quality of life and livability in any space—in our case, an urban center. The connection between humans and nature in an urban setting is critical. And we plan for that, but now with the added concern of climate change. We do have an idea of how weather is changing, influenced by climate change. So we must build and expand protections through the urban system.
GB: How well do provincial planning policies support natural area protection, preservation, restoration, and rehabilitation?
SH: The Provincial Policy Statement does have very good natural heritage protection. But it also opens the door for mitigation and compensation. What we’re starting to see
more of now is applicants coming in with a concept where they want to relocate a natural system or pipe it and then mitigate or compensate for the loss of that feature. Whereas, before, because the Conservation Authority had the ability to provide advice to the municipalities through our reviews of planning applications on natural heritage matters, we could comment through a holistic watershed lens. The natural hazard and the natural heritage components are physically linked. It’s very hard to separate the two. Now that we’re no longer able to provide input on that, we’re finding situations where the natural heritage system isn’t as valued as it used to be. There’s more of a compensation approach: “We will take this out and build something else somewhere.” Rather than taking a degraded feature on the landscape that has had several years
07/ A conceptual view of the Green Spine and possible surrounding built form in Downsview. The Green Spine is envisioned to be a naturalized pedestrian and cycling corridor.
IMAGES/ Courtesy of the City of Toronto
08-09/ Renderings of community designed to replace a car dealership at 3100 Bloor Street West, Toronto. It will be integrated with and provide support for the the ravine it's built on.
IMAGES/ Courtesy of Tridel
10-11/ The new Toronto and Region Conservation Authority head offices.
IMAGES/ Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
14/ A watercourse naturalization in effect.
IMAGE/ Alex Zeller
15/ A busy pollinator enjoying its natural refuge.
IMAGE/ Alex Zeller
of anthropogenic influences and restoring that back to a natural type of habitat that can actually function and outside influences are not going to destroy it over time. We’re doing less of that, unfortunately. The policies themselves and their intent are good. It’s the implementation that becomes more difficult.
AZ: Our current provincial policies attempt to balance natural heritage values with other values. And, while I agree the policies are reasonably robust, the implementation of these can be a challenge, not necessarily achieving the desired outcome. My challenge as a professional consultant dealing with natural heritage matters is the rigidity of the framework created in the province which fundamentally defines things as either “significant” or not. We lose the grey area in between, where things are valued features but do not necessarily achieve the threshold for “Significance.” In doing so, we erode biodiversity and other natural heritage values on the landscape by only favouring things that meet our rigid significance criteria.
Much of the world has moved beyond this feature-based protection to a more holistic, landscape-scale evaluation that considers biodiversity in addition to our current feature-based protection framework. We would do well to move in that direction and, in doing so, we could address a lot of the concerns the agencies and the general public have with managing natural heritage values, because you can apply metrics and value to things outside of that strict definition of significance that the provincial policies rely on. This approach can also provide the regulatory mechanism to retain natural heritage features on the landscape that can act as both social and ecological refugia.
ET: These policies are going to continue to evolve, as they should. Because, from a climate perspective, changes are ongoing. We are going to have to reinforce some of these protections and really dig deep, think hard. The elephant in the room is what the current and future governments may do in terms of policy changes and implementation. Are we going to loosen some of these policies? I think we are all a little bit nervous about what the future holds, given the political climate.
Shahrzad Nezafati: Is there any way to monitor the outcome of these policies? Do we know if the policies actually work as intended?
12/ An aerial view of the Don Valley Brick Works, Toronto.
IMAGE/ Matt Forsythe
13/ Great blue heron in the Don Valley Brick Works.
IMAGE/ Matt Forsythe
SH: We monitor many different things. We produce annual scorecards ranking the health of the watersheds. We look at the amount of natural heritage systems currently in existence every year—in some years we add some and others we take some away. It’ll be interesting to see what the results are in a couple of years as we continue with rapid growth. We also do all kinds of aquatic habitat monitoring: our teams go out and monitor flora and fauna throughout the watersheds in our jurisdiction. And we work with lots of very talented consultants when there is potential development of an area to monitor the erosion in the watercourses. There’s a ton of data out there, and each year we look at the scorecards and the various components of the watersheds. It’s all posted online though the Watershed Report Cards / TRCA Watershed and Ecosystem Reporting.
