Just putting greenery here will not do the trick, this needs to be a destination with activities and events. Too many parks in this city sit empty much of the time, even in summer.

Go to Trinity Bellwoods Park to see what a well used park looks like! And because of the ammenities like the community centre, it's busy year round.

Both of those statements are contradictory. Trinity Bellwoods Park is successful precisely as just a green space. Lots of open lawn and trees for shade. People go there because it’s accessible: a big park in the heart of several neighbourhoods.

I do agree that people will choose the lake over just any park, but a beautiful green refuge from the city provides something different than Harbourfront Centre across the street.
 
  • I also really love the elevated element in Park Vert but feel they should break up the elevated pieces into different spaces and provide more ways to go up and down instead of depending on people entering a very long ramp. Put some stairs to help people get up there with less commitment required. They could also look at changing some materials on the ramp as the netting feels like it might encourage spiders and insects, especially by the water.
Take a look at the Park Vert proposal, there are 3 total entrance ways and exits onto the elevated space. A shame that their photos don't clearly call this out.

http://yorkreesparkdesign.ca/wp-content/uploads/Agency_YorkStreetPark_LowResScreenViewing.pdf
Page 26

Ec05rZ5.png
 
The York Park is better suited to a quiet refuge. Claude Cormier's proposal is clearly the winner, seeing its finishings and european feel.

European meaning 'superior/good' and, by extension, north American meaning 'inferior/bad'? It's insulting when Europeans do this but cringe worthy when north Americans do it. Besides, what specifically makes this feel European that we don't see in an Olmsted park?
 
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European meaning 'superior/good' and, by extension, north American meaning 'inferior/bad'? It's insulting when Europeans do this but cringe worthy when north Americans do it. Besides, what specifically makes this feel European that we don't see in an Olmsted park?

No, that's your interpretation. I didn't say that. I said that Cormier's proposal has a European feel which is something still relatively unique in Toronto. And something unique attracts people — see Berczy Park.
 
Uh, in a word, No.

European Larch is not a Carolinian species. Not native to North America at all.

Neither is Golden Willow which is a hybrid of a tree from China with a tree from Europe.

London Plane is a hybrid which is not native to North America either.

Scots Pine is native to Eurasia.

Little Leaf Linden is also European

Horse Chestnut also European

Black Locust, and Tulip Tree may arguably make there way up here in the fullness of time due to climate change, I'm not sure we need to rush it.

Tulip Trees perform well in ideal conditions, but as street trees they die an awful lot. I have reservations. Nice trees visually, if they succeed, no evidence of their being invasive yet.

Accolade Elm is reasonable choice, though also not native, being a hybrid of our native elm and Japanese Elm which shows resistance to Dutch Elm Disease and which does perform fairly well in Toronto.

The only true un-abashed native trees in the proposal are White Pine and Silver Maple.

Only 4 could be remotely discussed as being Carolinian.

Oh, whoops, was actually referring specifically to the Locust tree. Not sure your issue with Tulip Tree. Its range includes Toronto, and it won't be a "street tree" rather a park tree. And what would a good similar alternative be to Scots Pine, would it be Jack Pine or Red Pine? Cuz Jack Pine wouldn't be native either.

After looking through the Rees proposals, they're better located for a water play feature, since Rees Park is in fact HTO Park North. HTO lacks H2O and the northern expansion is an opportunity to fix that.

The York Park is better suited to a quiet refuge. Claude Cormier's proposal is clearly the winner, seeing its finishings and european feel. If they can get all of that accomplished on the limited budget allocated, I think that they should be given the chance to do it.

Here's its inspiration and why I'm sold on it:

View attachment 149155

Hm, well seeing the Rees Park and others' comments, maybe I could agree that Rees is the fun park and York will be the quiet contemplative one. I do believe the type of pond CC envisions will have fish in it. Maybe not at first, but someone will plonk some koi or goldfish in there and they should become permanent residents. Would be nice.

Let's not forget though that in the past the city has gotten burned with attractive water features or fountains. I recall the Riverdale Farm pond was busted for a good many years, and to this day the waterfall is bone dry.
 
Oh, whoops, was actually referring specifically to the Locust tree. Not sure your issue with Tulip Tree. It's range includes Toronto, and it won't be a "street tree" rather a park tree. And what would a good similar alternative be to Scots Pine, would it be Jack Pine or Red Pine? Cuz Jack Pine wouldn't be native either.

If you wanted a conifer that would grow Lakeside in southern Ontario, you would choose between White Pine and Eastern White Cedar.

White Pine is a good choice in that it will give you a 60-70ft tree if you give it the right conditions and would be excellent for nesting birds-of-prey.

It also has a fairly slim profile.

Red Pine naturally grows in sandy soils and on cliff tops. You can make it work, if you put the right soil mix in, but in full sun, its gonna be a fat tree at ground level.

Red Cedar is also native, but its what most people think of as Juniper (the vertical version), it tends to like crappier soils w/low competition.

White Spruce is acceptable as a next-to-pavement conifer, because its salt tolerant. But this is really beyond the southern end of its range which is really the Oak Ridges Moraine, and with climate change it's expected to struggle in Toronto.

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Tulip tree is ok. The very northern limit of its natural occurrence (where it will regenerate) is about Hamilton area, and that barely so.

Everywhere I've seen the City try it as a street tree it dies.

It's highly viable if you give it enough good soil, no salt, preferably not too much wind, and it will look gorgeous.

In so far as the planting spec accommodates this, I can live w/Tulip Tree.

Having seen some very suspect choices by landscape architects in terms of where and how species are sited in their designs, I worry about fussier species choices.
 
I do believe the type of pond CC envisions will have fish in it. Maybe not at first, but someone will plonk some koi or goldfish in there and they should become permanent residents. Would be nice.
Depends on what you consider permanent. Courmier’s pond is designed to be drained and converted into a square for events.
 
Depends on what you consider permanent. Courmier’s pond is designed to be drained and converted into a square for events.

Oh, no way. Shows what I know. K, I'm finally looking at the PDF and it says the pond will be 5cm deep. Lol boy was I way off. I was thinking about a metre deep and akin to something found in Central Park. 5cm seems a wee bit shallow for swans and RC boating, but I guess it can work. Am also liking his notion of "follies".
 
Oh, no way. Shows what I know. K, I'm finally looking at the PDF and it says the pond will be 5cm deep. Lol boy was I way off. I was thinking about a metre deep and akin to something found in Central Park. 5cm seems a wee bit shallow for swans and RC boating, but I guess it can work. Am also liking his notion of "follies".

Oh that actually sounds really promising. 5cm of water is a splash pad that you can walk through. I'm really liking this Claude Courmier proposal now.
 
I imagine we should be getting an update any week now. Selection of the parks were supposed to be announced sometime in the fall, especially since York St park is scheduled to start in 2019.
 
Cormier's Love Park design has won the competition. From Waterfront Toronto on Facebook:

We’re thrilled to announce the winning design submissions for the York Street Park and Rees Street Park design competition!

Love Park by Claude Cormier et Associés has been selected for York Street Park, and Rees Ridge by wHY Architecture and Brook Mcllroy has been selected for Rees Street Park.

Learn more about this exciting announcement: https://waterfrontoronto.ca/nbe/por...unced+for+waterfront+parks+design+competition
 

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