See www.groundmag.ca to download articles and share content on social media.
See www.groundmag.ca for a digital, searchable, archival database, listing all articles, authors, subjects, key words, etc. published in Ground over the years.
2024-2025 OALA Governing Council
President Stefan Fediuk
Vice President Aaron Hirota
Treasurer Cameron Smith
Secretary Justin Whalen
Past President Steve Barnhart
Councillors
Matthew Campbell Paul Marsala
Matt Perotto
Intern Councillor—Senior Sujana Devabhaktuni
Intern Councillor—Junior Steven Shuttle
Lay Councillor Karen Liu
Appointed Educator
University of Guelph Afshin Ashari
Appointed Educator
University of Toronto
Elise Shelley
University of Guelph
Student Representative Adrienne Kou
University of Toronto
Student Representative Guiliana Costanzo
OALA Staff
Executive Director Aina Budrevics
Registrar Ingrid Little
Coordinator Olivia Godas
Membership Services
Administrator Angie Anselmo
About
Ground: Landscape Architect Quarterly is published by Ontario Association of Landscape Architects and provides an open forum for the exchange of ideas and information related to the profession of landscape architecture. Letters to the editor, article proposals, and feedback are encouraged. For submission guidelines, contact Ground at magazine@oala.ca. Ground reserves the right to edit all submissions. The views expressed in the magazine are those of the writers and not necessarily the views of OALA and its Governing Council.
Upcoming Issues of Ground
Ground 68 (Winter)
Rufugia
Ground 69 (Spring)
Chirp
Deadline for editorial proposals
January 6, 2025
Now seeking submissions at magazine@oala.ca
Deadline for advertising space reservations: January 15, 2025
Advertising space reservation open
Ground 70 (Summer)
Placekeeping
Deadline for editorial proposals March 10, 2025
Now seeking submissions at magazine@oala.ca
Deadline for advertising space reservations: April 9, 2025
Advertising space reservation open
About OALA
The Ontario Association of Landscape Architects works to promote and advance the profession of landscape architecture and maintain standards of professional practice consistent with the public interest. OALA promotes public understanding of the profession and the advancement of the practice of landscape architecture. In support of the improvement and/or conservation of the natural, cultural, social and built environments, OALA undertakes activities including promotion to governments, professionals and developers of the standards and benefits of landscape architecture.
Needs You
Ground relies on OALA members, people from related professions, and those simply passionate about landscapes.
If you would like to contribute in any form, whether it’s writing, photography, or participating as a member of our Editorial Board, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at magazine@oala.ca
Ground Magazine represents the work of many passionate volunteers. If that sounds like you, come join the team!
You do not need to be an OALA member or landscape architect to contribute to either the Editorial Board or the magazine, and anyone who expresses interest will be seriously considered.
03/ Up Front Information on the ground
Intelligence:
08/ Thermal Design using new technology to measure and improve comfort in outdoor spaces
TEXT BY KRISTINA REINDERS, OALA, AND RONG YU
12/ Dorset Park Public School a case study addressing multiple needs through playground design
TEXT BY GAIL BORNSTEIN, OALA
14/ In Pursuit of Sunlight in a Housing Crisis
TEXT BY SONJA VANGJELI, OALA
20/ Round Table
AI & LA: how and when to use these controversial new tools
MODERATED BY JENNIFER WAN
26/ OALA Awards
30/ Notes A miscellany of news and events
42/ Artifact The Killbear Tree
TEXT BY SHANNON GALLANT, OALA
President’s Message
Intelligence is about being sharp, but also practical. Articles within this issue of Ground include practical ways in which intellectual concepts have been implemented into landscape architectural designs, practices, and philosophies to bring the profession to the forefront. Such endeavours are instrumental in our continued pursuit towards practice legislation. Over the summer and well into the fall, our Practice Legislation Committee and members have been using intelligence (as information) to work with various MPPs to move towards our goal of a Landscape Architects Practice Act.
We are also experiencing a significant shift with the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI). While we continue to rely on the brilliant minds in our profession to develop innovative solutions to the various challenges, we must also recognize the possibilities and efficiencies of AI technologies. Ethical considerations and changes to the profession can create moments of pause, but the future will remain bright if we stay agile.
