Parks, Forestry and Recreation at the City of Toronto recently announced a design competition for a new downtown park at 229 Richmond Street West in Toronto. The unencumbered, 2,600 square metre site will be the first major park in the King Spadina neighbourhood in more than 20 years. This project will create much-needed parkland in the rapidly growing neighbourhood.
The two-stage design competition is open to design teams that can include international talent. However, each team must be led by a Landscape Architect registered with the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects.
In this first stage of the competition, the City is seeking submissions from design teams who can demonstrate, through their qualifications, previous work and brief project understanding that they will excel at designing and overseeing the construction of this important new park.
Following the review of the Stage One submissions, a shortlist of teams will be invited to participate in the Stage Two Request for Proposals, and will present conceptual designs to the public and to a Jury of landscape architects, design and art professionals. Shortlisted teams will receive an honorarium of $10,000 each.
Design goals for the new park include reflecting and celebrating the neighbourhood’s cultural scenes and unique history; achieving high standards for sustainability and climate resilience; integrating principles of Indigenous placekeeping, in line with the City’s Reconciliation Action Plan and providing a green oasis to the dense urban core. The park will include a public washroom.
The application submission deadline is March 2, 2023.
More information about the competition, including eligibility and timelines can be found at toronto.ca/229RichmondPark