KS: At the municipal level, we monitor ecological services with the TRCA or other consultants to say, “What are the benefits the natural areas and natural heritage system are providing?” And, through studies like that, we can quantify the importance of these spaces. For example, we know through a study that Toronto’s ravine system provides $822 million annually in ecological benefits.
From an urban forestry perspective, we also monitor Toronto’s tree canopy. We do studies every 10 years. These are massive, city-wide studies. Through these, we
know the tree canopy provides $55 million annually. And we’re always improving those tools and the way we quantify these things. It doesn’t speak to the question of how we connect the dots between a policy objective and taking action, but it does show it is important to monitor the health and conditions of our natural areas.
AZ: As an ecological practitioner and consultant, the approach used when working on environmental assessments or other associated studies is to understand or define critical management objectives as it relates to natural heritage conservation. Specifically understanding “what are we trying to achieve” with a development in terms of the protection or retention of natural heritage features. I rely heavily on the reports mentioned to provide targets for those management objectives. I think there’s opportunity to formalize the way they get implemented, but I’m grateful that work is being done.
ET: We work a lot on development applications and projects where collaboration is essential, whether it’s the City or TRCA, in terms of finding solutions. To develop and implement those solutions together is quite important. Additionally, you have to do what you promise, monitor, and make sure things perform the way they are designed to perform.
It’s going to be the sum of all of these elements that start making a difference.
For example, when Kim talks about monitoring tree growth, well, for every tree we cut down for development, we know we need to plant three, we need to do the streetscape. All of these interventions help. If we look at where we were 30 years ago versus now, there’s been a lot of progress and that’s going to make our city a lot more livable.
GB: Are new natural refuges being designed or even occurring through natural processes over time within urban Ontario?
SH: The Conservation Authority has a whole Restoration and Infrastructure division and that’s pretty much all they do. They build wetlands, they renaturalize streams and
16/ A river trail in the town of Newmarket, Ontario.
IMAGE/ Helene Iardas
17/ A runner enjoying the Nordheimer Ravine in Toronto.
IMAGE/ Matt Forsyth
18/ An aerial view of the Humber River, Toronto.
IMAGE/ Helene Iardas
restore waterfronts that have been damaged in the past, so there’s a lot of that happening within the existing natural heritage systems of our region. Are we creating new forest blocks or wetlands in areas that would otherwise be targeted for development? Not necessarily through the development process. I mean, land is extremely valuable. There’s a housing crisis. There’s a huge demand to build a lot everywhere. So, through certain planning processes—and the City of Toronto is very good at this, if you look at the Downsview Secondary Plan that’s just been adopted— there are very strong principles and they’re creating new natural systems within the lands where there are currently none, as part of a brand new community. That’s a fabulous example. Even though there are no floodplains or other natural hazards in that location, it was still a core principle of the development.
ET: Just look at the improvement of our ravines: the wildlife, the water quality. It’s been a fantastic success over the last few decades. Villiers Island and the Port Lands revitalization of the mouth of the Don River in Toronto is one of the most impressive projects currently underway in North America, in terms of its scale and what it’s trying to accomplish from an ecological perspective. It’s revitalizing the mouth of the Don, which used to be marshland, and we’re now naturalizing part of this zone, protecting the area from flooding, and creating new aquatic habitats.
It’s become the way of the City, the TRCA, and the consultant world too: we all want the same thing. It’s about creating
these environments, establishing balance, restoring what is needed for these habitats to function. Some of these are the scars we created centuries ago, and now we’re fixing them so they perform from an ecological and recreation perspective.
AZ: Most projects I work on have some degree of ecological restoration or enhancement. I would suggest the scope and extent of a proposed project really determines the ecological functions that can be achieved through restoration or enhancement. We can consider anything from a pollinator garden with a park bench, the restoration or enhancement of a major wetland, or even the protection of a regionally valued natural heritage feature. Ecologists consider these opportunities on a daily basis and use our knowledge to help guide the objectives.
