Park Vision Dufferin Grove wants to serve people through public gathering places, health and environmental sustainability, education and the promotion of diversity with attention to both the natural and cultural heritage of the area. The facilities are sophisticated in their ability to meet these programming needs while being accessible to a range of staff and the public. They follow codes and requirements laid out by the City, yet are often low-tech, community-designed and built on limited budgets. There are traditional facilities such as the skating rinks that double as a basketball court, ball hockey rink and an area for the farmer’s market. There is a wading pool and a sports field. However the park also includes a rink house with kitchen,
washrooms, storage, changing room and the multi-use Zamboni Room. It has a field house that accommodates a local theatre group, and contains community vegetable and herb gardens — food security in an urban context. There is a natural playground with a large sand pile, logs, water hose and shovels, and there is a children’s garden. Both re-build a connection between children, nature and play. A traditional flower garden is maintained by local residents in active engagement with the park, and naturalised garden areas show native plants, habitat and ecological processes. An artist-built art garden has a water sculpture and there is a native tree nursery in the park.
Two outdoor bread/pizza ovens provide a chance to learn food-related skills using local produce while generating revenue for the park. Three bonfire pits provide focal points for community gatherings. A rambling cob-wall building includes a kitchen, and a composting toilet is nearly complete. These facilities, built by the community, let people learn alternative sustainable building methods and building bylaws, codes and standards. The pesticide-free gardens promoted ecological gardening practices long before the municipal bans on pesticides and herbicides. Composting bins and detailed recycling programs promote progressive thinking about waste management. These are all major urban issues.
opposite page, top: the organic vegetable garden where children (and adults) learn about urban agriculture and the growing and harvesting of food. bottom: locally grown, mostly organic pro- duce is cooked on site and featured in Friday Night Suppers. The line ups are long. These popular community dinners run through all seasons, enhancing social cohesion. this page, above: heritage tomatoes and other high quality, organic produce are sold at the Thursday Farmers’ Market that oper- ates all year. Outdoor, wood-fired bake ovens are used by on-site bakers. Bake time is also rented out. Bread is sold at the market and served at community suppers. Pizza is also made in these two ovens. left: Food prep and serving lines use part of the cob-wall structure. There are also port- able carts and tables that take healthy food to the playground area.
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weather matters: On Site review 21
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