sustaining urban life Dufferin Grove, Toronto
infrastructure | community by real eguchi and paul young
parks community urban agriculture
engagement programming
Dufferin Grove is a working example of how an urban park can advance a broad view of sustainable design that balances economic, social, aesthetic and environmental considerations— things that go beyond traditional resource conservation to include human factors such as physical and mental health. Cities are under pressure to intensify, to increase density and infrastructure, reducing the use of energy and other resources. This trend reinforces the need for the wise use of urban space. Dufferin Grove is a compelling example of how to accommodate and creatively develop parks as integral elements of sustainable city infrastructure. Dufferin Grove is 14.2 acres on the east side of Dufferin Street, just south of Bloor Street in the west end of the old city of Toronto. Three-quarters of the park is covered by mature trees; the site is a plateau that slopes down to Dufferin with topographic traces of a branch of Garrison Creek. The park has been the subject of much academic research and won the Great Community Place award in the inaugural Great Parks/Great Cities awards program of the Urban Parks Institute at Project for Public Spaces, New York City.
Historical Development The revitalisation of Dufferin Grove began in the early 1990s with a public consultation on park improvements. With a relatively modest design and growing involvement from the surrounding community, the park has developed organically, responding to the needs and ideas of volunteers in the neighbourhood. The surrounding community is diverse. Approximately one quarter speak Portuguese. Almost two thirds of households are rented. Twenty
percent of families and forty percent of individuals are low-income and like many neighbourhoods in downtown Toronto, the community is gentrifying. Volunteers work closely with City staff to develop and manage a range of particular facilities and programs. Governance is organic in nature, running on energy that the community brings at any given moment.
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On Site review 21: stormy weather
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