Over the last 20 years, we’ve made great strides as an industry in implementing restoration or enhancement opportunities. However, there’s a lot more we can do to achieve success in this area. A key focus for successful restoration or habitat enhancement is an understanding of the ecological functions you’re trying to create or enhance through these refugia and ensuring those functions gets identified, measured, and defined as criteria in the design.
KS: I also want to point out the importance of protecting the good quality habitat that we have. We have roughly 89 environmentally significant areas across the Toronto area. I often talk about designing with trees and nature in mind, working around these significant features. No one’s better at designing nature than nature. There are systems that cannot be replaced or restored. Throughout the evolution of the city, we need to focus on protecting these special places, because they can’t be replaced in our lifetimes.
SH: You need to protect what’s valuable, no doubt, and rebuild what was damaged. Going back to the Port Lands, that was driven by the need to remediate flooding. What we don’t do as well in the Greater Toronto Area is look at building natural systems within new developments the way we should.
AZ: One of the challenges, from my perspective, is we’re restricted in how the policies are implemented in the province. To Steven’s point, because we take such a narrow view of “significance,” I’m required to work within very defined policy constraints. And, unfortunately, I have limited mechanisms to protect the features I see value in conserving but which don’t achieve that “significance” threshold.
KS: Where do we get the support we need to make these interventions through the designer development process to embed habitat and nature right into a site plan or individual development. We do have some tools, like the Toronto Green Standard, Pollinator Strategy, the Biodiversity Strategy, et cetera. Where we get the drive to do these things now is related to climate change mitigation and adaptation. If we make a flooding prevention or mitigation argument, that might get us further in a design of something than wildflowers for pollinators or space for migratory birds. So how do we come together in a partnership to bring all our different tools together? It’s an interplay between green, grey, and blue infrastructure. How should they all be supporting one another? And if the main driver for a development site is flood mitigation, that’s fantastic, because we can use green infrastructure to address that and then add layers of value like native species, green space, and permeability.
ET: It’s all integrated into the thinking when we start the design process. The challenge often lies in how disciplines are siloed. Dealing with surface water, for example: some people like the traditional way of just running it through a pipe. Sometimes it’s like an all-or-nothing conversation. I’m proposing bioswales in a few of projects, encouraging biodiversity and dealing with stormwater runoff in a more creative way. Often, the solution proposed by engineers is to put it in a pond downstream and that’s it. It is the result of rigid standards. How can we be more creative? How do we make natural features an integral part of the design as opposed to being partitioned? We’re going to get there, but it’s going to take time, a lot of education, and working together to find some of these alternative solutions based on new science.
SH: I’ll put in a little plug-in for TRCA’s new head office. We’ve designed with that philosophy, and a certain percentage of the landscape is designed to be a welcoming space for people, but also to contain water. We have several rain gardens on the property catching water that would normally drain down into the ravine. In August, we had three major storms back-to-back, but zero water came off that site. The system is designed to absorb those major events, preventing runoff into the ravine. The majority of the time the water simply seeps into the ground over time. And it creates a beautiful space. How do you make that happen on every site?
AZ: In terms of working collaboratively between disciplines, one of my big pet peeves is that, as an ecology consultant, I’m often perceived as exclusively a “permits and approvals” service provider. This perspective undervalues our potential contribution to the planning or design process. Integrating a range of relevant disciplines, not just ecology, in the design process is very important, because we can provide a different set of values and perspectives to planning and landscape design.
GB: What specialized education and skills should landscape architects cultivate to position themselves at the forefront of environmental planning and urban refugia?
ET: Collaboration is key. One person can not know everything. Surround yourself with the right people and keep educating yourself.
SH: It would be great if there were masters programs that pull architecture, urban design, and landscape architecture together. Universities need to do a better job of pulling these different disciplines together, so graduates have a wider lens, and we eliminate that siloing.