Celebrating a Successful Conference
At the OALA conference, Ripple Effect, over 250 members gathered in Niagara Falls, October 17-18. The event featured thought-provoking learning sessions, including our keynote by representatives from the Niagara Parks Commission and the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority. This presentation explored challenges along the Niagara River, and showcased the results achieved through landscape design and conservation efforts.
We began the conference by celebrating the outstanding achievements of our members at the 2024 OALA Honours and Awards ceremony at the Niagara Parks Power Station.
OALA members play a vital role in our awards program by identifying and nominating deserving candidates. I encourage everyone to review the call for nominations on our website and submit entries for the 2025 OALA Awards. Nominations are now accepted year-round.
2025 Member Dues
OALA members are reminded that 2025 member dues are now available through your member dashboard. Dues are payable by January 7 and are now linked to your Mandatory Continuing Education (MCE) credits. Log into your dashboard to complete your MCE report and pay your member dues.
As we move forward, let’s remain open and curious, ensuring our profession doesn’t just adapt to the evolving landscape but thrives within it.
Editorial Board Message
Our world is changing at a rapid pace. Technological advancements, automation, and artificial intelligence are changing the way we move, learn, work, and play. As a profession that engages with technology every day, the Editorial Board was inspired to produce this fall issue with the theme of Intelligence. In this issue we have investigated the role of technology in our work, how we can leverage new technologies to improve workflows, and how technology can help us to better understand our environments.
The most obvious technological advancement in recent history is the rise of artificial intelligence. AI is rapidly permeating our lives, as evidenced by its incorporation into a number of technologies. We explore the colliding worlds of AI and design in our round table discussion.
In addition to the round table, we have an article submitted by Kristina Reinders and Rong Yu on the City of Toronto’s Thermal Comfort Study, highlighting how technology can help us better assess our urban spaces and inform future design and policy interventions.
The fall issue is now also home to the OALA awards. While we used to combine the OALA and CSLA awards in the summer issue, we have chosen to break them up given that they are now presented at different times of the year. We also felt this allows each to shine independently of one another and provide greater focus on the honourees.
We hope you enjoy this issue of Ground and that it inspires you to think of how you can support the future issues of the magazine through volunteering to moderate a round table or submitting a pitch to the editor at the email below. We look forward to hearing from you for future issues. Our spring issue, which we are seeking stories for, is appropriately themed with new beginnings in mind: Chirp!
MARK HILLMER CHAIR, EDITORIAL BOARD MAGAZINE@OALA.CA
Up Front: Information on the Ground
In 2021, Parks Canada announced a new initiative to establish a series of National Urban Parks nationwide. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of outdoor spaces, especially for those living in urban centres with limited access to nature and green spaces. Urban parks connect people to natural heritage, support conservation efforts, and enrich communities through the cultural heritage of these sites.
Canada has only one national urban park: Rouge National Urban Park in the Scarborough borough of Toronto. The plan is to create a network of up to six national urban parks by 2025 and expand the program to 15 sites by 2030. Parks Canada is collaborating
PARKS guelph national urban park
01/ The GCC hosts a beautiful landscape that deserves to be revitalized.
IMAGE/ Harley Schneider
02/ The facility has been sitting dormant in a mothballed state since the early 2000s.
IMAGE/ Harley Schneider
03/ The Administrative building. The design emulates French Beaux Arts neoclassical architecture.
IMAGE/ Harley Schneider
closely with partners at six candidate sites across Canada to advance this initiative. These partners include provincial and local governments, Indigenous governments and organizations, and other stakeholders.
Although Guelph is not currently being considered for a national urban park, there is a growing movement to establish an urban park at the former Guelph Correctional Centre (GCC). Located in the York District of Guelph, Ontario, this site has been underutilized since it closed in 2002. The GCC and its
surrounding landscape offer significant potential to become one of Canada’s national urban parks. The GCC is a cherished landmark in Guelph, known for its unique and rich history.
Urban Park Guelph is a coalition of local groups advocating for the designation of the GCC property as a national urban park. They aim to preserve the cultural and natural aspects of the site, which is currently used for passive recreation and features several buildings and placemaking elements with cultural heritage significance. Parts of the site
The province has identified the site as surplus and is seeking a buyer for the property. Urban Park Guelph has petitioned for the site's inclusion in the National Urban Park plan, gathering 3,191 signatures before the petition closed in January 2024. Parks Canada has acknowledged the interest in designating the Ontario Reformatory Heritage Conservation District in Guelph as a national urban park site.
are also connected to the Natural Heritage System. The Guelph City Council has approved the boundaries of a cultural heritage district encompassing a 267-acre landscape, including the GCC. Additionally, the site has connections to Indigenous communities, providing opportunities for reconciling the history of Indigenous incarceration and recognizing the impact of the Canadian justice system on Indigenous communities.
