Toronto Love Park | 3m | 1s | City of Toronto | CCxA

Northern Light said:
@evandyk is a parent, so I understand looking at a park space through that lens.

But lets add, not every park should be evaluated solely, or primarily though that lens.
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It may have come across that way, but I didn't really mean it as a criticism. Downtown Toronto is sorely lacking in public green space to sit and eat your lunch, meet a friend, have a coffee, etc. This space is quite nice for that, and will be even better when the trees grow up. I will probably eat lunch there many times over the next few summers when I have time to walk down. It is a fantastic benefit to people who live and work nearby.

But it's not really a destination space like we were led to believe it would be. I wouldn't really go out of my way very far to go there.
 
evandyk said:
It may have come across that way, but I didn't really mean it as a criticism. Downtown Toronto is sorely lacking in public green space to sit and eat your lunch, meet a friend, have a coffee, etc. This space is quite nice for that, and will be even better when the trees grow up. I will probably eat lunch there many times over the next few summers when I have time to walk down. It is a fantastic benefit to people who live and work nearby.

But it's not really a destination space like we were led to believe it would be. I wouldn't really go out of my way very far to go there.
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Anyone knows if it’s turned up on Instagram yet? I think that’s what they meant when they said it would be a destination space. Nowadays, anything that’s ‘grammable is a destination
 
Riseth said:
My only gripe with this park is the lack of more mature trees. I know the ones they planted will grow eventually but I would have liked to see lots of larger trees and a more robust tree canopy to start off.

That's about the only thing the old "park" had going for it.
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In a way the park sort of wants to feel more like an oasis?

It just reminds me of how many newer New York City parks seem to play around stronger edge conditions (more formal edges, clearly-defined lawns) and heavier plantings to break off line-of-sight from the surroundings.
 
evandyk said:
But it's not really a destination space like we were led to believe it would be.
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I disagree! Anecdata, sample size of one, perhaps I'm not a representative Torontonian, whatever, but I've already gone down here a couple of times specifically to visit the park. It is beautiful, especially with the catalpa in bloom, and the people watching is top tier. It does everything an urban park should do, and the design is unlike anything else in the city. It really feels like more than the sum of its parts and I think it, like Berczy, will become an iconic image of downtown.
 
evandyk said:
It may have come across that way, but I didn't really mean it as a criticism. Downtown Toronto is sorely lacking in public green space to sit and eat your lunch, meet a friend, have a coffee, etc. This space is quite nice for that, and will be even better when the trees grow up. I will probably eat lunch there many times over the next few summers when I have time to walk down. It is a fantastic benefit to people who live and work nearby.

But it's not really a destination space like we were led to believe it would be. I wouldn't really go out of my way very far to go there.
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It isn't not a destination space in the Millennium Park sense of the word - but anyone familiar with the design process would know that.

AoD
 
Obviously it's not a Millenium Park. But places like Berczy, Sugar Beach, St. James, etc. have reasons to go other than to sit on a bench and people watch. Sitting on a bench and people watching is a great way to spend time, and you need those places in a city, and that's what Love Park is for.
 
evandyk said:
Obviously it's not a Millenium Park. But places like Berczy, Sugar Beach, St. James, etc. have reasons to go other than to sit on a bench and people watch.
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Sugar Beach, I get, like where else are you going to watch the sugar boats unload. But Love Park feels pretty similar to Berczy in terms of how it's used. They both have water features, they both have DOLAs, they both have grass and lots of seating. Are they fundamentally different in some way I'm missing?
 
Berczy has a fountain, the dog statues, the cat statues, the bird statues, the hand statues, the dog area, the tables, a bunch of hills.
 
evandyk said:
I went down there yesterday, and it does look nice, though there's not a lot going on. I'm not against having a spot with a lot of benches for office workers to eat their lunch, but that seems to be pretty much what it's for. I don't think I'd bother bringing the toddler down there.
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The one time i visited i actually saw lots of toddlers having a blast with the animal statues! Kids also seemed to be having fun touching the water or watching dogs in the park. Not as oriented towards kids as some spaces in Harbourfront, but I think they packed a little something for everyone into this small space.
 
2023/07/18

First time down here. The park was packed on a gloomy Tuesday evening and the water is looking back to normal again!

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A little bit of Berczy Park in Love Park
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Wisteria Watch:
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Berczy also has the flatiron building which by itself is pretty iconic (both the triangular shape, and the great mural on the base side). I think both parks are similar though (and both awesome), it's mostly the location. Love Park, although adjacent to pretty big office buildings, is close to the waterfront.
 
I'll have to do the test myself by bringing my 5 year old son there. I predict that he'll admire the place, and after 10 minutes demand that we go somewhere else.

Anyone seen kids splash around in the pond?
 
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