KS: I suggest becoming aware of different vegetation zones, native species, all the things important for attempting to mimic what naturally occurs. I’ll also emphasize the importance of understanding the people who will interact and access these
natural spaces. Academics and people in government understand how important nature is in urban settings, but everyone has a different connection to it. When we support and promote—whether through education, outreach, or engagement—integrating nature in cities, it will become the expectation. People will demand it when they’re looking at new houses to buy, neighbourhoods to live in, or schools to choose. We all have a role to play in that: developing citizens who are empowered and understand the importance of nature, and demand it where they live, work, and play.
SH: It’s going to be really important to integrate infrastructure with these concepts. In the Port Lands now, when you bike across the bridges and look at the medians of those roads, they’re full of bioswales, there are tree pits under there so the trees grow super fast, it provides natural beauty within a very short period. But, in the outer parts of the Greater Toronto Area, there is little thinking about taking water management to the next level. You try to bring it up and there’s no conversation to be had, unfortunately. That’s not true everywhere but, in my experience, it’s a difficult conversation to have because it all comes down to money.
ET: Unfortunately, a lot is dependent on money, which is short-term thinking. We need to think long term. The little you could invest today may have significant impact 50+ years from now.
KS: That’s right. Proper design is more expensive at the get-go, but, over the long term, you are saving with the avoided water runoff, the avoided infrastructure maintenance costs.
AZ: Recently, I’ve been fortunate to learn a little about how my colleagues in the UK manage biodiversity conservation and some of the policies they work with for new developments. It is my understanding that a new development must demonstrate a 10 per cent improvement in biodiversity as calculated using a federally-mandated metric. This policy has been in place for over a decade now, having moved away from a solely feature-based protection framework I was referencing earlier. The
result in this philosophical shift to natural heritage management is apparently quite significant and has resulted in more green space and a significant increase in overall biodiversity throughout the country.
There’s a lot we can do to improve how we manage, retain, and enhance ecological assets in Canada—especially within our urban and peri-urban environments. Looking beyond our own shores to other jurisdictions is beneficial and can provide inspiration. Students: learn what you can from everybody around you, but also look around the world at what is being done elsewhere.
19/ A creek, teeming with life.
IMAGE/ Alex Zeller
20/ A pathway with a fence to protect wildlife.
IMAGE/ Alex Zeller
21/ A wilderness view from the ground up in the North Park Ravine, Toronto.
IMAGE/ Helene Iardas
THANKS TO SHAHRZAD NEZAFATI AND HELENE IARDAS FOR COORDINATING THIS ROUND TABLE.
TEXT BY MANUEL SPILLER
The idea that humans are intrinsically connected to nature has been supported by multiple disciplines, spanning concepts such as the biophilia hypothesis, a philosophical and psychological connection to studies around intraaction, describing physicists’ view of the interdependency of all matter. Humannature connectedness can have significant impacts: improving health, well-being, and encouraging environmental action.
Unfortunately, commodification of language has had an impact on our ability to relate with and to nature. Nature is defined in Elizabeth Knowles’ Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable as “the phenomena of the physical world collectively (…), as opposed to humans or human creations.” By adding new interpretations to naturerelated terms, we began to continually connect nature with what it stands in contrast to: digital ecosystem, academic wilderness, information ecology, political
landscape. How are we supposed to build a connection with something we struggle to constrain to its meaning? The issue escalates when we think about our relationship with risk. Typically, humans perceive the unknown as higher risk, which leads to a spiralling feedback loop where fear prompts avoidance, further deepening a disconnection and reinforcing fear. Human-nature connectedness is not tied to education but mindfulness, meaning that a stronger relationship with nature cannot be built via classroom learning about environmental issues, but requires exposure through time with and in nature.
From my personal experience, I went through a relationship-building exercise with the Ottawa River when I underwent whitewater canoeing and rafting training. Initially, the white waves were intimidating, and fear played a significant role in the experience. After several days of exposure, however, I began to develop a relationship of respect with
the river. I learned where to go in order to avoid getting on the river’s bad side and, in turn, I received safe passage. That relationship would eventually be molded into a partnership. Fluctuating water levels were easily read and, in collaboration with the river, I would even be able to purposefully flip the raft at safe spots to create memorable experiences for passengers. In addition to lower real risk due to skill, my risk perception of the river in general became much more realistic as our relationship advanced.
