Fairford Ave. Parkette (at Coxwell Ave.), Toronto

This project (2013 - 2015) originated with the community’s request to remove a turning lane and traffic island to improve pedestrian safety and the public realm. The project was the first bioretention parkette in the City (for stormwater management), and involved extensive collaboration across city divisions. Well received by the community, the project has become a destination for people interested in green infrastructure, including from the UK, US, and as far away as Norway. The cattail design cast iron trench drain grate was selected as an ecoliteracy storytelling element, suggesting an interrelationship with the river ecosystem. Attractive pedestrian lighting resulted in a safer space at night, and connects the garden with the small parkette improved on the opposite side of the street. And low, circular walls and a flagstone path encourage children to enter the garden. Visiting the site, the mother of the little girl in the image shown told Sheila they visited daily to look at the butterflies. A man who worked across the road said views of the garden transformation made him happier, and he loved eating his lunch on the benches. And a local Toronto Master Gardener wrote about how the garden made her cross the street to admire it, which she never did before (See Toronto Gardens blog posting).

The project was designed by Sheila (then Urban Designer, City Planning), working closely with Patrick Cheung, Senior Engineer, Toronto Water, and was constructed as a City of Toronto capital project with funding from City Planning, Toronto Water, and Transportation Services.