[Northern Light]

He has an amazing design sense for materials and fine-grained detail. Most other landscape designers in Canada overuse poured concrete and low-maintenance plantings like ornamental grasses, resulting in sterility and urban spaces that don't age well. He tends to be a lot more interesting in his ideas and has a good sense of aesthetics, which makes the experience of using his spaces much better and more enjoyable over the long run.

Agreed.

Something else I like about his designs is that he seems to have a critic's eye.............but a better understanding of the end user than say a Janet Rosenberg.

She tends towards the austere, formal and over-hardscaped.

Her choices often leave one with a cold feeling; she seems to confuse park and Art Gallery (personally, I like warm and accessible art galleries too, but I digress)

 

[ADRM]

From the WT newsletter:

Love Park​

​

Construction to begin on Love Park​ Construction on Love Park (currently York Street Park) will begin in the coming months and we want to give you a sneak peek into how we will be transforming this former Gardiner off-ramp into the literal heart of the waterfront in our newest blog. Winner of an international design competition, and shaped by public input, Love Park will begin receiving visitors in 2022. Read about how this park will be the ultimate ode to connection, community and nature.

 

[UrbanFervour]

West 8's maple leaf shaped islands, Douglas Copeland's big plastic canoe, Claude Cormier's candy-striped rocks & now a heart-shaped pool to represent both romantic love and, as WT says, the "literal heart" of the waterfront.

I blame Instagram for all this bluntly superficial symbolism in urban design - but it beats a freeway offramp so ... I'll take it

 

[Irishmonk]

West 8's maple leaf shaped islands, Douglas Copeland's big plastic canoe, Claude Cormier's candy-striped rocks & now a heart-shaped pool to represent both romantic love and, as WT says, the "literal heart" of the waterfront.

I blame Instagram for all this bluntly superficial symbolism in urban design - but it beats a freeway offramp so ... I'll take it

Dog Park and Sugar Beach are two of the most popular small parks in the city. People seem to genuinely enjoy being in them which, in a stressful, dense city where public space is at a premium, should be the city's only objective. I'll take a bustling, selfie-friendly Love Pk over a forlorn Dundas Sq any day of the week.

History is the ultimate judge: In 50 years I expect West 8 and Cormier's creations will likely still be around--perhaps with some functional modifications--while Callwood Pk and Dundas Sq will most likely have been completely reworked.

 

[UrbanFervour]

Dog Park and Sugar Beach are two of the most popular small parks in the city. People seem to genuinely enjoy being in them which, in a stressful, dense city where public space is at a premium, should be the city's only objective. I'll take a bustling, selfie-friendly Love Pk over a forlorn Dundas Sq any day of the week.

History is the ultimate judge: In 50 years I expect West 8 and Cormier's creations will likely still be around--perhaps with some functional modifications--while Callwood Pk and Dundas Sq will most likely have been completely reworked.

But I thought Dundas Sq. was meant to symbolize a parking lot and a freeway offramp?

 

[ADRM]

West 8's maple leaf shaped islands, Douglas Copeland's big plastic canoe, Claude Cormier's candy-striped rocks & now a heart-shaped pool to represent both romantic love and, as WT says, the "literal heart" of the waterfront.

I blame Instagram for all this bluntly superficial symbolism in urban design - but it beats a freeway offramp so ... I'll take it

Honestly, people love them, and anything that gets the non-urbanist/development set interested in, engaged with, and taking pictures of public realm spaces is in my view a net positive. The more people get out and experience the spaces we create with public dollars, the more likely they are to support local politicians who take a more expansive view of their role as proactive city builders rather than the reactionary budget hawks who see halting progress and maintaining a status quo as their main raisons d'etre.

 

[Northern Light]

Honestly, people love them, and anything that gets the non-urbanist/development set interested in, engaged with, and taking pictures of public realm spaces is in my view a net positive. The more people get out and experience the spaces we create with public dollars, the more likely they are to support local politicians who take a more expansive view of their role as proactive city builders rather than the reactionary budget hawks who see halting progress and maintaining a status quo as their main raisons d'etre.

Agreed.

Though, I'm beginning to find that man-made beach with no water access concept a bit tired.