While this experience certainly is on the higher risk spectrum, I would like to draw attention to the concept of exposure, and how it can transform fear of nature into a relationship with it. The element of risk helps normalize the inherent little dangers that are all around us. While we are happy to live with or ignore them within our everyday surroundings, we tend to
exaggerate their frequency and impacts in the estranged natural world. Therefore, I propose embracing a little perceived risk when developing recreational environments such as trails.
One destination I found doing a significant job at improving human-nature connectedness is the Barefoot Path Spalt in Germany. The almost 2-kilometre-long trail is located in a rural, but domestic tourism-rich pocket in southern Germany, nearby several small manmade lakes. It is within a short walking distance of three villages and a large municipal parking lot serving tourism. The barefoot path is also connected to major regional hiking and biking trail systems.
Initiated to offer a nature-focused experience to locals and visitors, the trail was envisioned as more than a path through the woods. This ambition
06/ A log bench to stop for a rest on the barefoot path.
IMAGE/ Manuel Spiller
is reflected in the features installed along and into the trail. As the name suggests, barefoot walking is a major component, and it is made more impactful with somatosensory elements, varying surfaces from sawdust to cherry pits and pinecones to engage the sense of touch. There are elements to test agility and cognitive functions, rest stations, and art installations. The entire attraction was implemented with intention and a clear vision, delivering nature-centric adventure for the whole family.
First off, materials used suit the surrounding forests. Initial installations from 2008 when the trail first opened were kept natural. Balance beams, hopscotch surfaces, and climbing elements were all primarily sourced locally, with a majority coming from the surrounding forest. Logs, rocks, and boulders make up a significant portion of the equipment
used, which helped maintain a low budget and support local industry. What is unique, however, is the installations don’t appear overly engineered, they feel natural. It is that naturally imperfect appearance which increases risk perception. Not enough to avoid the attractions, especially since they are within an intentionally created environment, but in a way that adds an extra sense of adventure. To drive mindfulness and further improve human-nature connectedness, the trail’s art installations tell stories about the forest itself using local folklore and nature concepts such as the metamorphosis of aging trees, and stories about the forest’s magical creatures pushing dishonest drunkards into the creek. Even seats and tables in the shapes of mushrooms keep in touch with this thematic approach. However, it needs to be pointed out that, with an increasing budget, newer installations have become more invasive
07/ On the barefoot path, people are encouraged to embrace the different textures. It's alright to get your feet wet.
IMAGE/ Manuel Spiller
and destructive to the immersion initially stated as the primary objective. It is therefore important to be wary of scope creep as successful projects are updated.
The immersion through the right choices of material and forms is also evident in how specific installations blend into the forest. One attraction made with tall logs sticking vertically out of the ground merges with the surrounding pine forest. The border between the trail and the forest surrounding is quite fluid in many sections of the trail, where there is no clear path to follow, but rather a web of potential avenues similar to the large open boulders integrated into trails within the Canadian Shield. Visitors are asked to become aware of where they are to find their way, rather than absent-mindedly follow a paved pathway. It is that push into a brief, trail-less situation in which the lack of guidance can feel overwhelming or freeing, but certainly immersive. Since these sections are short, the risk felt
when a brief reorientation is required is tied to a heightened risk perception rather than actual risk and helps build a better understanding with the natural environment. Similarly, that quality can also be attributed to a natural creek that is offered as an optional pathway. In these ways, the barefoot path is built with the forest rather than through it. Visitors feel as if they truly are in the forest, rather than surrounded by the forest as a context environment.
In the case of the barefoot path, the barefoot walking component may seem like an obvious element to improve human-nature connectedness. There is an inherent perception of risk to walking barefoot, as opposed to wearing shoes, and the heightened awareness needed of the forest floor, as well as the multitude of sensory experiences to be had all add to a unique interaction with nature. In cooperation with other attractions, adults and seniors find the trail to be
08/ The pathway also includes a wading pond.
IMAGE/ Manuel Spiller
09/ A mud basin on the barefoot path.
IMAGE/ Manuel Spiller
10/ A map of the barefoot path's features.
IMAGE/ Manuel Spiller
11-12/ Details of the textural options along the pathway.
