Living atlas of quality
in architecture and the built environment
Parks in Action, a collaborative exhibition by School of Cities, the Urban Economy Forum, UToronto & TorontoMetU
Thursday, June 22, 2023
Integrated resilienceCome visit the new exhibition Parks in Action: Co-Designing Inclusive Open Spaces at the World Urban Pavilion on June 22nd, 2023 at 6:30pm. This exhibition is the product of a partnership between the School of Cities, the Urban Economy Forum, University of Toronto John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design and Toronto Metropolitan University.
This exhibition highlights the role of parks and open spaces in fostering climate action in Toronto’s inner suburbs. Urban green spaces range from expansive ravine networks to pocket gardens, and from street right-of-ways to school yards and green roofs. Regardless of their scale, they are valuable tools for urban climate change mitigation and adaptation, and are gathering places that promote social interaction, health, and well-being. This exhibition aims to demonstrate how climate action in the public realm is generative of participatory design and social engagement -- from the scale of small local installations “hubs” to “tower communities” along urban watersheds - ensuring that all communities, regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds, have equal access to green spaces and their benefits.
Parks in Action is designed to include a range of active to passive participation opportunities that are both educational and procreative. The projects showcase the collaborative efforts of community members and researchers from across U of T and TMU. The work was guided by interdisciplinary research initiated by a 2020-21 School of Cities Urban Challenge Grant titled “Towers in the Park: A Prospective for Equitable Resilience,”and housed at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design's Centre for Landscape Research led by Assistant Professor Fadi Masoud.
The Climate Action Hubs were a collaboration with the City of Toronto’s TransformTO climate action and TMU’s School of Urban and Regional Planning led by Assistant Professor Victor Perez-Amado. Parks in Action: Co-Designing Inclusive Open spaces was conceived and curated by Fadi Masoud and Victor Perez-Amado, along with Rashmi Sirkar and Alex Sheinbaum in collaboration with faculty colleagues, students and staff and exhibited in partnership with the University of Toronto's School of Cities.
The launch of Parks in Action_ _will occur on Thursday, June 22nd at the World Urban Pavilion, 660 Dundas Street East, 3rd floor at 6:30pm
The launch will have light snacks, refreshments and introductions from the exhibition’s team leads and associated partners.