Sugar Beach was done right; HTO is debatable; while I'm hopeful Leslie Slip will work out; that's beach number 3 of its kind.

So hopefully we can move on.

I'm not opposed to more beaches, but I'd like the 'real' variety.

Which, I should add, Toronto could quite feasibly implement at several locations.

 

[Undead]

The city should just tap CCA to redesign Dundas Square

 

[Northern Light]

The city should just tap CCA to redesign Dundas Square

I'm not opposed; but given Cormier's love of cheeky references to things local (like Deer statuary in Deer Park)...

I'm worried we might end up with a preacher-guy motif; or a drunk's peeing where they're not supposed to fountain!'

 

[Undead]

Hey, I miss getting startled by the "BELIEVE"

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Agreed.

Though, I'm beginning to find that man-made beach with no water access concept a bit tired.

Sugar Beach was done right; HTO is debatable; while I'm hopeful Leslie Slip will work out; that's beach number 3 of its kind.

So hopefully we can move on.

I'm not opposed to more beaches, but I'd like the 'real' variety.

Which, I should add, Toronto could quite feasibly implement at several locations.

Water access is TPA issue I believe - even if the city wants it.

AoD

 

[AlexBozikovic]

The thing with Sugar Beach and Berczy is that they provide the Instagram moments but also a rich variety of spaces and experiences. Personally I like the kitsch - which Cormier doesn’t really bring in Montreal BTW - but there is much more going on.

 

[allengeorge]

I'm worried we might end up with a preacher-guy motif; or a drunk's peeing where they're not supposed to fountain!'

I’m imagining an equivalent of the Condoman sculpture, except it’s a person holding a giant LCD billboard on which various slogans or ads cycle.

For anyone who doesn’t know Condoman...

A 25-foot man holding up a condo courts controversy in Toronto

The sculpture on St. Clair has been called ugly, perfect and both.

www.thestar.com

PS: Super excited about Love Park.

 

[Northern Light]

 

[drum118]

March 12, 2020
Special Notice #3: York Street Park (Love Park) Pre-Construction Site Work Background York Street Park (Love Park) is a 2-acre park located at the southern foot of York Street and Queens Quay West, designed to provide flexible public space in the southern Financial District and Harbourfront neighbourhood.

Construction of York Street Park (Love Park) will commence in May/June 2021 and is slated for completion in 2022. York Street Park’s (Love Park) design has been shaped by input from over 1,500 members of the public since the international design competition in 2018, including the York Street Park Stakeholder Advisory Committee. For more detail about York Street Park (Love Park), including the history of consultation head to our project page.

What to expect on site On March 15, 2021, pre-construction preparation work will begin on-site for York Street Park (Love Park). Fencing will be installed around the entire perimeter of the park site in advance of tree removal work planned for the coming weeks. Installation of the fencing will be completed over the course of three to four hours and two trucks will be on the site during this time. Site access Crews are expected to access the site at the southwest corner of Queens Quay West and York Street. Service trucks will be on site, but no impacts to traffic are anticipated as a result of this work. Pedestrian access will remain around the park along sidewalks along Harbour Street, York Street and Queens Quay.

The pedestrian walkway between the park and the RBC building will also remain open and accessible. Upcoming Tree Removals Waterfront Toronto is undertaking pre-construction site preparation work in the coming months, in advance of construction beginning May/June 2021.

As part of this work, a total of 7 trees will be removed. A separate special notice will be issued in advance of tree removals. In the fall of 2020, Waterfront Toronto had arborists undertake important maintenance of the trees on site to ensure the health and longevity of these remaining trees before, during and after construction. This work included: • Dead Wooding: common and important part of maintaining tree health that helps prevent the spread of rot throughout the tree. • Air Spading & Root Pruning: Air spading is a safer, less invasive way for arborists to maintain root health than manual digging and avoids damaging the root system. Pruning is done in advance of construction on the site to minimize the risk of doing damage to important root systems during construction. Root pruning helps to encourage growth of new feeder roots.

Find out how we are increasing Love Park’s tree canopy by 37 new trees, plus a wide array of other flora and fauna, through this blog. For more information about York Street Park (Love Park), visit our website: www.waterfrontoronto.ca.