IMAGES/ Manuel Spiller
rejuvenating, building positive emotions and fond memories. While the barefoot walking component is therefor a great choice, it is more its value as a gimmick, a memorable component, that makes the trail stand out. Unique design can have a significant impact on enjoyment and memory, and a positive experience is vital to generate care and mindfulness for our environment.
BIO/ MANUEL SPILLER HOLDS A MASTER'S DEGREE IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH AND IS A PHD STUDENT IN GEOGRAPHY AND ENVIRONMENT AT WESTERN UNIVERSITY. HE CO-FOUNDED THE ONE BENCH ONE TREE PROJECT AND HOLDS MULTIPLE VOLUNTEER BOARD POSITIONS, INCLUDING ON THE ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR THE CITY OF LONDON. HIS RESEARCH REVOLVES AROUND THE PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, AND SPIRITUAL HUMAN-NATURE RELATIONSHIP, AND THE ROLE GOVERNANCE AND PROPERTY PLAY IN HOW LANDSCAPE IS MODIFIED OR PROTECTED. HIS ACADEMIC KNOWLEDGE IS COMPLEMENTED WITH EXPERIENCES FROM PRIOR WORK IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND EDUCATION SECTORS.
a waterfront vision
TEXT BY WALTER KEHM, OALA EMERITUS
I became a landscape architect because of my deep emotional and spiritual attachment to nature. I recall growing up in a dense and unattractive urban environment. The beauty of the trees and plants in New York’s Central Park became my refuge. It felt like a forest wilderness. I had no idea that it was a creation of Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. It was only when I studied park design that I discovered this was a designed landscape with the intent of bringing nature into the city for the people’s health, welfare, and happiness.
This philosophy has been my lifelong calling. I have had the privilege to plan and design projects such as Tommy Thompson Park, Bronte Creek Provincial Park, and Trillium Park at Ontario Place. These projects are based on the science and art of returning nature to cities.
In 2017, the firm I was associated with received the commission to design the public realm aspects for a re-imagined Ontario Place. Our previous design philosophy for the adjacent Trillium Park of creating a new forest that was accessible,
diverse, connected, and free became guiding design principles, and would form the conceptual design basis for the remainder of the Ontario Place islands. The original Michael Hough landscape plan was to be augmented by my expanded forest vision; part of my greater hope for a Toronto waterfront “Emerald Necklace” of green "islands" and waterfront parks extending from the Don River to the Humber River.
A turning point arose when the Province of Ontario decided to remove over 860 mature trees on the West Island for a new spa development. The trees were planted by Hough in 1969 and many exceeded 20 metres in height. This forest stand became a unique eco-system on Lake Ontario and was home to a wide diversity of birds, animals, and amphibians. I explained, at numerous meetings, the importance of this unique landscape and implored that this forest be preserved and enhanced. My efforts were to no avail.
IMAGE/ Walter Kehm
02/ Ice-covered rocks on the banks of Lake Ontario at Trillium Park, Toronto.
IMAGE/ Walter Kehm
03/ A snowbound tree at the Trillium Park adventure playground.
IMAGE/ Walter Kehm
04/ Stone inscribed with artwork at Trillium Park.
IMAGE/ Walter Kehm
01/ A diagram of Walter Kehm's Emerald Necklace dream for the Toronto waterfront.
This rejection was an epiphany, since it resulted in the clear-cutting of an urban forest, thereby violating my spiritual beliefs and my understanding of the ethical tenets of my profession. I resigned from the project in protest. To express my concerns, I began a series of public engagements and walking tours of Ontario Place and the West Island site. The notes that follow describe these occasions, and my dream of a new, “green” vision for the Toronto waterfront.