In 2018, Infrastructure Ontario led a Strategic Conservation Plan that considered the site for adaptive reuse.
Creating new national urban parks will safeguard biodiversity, enhance climate resilience, foster connections with nature, boost mental health and wellness, celebrate cultural heritage, and strengthen social inclusion. These parks will also provide opportunities to support reconciliation with Indigenous populations in urban centers. The GCC possesses all the necessary attributes to become a National Urban Park, but its future remains to be determined.
04/ The tree-lined drive aisle leads you through the property. Cultural heritage elements can be seen throughout.
IMAGE/ Harley Schneider
05/ One of many lawn signs supporting a National Urban Park that can be spotted around Guelph.
IMAGE/ Ryan De Jong
country, even though we often run away from it. Past the tourists and vendors, Banff proved to be postcard-perfect.
Bus travel is often overlooked and underrated. Flying is definitely quicker, and driving has more autonomy. But the slowly revealed view from a bus window unveils the subtle and not-so-subtle transitions from place to place. Entering a new city by bus tells you a lot about what you can expect, what the city values, and who its people are. It can offer an intense, subjective travel experience.
I have experienced many dramatic moments through bleary bus windows. Trekking with my hiking group for a five-day hike through Kananaskis Alberta was one of those experiences. A bus ride into Banff, then the City of Calgary, onto the grounds of Kananaskis National Park highlighted a juxtaposition between what people bring to a landscape and what their absence makes a space feel like. Our first glimpse of Banff from the bus was marred by tourist buses that filled the parking lot. It ruined the anticipation but taught us a valuable lesson: Canada is a tourist destination. People from other countries really want to visit our
Riding back into Calgary to prepare for the upcoming trek, the bus weaved throughout the city to take us to our hostel. That view inspired perhaps an unfair comparison to Toronto’s urban spaces in various neighbourhoods. Compared to Calgary, Toronto public spaces felt so much more dynamic, with an unbeatable energy. But it wasn’t for a lack of inspiring design: Fly Over Park and High Park are well-designed, creative public spaces in Calgary, but it highlights space without urban density. A city feels different without it.
The next day we were Kananaskis bound. Our bus ride was smooth and trouble free. Pulling into the parking lot of the national park was a much different experience to Banff. The crunch of gravel under the tires were the only sound we heard. We sat up as we got closer, looking at a completely different landscape. Rough, rubbly, and grey. It wasn’t Banff beautiful. “Rugged” was the first word that came to mind. Greenery was sprinkled here
07/
IMAGE/ Sherry Bognato
08/ A Mennonite woman roller skates down the highway in rural Ontario.
IMAGE/ Sherry Bognato
TRAVEL views from a bus
06/ The author hiking Kananaskis, Alberta.
IMAGE/ Sherry Bognato
A lighthouse on Manitoulin Island, Ontario.
and there, but intuitively you knew this territory belonged to the bears, not tourists. From inside it felt a bit intimidating. You could feel the mood switch inside the bus. Silence, combined with a touch of dread, descended on the group as we slowly unloaded our gear. The natural terrain spoke to us of a difficult five days. Getting there by bus exemplified how landscapes, real or manmade, creep up on you, invoking a different perception at every stage.
Toronto to Manitoulin Island by bus was a very different experience. We woke up at 3 a.m. to catch a bus to the Manitoulin Island ferry. This was not the W trail in Patagonia, Machu Picchu in Peru, or the salt columns in Iceland—just Northern Ontario. Sleep deprived, we barely noticed the northern landscape outside our window. Natural beauty often gets overlooked when there is too much of it and it doesn’t change. Arriving in Tobermory to catch the MS Chi-Cheemaun (big canoe) ferry, the humongous vessel with its dramatic Indigenous art was the first and most lasting impression. The sheer size of the boat meant the art was larger than life. If we had not arrived by bus, we would have paid more attention to shifting the car into the right gear to get onto the ferry, making sure we were in the right line up, or watching the clock. The bus allowed us time to view, to experience, and to contemplate the magnitude of what we saw.
travel to be uninspired. But we set out on foot the next day to find the Sheguiandah First Nation Community Court. Designed by ERA Architects, who collaborated with Anishnaabe artist Emily Kewageshig, it is an award-winning community space.
The difference between travelling abroad and travelling in northern Ontario is one of arrogance. Little planning went into this trip. We would never approach a foreign country with the same lackadaisical attitude. Unsurprisingly, we didn’t discover the community centre. It was dark when we decided to turn back, and the only person we saw was a Mennonite woman on roller blades.
Manitoulin Island met us with cooler weather, and the same landscape. We walked an hour to our campsite, set up camp, swam, hiked a mediocre trail, and amused ourselves with stories of bygone, more challenging hikes. We attempted a night hike (a favourite pastime), hoping to stumble upon a wild animal. The reality was we were bored. It was a long way to
But, no matter the outcome for a trip, it was the bus travel that delivered us into the heart of a memorable, lasting experience. Bus travel isn’t just about getting from point A to point B: it’s about the journey itself, and the layers of meaning that reveal themselves along the way. Whether in Canada, or more exotic locations, a bus journey can offer an unfolding experience where the journey really can be as important as the destination.
IMAGE/ Sherry Bognato
10/
IMAGE/ Sherry Bognato
09/ The MS Chi-Cheemaun ferry to Manitoulin Island.
The sky, land, and water of Manitoulin Island.
using new technology to measure and improve comfort in outdoor spaces
TEXT BY KRISTINA REINDERS, OALA, AND RONG YU
Introduction
Landscape architects advocate for a better connection between humans and nature through engaging design, protection of natural areas, and expanding and creating high-quality parks and open spaces. We are tasked with the important role of connecting people with nature in a way that is inclusive and accessible.
However, when we advocate for highquality public spaces, do we consider if those spaces are thermally comfortable? Is it designed to optimize the days of use in the shoulder seasons? Are users protected from sun and have access to the wind in the summer and have access to sun and protection from the wind in the winter? Climate change is causing more extreme heat and cold events, and there is a growing need to design public spaces that optimize comfort in all four seasons.
In 2022, the City of Toronto initiated a thermal comfort study and engaged consultant team Dialog with Buro Happold to develop guidelines. This study is an update to the City’s 1990s “Sun, Wind, and Pedestrian Comfort: A study of Toronto’s Central Area” and utilizes innovative technology to assess the thermal comfort performance of outdoor public realms. Toronto has been experiencing rapid growth for the past 20+ years and, during this time, has required sun/shadow and wind studies on many development sites. The initial 1990s study provided clear direction on how to undertake sun, wind, and pedestrian comfort analysis using wind tunnel physical models, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations, AutoCAD and SketchUp models. Over the past decade,
Residents and visitors enjoying shade in
Park in the summer and sunshine
early spring.
City of Toronto
technology has evolved and more detailed information such as future weather projection data has become publicly available. Modern modelling software enables design professionals to evaluate additional layers of data, and consolidate all comfort factors such as wind, sun radiation, air temperature, and humidity to assess the level of thermal comfort of the outdoor public spaces. As we experience more extreme climate conditions, there is a pressing need to undertake a more comprehensive approach to thermal comfort analysis.
What is Thermal Comfort?
Thermal Comfort is the measure of how someone feels thermally, whether they are too hot or too cold and the degree of their comfort or discomfort. The four primary contributing factors to thermal comfort are air temperature, radiant temperature, relative humidity, and air movement.
The City of Toronto Context
For thermal comfort guidelines to be most impactful, they must reflect and respond to the unique characteristics of the city or town they are addressing. Different climates have different needs and challenges, and although the general methodology can be replicated, there is no one-solution approach. Unique features of Toronto, such as the proximity to Lake Ontario, a rich ravine system, an urban grid, and diversity of building types all have specific impacts on thermal comfort in the city.
Toronto’s Guiding Principles
Through public and stakeholder consultation and engagement with Indigenous communities, six guiding principles were developed:
$ Equity
Apply an equity lens to prioritize vulnerable populations, such as children and seniors, who are affected by extreme outdoor climate conditions. Focus on areas and populations that lack access to high-quality public space.
$ Life-Centric Approach
Design environments where all lives can thrive. Create spaces where trees and vegetation can maximize their growth and support the well-being of all living things.