Background
I have dreamed and made countless plans for the creation this Emerald Necklace across the entire Toronto waterfront. The vision began with my implemented plans for the Petticoat Creek Conservation Area in 1969 and was enhanced and implemented with the success of my plan for Tommy Thompson Park. In my book Accidental Wilderness: The Origins and Ecology of Toronto’s Tommy Thompson Park, I describe 35 years of planning and ecological/cultural evolution. Trillium Park and my current plans to regenerate the Humber Bay parks and aquatic systems continue to add “emeralds” on the necklace. The necklace starts in Tommy Thompson Park, extends through Cherry Beach and the new Portlands, on to the Toronto Islands, and then to Ontario Place and the Humber Bay and River parks. Toronto’s life-giving emerald necklace of forested green space is especially critical now as the realities of climate change are increasingly evident.
architect Eb Zeidler and landscape architect Michael Hough were appointed. The fundamental ideas for the mission of the project emanated from Expo ‘67. There was to be a forward-looking vision to make the newly-named Ontario Place a freely accessible showcase for Ontario’s culture and technological achievements. The IMAX theater was the epitome of this idea. Ontario Place was a synonym for progress and innovation. Culture, recreation, and family activities were integrated within, and an ecologically-designed landscape magically arose out of the water and the newly created land. Its enormous success continued until the late 1980s. Then, the Province re-branded the site as an amusement and theme park. Log flumes, agricultural silos representing Northern Ontario agriculture, and a water park were created and failed. The Province could not keep up with Canada’s Wonderland building new adventure rides every year. The Ontario Place site was ultimately closed to the public for many years.
Today
In 1968, I was part of a design team commissioned to prepare a new plan for the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE). A new CNE village was proposed on the lakefront connecting the Exhibition Grounds with the water. Three green islands were drawn to provide protection from the lake winds and waves. The City of Toronto did not approve the plan, but the Province identified the the site as a “place of provincial interest.” With the support of Premier John Robarts and Minister Bill Davis, Ontario Place was born. The design team of
Trillium Park was created from an eightacre asphalt parking lot to symbolize a new awakening. At the time the plans for Trillium Park were developing, the LANDinc design team I led envisioned Ontario Place to be a composition of ecologically-based and forested islands, interspersed with cultural and recreation facilities. Live Nation proposed an expanded concert venue. The IMAX theatre was upgraded and continues to successfully attract people—although the Pods remained unused and unloved. The West Island was to be a massive indoor spa. Without these new additions, over 1.2 million people visit Ontario Place, year-round, from this modest new eight-acre park beginning.
The new provincially planned facilities on the islands also include a large underwater parking garage, updated municipal services, the Live Nation Budweiser Theater, and a relocated Ontario Science Centre. An Ecorecreation sports venture on the East Island has withdrawn its proposal and new private tenants are being considered with an allocation of a four- to six-acre site. The West Island was awarded to the Therme Group with a 95-year lease to develop a European
05-06/ A winter walk along the Trillium Park trails. IMAGES/ Walter Kehm
style spa that encloses the entire existing island with an additional 10 acres of lake fill to provide beach and amenity spaces.
The provincial government has been highly criticized for its lack of public participation in this scheme. In my travels throughout the province, I have asked people their opinions about Ontario Place. Nine out of 10 times I have been asked, “Where is Ontario Place? What is it?” People seem to lack knowledge or are ignorant of the issues posed by this redevelopment. They are not aware of any public participation events, and I believe this was by design. The Trillium Park experience was dynamic and fully engaged the public throughout Ontario. It was thrilling. The participation process for the spa plan was limited, and the majority of public releases were limited and highly vetted to exclude the design details the various teams created. We felt we were being shut out of the process.
Ontario Place is emblematic of the “strong man” ruler. ‘This is provincial land and I’ll do with it what I want,’ seems to be the view of the Premier. It makes me wonder if democracy in Ontario is in peril.
Tomorrow
Are we genetically predisposed to want and need wild places? Or to simplify this into “green spaces?” Research into epigenetics reveals how human hormones are affected by negative mental stress and the serious health issues arising from cellular mutations. Study after study reveals the importance of green spaces for their curative effects. The question that follows is: what are the implications on our health care systems and emergency service agencies? Wilderness, or an urban wild, offers a different dimension for the human experience. The experience can be categorized into short and long vistas into landscape settings, unplanned and giving seemingly unregulated environments a sense of freedom and diversity of natural experiences, which provide change and excitement. We feel at home surrounded by trees, birds, and animals. This natural ensemble provides a sense of tranquility and belonging.