$ Seasonal Shade and Comfort
Plant deciduous trees to allow for sun protection in warmer months and sun penetration/access in colder months.
$ Shoulder Seasons
Focus on extending outdoor comfort during the spring and fall, recognizing these transitional periods offer the greatest potential for improvement.
$ Different Modes of Transportation
Consider the comfort and well-being of pedestrians, cyclists, public transit users, and motorists, and take a comprehensive approach to the design of urban environments.
$ Toronto-Specific Standards
Consider Toronto’s climate and unique physical characteristics that have a significant influence on the local thermal comfort.
How is Thermal Comfort Measured?
The most broadly applied method for measuring thermal comfort is the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). This is a thermal comfort indicator based on human heat balance models, designed to be applicable in all seasons and climates and for all spatial and temporal scales. The UTCI identifies between 9-26 degrees Celsius as being “comfortable,” which means when humans don’t feel any thermal stress. The UTCI temperature is the “feels like” temperature, and combines the measurement of air temperature, radiant temperature, humidity, and air movement. As part of the Thermal Comfort Study, a Toronto-specific performance criteria and metrics were developed to respond to the specific context of the city.
The table in image 07 on the next page outlines Toronto’s targets for thermal comfort achievement. An acceptable UTCI temperature range is assigned to the month (year period) and period of time during the day (time period). Target values have been established for each of the year periods.
The target values are based on a series of test sites around Toronto, representative of different urban densities, heights, topography, and neighbourhoods. Using these test sites, sensitivity assessments were used to ascertain targets that are both challenging (to encourage a design response sensitive to the thermal comfort needs of occupants) and attainable.
How is Thermal Comfort Assessed?
Integrating current and projected weather data into 3D models enables designers to accurately predict the thermal comfort of design proposals. By comparing existing and proposed conditions, one can ensure the changes have a positive impact on the comfort of public space. The integrated data layers provide an analysis of sunlight, sky view, seasonal wind, and mean radiant temperature. The combination of these layers results in the UTCI temperature at specific moments in time. Through the comparison of existing and proposed conditions, the design team can test the impact of the proposal and make changes to optimize the thermal comfort of the space. The proposal should achieve the defined performance targets and should not adversely impact the conditions previously experienced on the site. Net positive improvement in thermal comfort should be the goal in any design proposal.
How Can Thermal Comfort Studies
Change
the Design Process?
Armed with detailed information on the thermal comfort performance of a proposed landscape, designers can explore options to maximize the comfort of the space and optimize the user experience. The City of Toronto Thermal Comfort Guidelines will include a design toolbox that can be used to mitigate the outdoor thermal comfort condition if the targets are not met. The design toolbox starts with an overall thermal comfort strategy. It requires designers to understand the factors that impact thermal comfort; understand the climatic conditions of the development area and the overall city; and understand human activity patterns. The recommended design strategies are based on three scales: neighbourhood scale, block scale, and public realm and building scale. It provides recommendations on features such as the pattern of streets, placement and design of publicly accessible open spaces, planting design, and placement of site furnishings.
Implementation
In 2025, the Urban Design section in City Planning will develop a terms of reference to clearly outline when and how to undertake a thermal comfort study.
Methodology
Scope
The thermal comfort study should include the following scenarios:
• Existing – what is there already
• Proposed – what is planned
• Mitigated – how that plan can be improved
The effects of the built environment on microclimates within Toronto should be understood not just for now, but also how they might change in the future.
Weather data
Weather data generated from future climate forecasts by CCCS, using projections for 2050 applied to a typical year. These include changes to temperature and humidity which would impact thermal comfort. Thermal comfort is assessed against these conditions to increase longer-term design effectiveness.
2 datasets created covering a meteorological boundary across Toronto for regions near the waterfront, and more inland regions of the city.
Year period
March – May June – August September – October November – February
Acceptable UTCI temperature range 9°C to 26°C (inclusive) 9°C to 32°C (inclusive)
to
The opportunity to inform the design of large development sites, area studies and secondary plans will ensure the comfort of future public space is prioritized at the beginning of the design process and carried through to final design.
Landscape architects have a long tradition of designing with a thermal comfort mindset. Combining technology with additional layers of data will inform the design process and optimize the usability and comfort of public spaces for all. As urban centres continue to grow and extreme climate conditions become more frequent, the design of public spaces will play a key role in ensuring a resilient city.
Sun and wind
Building upon the Sun/Shadow Study ToR, and Pedestrian Level Wind Study, these ToR's overlap but are complementary to each other.
Sun Shadow diagrams for March, October and December 21st can indicate where regions would likely feel cold stress.
Wind
A minimum of 8 (with 16 recommended) wind directions are simulated at the 50%ile for each direction, and then scaled to the annual hourly wind speeds within the provided weather data.
Note: Vegetation and Building Material to be included (existing and proposed). Assume deciduous vegetation, which will become more porous during winter months with loss of foliage.
(inclusive) Target Value
time comfortable in shoulder months
time comfortable in summer months
time comfortable in shoulder months
time comfortable in winter months
03/ Contributing factors for thermal comfort.
IMAGE/ Dialog
04-05/ Toronto heat map and tree canopy cover, showing inter-relationship.
IMAGES/ City of Toronto
06/ Thermal Comfort Study Methodology.
IMAGE/ Buro Happold
07/ Dynamic periodic comfort bands applied in the Toronto Thermal Comfort Guidelines.
IMAGE/ City of Toronto
08/ Thermal Comfort Design Toolbox.
IMAGE/ Dialog
BIOS/ KRISTINA REINDERS, OALA, WORKS FOR THE CITY OF TORONTO AS THE URBAN DESIGN PROGRAM MANAGER FOR PROGRAMS STRATEGIES. SHE HAS SPEARHEADED A NUMBER OF PUBLIC REALM AND STREETSCAPE INITIATIVES, WHICH HAVE RESULTED IN THE CREATION OF MEANINGFUL, CONNECTED PUBLIC SPACES FOR RESIDENTS, WORKERS, AND VISITORS, WHILE COMBATING CLIMATE CHANGE. IN HER CURRENT ROLE, KRISTINA LEADS A DIVERSE WORK PROGRAM TO DELIVER ON TORONTO’S STRATEGIC PRIORITIES. SHE HOLDS A MASTERS OF ARTS IN URBAN DESIGN.
RONG YU IS THE URBAN DESIGN PROJECT MANAGER FOR THE CITY OF TORONTO. AS THE URBAN DESIGN LEAD, RONG MANAGES COMPLEX PLANNING STUDIES AND LARGE-SCALE PROJECTS. RECENT PROJECTS INCLUDE THE MID-RISE BUILDING DESIGN GUIDELINES UPDATE, THERMAL COMFORT STUDY FOR OUTDOOR PUBLIC REALMS, EHON MAJOR STREET STUDY, YONGE STREET NORTH PLANNING STUDY, DON MILLS CROSSING SECONDARY PLAN, AND THE MIRVISH VILLAGE REDEVELOPMENT. RONG HOLDS A BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE FROM WUHAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND A MASTER OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN FROM UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES. SHE IS A FULL MEMBER OF THE ONTARIO PROFESSIONAL PLANNING INSTITUTE AND THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE OF PLANNERS.
a case study addressing multiple needs through playground design
IMAGE/ Courtesy of Contance Hammond
02/ The playground shade structure.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of Toronto District School Board
03/ The larger Dorset Park playground structure.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of Contance Hammond
04/ A closer view of the lobster trap play structure.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of Toronto District School Board
The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) is the largest school board in Canada and the fourth largest in North America, with nearly 600 schools and approximately 238,000 students. Dorset Park Public School is a kindergarten to grade eight school in Scarborough, an eastern suburb of Toronto. Dorset Park PS’s school grounds are extensive, with large front and back fields.
Dorset Park PS first opened in 1957, and now has a population around 250 students. The school serves a diverse student population, which includes students with disabilities and special education needs. There are neurotypical students and students enrolled in Diagnostic Kindergarten (DK) and
Developmental Disability (DD) programs. The students in DK and DD classes are in specialized programs called Intensive Support Programs or ISPs, which are classes designed to meet the needs of neurodiverse students with added support throughout their school day, says TDSB’s Dianne Bales.
As stated in the TDSB’s Multi-Strategic Plan:
“We believe that equity of opportunity and equity of access to our programs, services and resources are critical to the achievement of successful outcomes for all those whom we serve, and for those who serve our school system. The board is therefore committed to ensuring that fairness, equity, and inclusion are essential principles of our school system and are integrated into all our policies, programs operations and practices.”