07/
concept
IMAGE/ Courtesy of Walter Kehm
08/ A beautiful lakeshore scene at Trillium
IMAGE/ Walter Kehm
The Canadian National Exhibition
plan from 1969.
Park.
I interview people incognito at Tommy Thompson Park, Trillium Park, and Ontario Place on a regular basis. This method, in school, is called “post occupancy evaluation,” and is used to ascertain how a planned design is actually functioning. My approach is very humble and quiet. A typical day is a greeting to a complete stranger(s). “Hi, what a beautiful day! Are you enjoying the park? What is it that appeals to you? How would you change it if you could? Oh, have you been here before? Where are you from? Why do you come here?” And on and on as the conversations freely flow.
My findings have been stunning. The key words used are happiness, sanctuary, peace, togetherness, safe, and free.
Of further interest is the number of people who visit on a regular basis, leaving their small 600-square foot apartments for the experiences described above. For instance, two working parents with children living in a cramped, crowded condo. The most profound finding I have established is that people visit because of mental health issues.
The cause-and-effect factors, especially relating to our societal conditions and inequality, are profound. Fear, hopelessness, homelessness, alienation, abandonment, smashed dreams, and loneliness are omnipresent. Sociologist
Émile Durkheim refers to “anomie”: a condition of mental instability resulting from a breakdown of community values and standards. Fear, isolation, and depression are evident through all age groups.
Summary
The concept of the lakefront Emerald Necklace is achievable. But it requires the protection and enhancement of the West Island ecological forest sanctuary, with all its wilderness characteristics. Alexander Von Humboldt—considered so be the founder of ecology—refers to the root word of this science, oikos, as a home and dwelling place for all organisms. The West Island forest and ecosystem was home to a diversity of plants, animals, birds, insects, and fish. It was also a beloved place of relaxation for people. A fusion of culture with nature was achieved. Today, an 860tree forest has been destroyed, leaving only memories.
Chief Stacey Laforme of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nations wrote in my Accidental Wilderness a poem for Tommy Thompson Park entitled “Home.” He saw the park, with its water, plants,
Walter Kehm
10/ The Humber Bay concept plan.
IMAGE/ Walter Kehm
animals, and infinite sky, as a wilderness sanctuary where people reconnect with the natural world and have a sense of wonderment. There is an emotional and spiritual connectivity with the universe that continually draws people to the park. People have expressed identical thoughts to me when they visit Trillium Park and the Ontario Place forest and water edge areas. Sadly, the west forest lives in the world of memories now.
An Emerald Necklace forest vision for the Toronto waterfront, where nature and culture are integrated, is achievable if we make the right decisions now. The Toronto waterfront has become the new accessible and affordable “cottage country” for its rapidly growing population. The removal of the West Island forest was a heavy-handed decision. It is time, to quote the inscription in Trillium Park, to “walk gently on the land” again.
BIO/ WALTER KEHM, OALA EMERITUS, IS AN EDUCATOR AND AUTHOR. HE IS THE PRESIDENT OF WALTER H. KEHM AND ASSOCIATES SPECIALIZING IN ECOLOGICALLY BASED LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE, URBAN DESIGN AND TOURISM. HE ESTABLISHED THE WALTER H. KEHM NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP AND IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT CLAIRE HEIDENREICH, AN MLA CANDIDATE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY, IS THE FIRST RECIPIENT. HIS ACADEMIC WORK INCLUDES LECTURES AND DESIGN STUDIOS AT FANSHAWE COLLEGE, TORONTO METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY, UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH, DREXEL UNIVERSITY, AND LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY. HE IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON NEW BOOK ENTITLED INTO STONE, THE LIFE AND WORKS OF THE DRY STONE WALLER, ERIC LANDMAN, WITH WHOM HE HAS COMPLETED MANY PROJECTS. WALTER IS ACTIVELY INVOLVED WITH THE MEDIA TO PROTECT AND ENHANCE THE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE OF CANADIAN CITIES.
11-13/ Scenes from Walter's walk through Trillium Park on a winter day in 2025.
IMAGES/ Walter Kehm