Shared school grounds can pose challenges for students with disabilities and special education needs, and the staff who support them. Play structures/spaces are not always universally accessible and students with disabilities and special education needs often require specialized playground features to ensure their safety and well-being, while also promoting participation, engagement, and inclusion. Sometimes it is necessary to provide enclosed spaces to support students who may demonstrate eloping behaviours by providing a visible boundary, while also adding a barrier for safety.
In March 2021, staff from the TDSB Sustainability Department/Team met virtually with Dorset Park PS Principal Constance Hammond, who was instrumental in launching this project and keeping it on track, and two professionals from Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy (OT/PT) Services at the TDSB, Bales as well as Pauline Dekker, visited the school in June of the same year
01/ The lobster trap inspired play structure at Dorset Park Public School, Toronto.
TEXT BY GAIL BORNSTEIN, OALA
to determine the best location for a new playground for students in the school’s DK and DD programs. The school’s goal in revamping the play space was to improve accessibility and provide a safe play area for students with disabilities and special education needs.
Dekker and Bales provided the following observations in June:
“Access to physical play and playing on playgrounds is essential in building a wide variety of skills including gross motor, fine motor skills, coordination, balance, sense of body awareness, sensory awareness as well as communication and social skills. These skills are instrumental for overall development.”
The site was a clean slate which offered virtually no constraints.
Climbing equipment provided the stage for building body and directional awareness, encouraging predictability and safety, helping support fine and gross motor skill development, and in motor planning.
Wooden climbing features were also incorporated into the design to broaden the range of features that would help in the development of balance, coordination, and strength. The A-frame climber is a TDSB-built feature that has been added to many schools’ playgrounds.
The vision of a playground that could engage and support the children in the special education classes was a collaborative approach that included the principal, teachers, support staff, and OT/PT staff consultants.
The new playground needed to provide play and learning opportunities for students aged three to 12 and had to be completely accessible with a connecting pathway for pedestrians and trikes. A new play structure that included a swing and slide was also essential. The use of swings and a slide stimulates and regulates the balance (vestibular) sensory system.
An enclosure that provides some respite from the playground and a quiet space for personal space and reduced sensory stimuli is a benefit in all playgrounds. The wood “Lobster Trap” was developed by the TDSB
in-house design construction team to provide such an enclosure. There are sensory bins in which safe and intentional materials are selected by educators for students to explore.
In consideration of accessibility, to transition from the asphalt pathway to safety surfacing, artificial turf was chosen.
A communication board was designed in consultation with the TDSB Speech Language Pathology Team in 2021 and was incorporated into the Dorset Park PS design. Communication boards are now being installed at many schools across the TDSB for use by non-speaking students.
Four types of seating were provided in the playground: a shade structure using a rectangular wood table with logs and stump at the entrance, armour stones which lined a portion of the asphalt path, log benches, and a round table with stumps on the west side of the path.
Large native deciduous trees were planted along the three sides of the playground to provide long term shade.
The design was undertaken by Robert Cram of Cram Workshop, Landscape Architect, arborist and sculptor, who brought all the features together in a beautiful and wellintegrated playground geared for students with disabilities and special education needs, but beneficial for all students. The TDSB Construction crews did a great job in installing Robert’s design.
The playground was officially opened to Dorset Park PS students in the school’s Diagnostic Kindergarten (DK) and Developmental Disability (DD) programs on September 28, 2023. Principal Constance Hammond says, “The inclusive playground has been a game-changer for us!”
BIOS/ GAIL BORNSTEIN, OALA, IS A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT PROVIDING SCHOOL GROUND GREENING AND DESIGN SUPPORT FOR THE TDSB, CHILD CARE, AND THE ECOSCHOOLS PROGRAM SINCE 2011. GAIL HOLDS DEGREES IN BIOLOGY AND A MASTER OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE. SHE HAS EXPERIENCE WORKING FOR MUNICIPALITIES, THE MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING FIRMS, AND A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE FIRM. SHE HAS ALSO DEVELOPED WITH TDSB CONSTRUCTION STAFF A DESIGN BUILD APPROACH TO PROVIDING VARIED NATURE AND PLAY BASED EXPERIENCES FOR STUDENTS OF ALL AGES.
TEXT BY SONJA VANGJELI, OALA
THE HOUSING CRISIS & QUALITY OF LIFE
A sliver of sunlight moves across the street like a sundial as office workers try to catch a few rays of sunshine at lunch before heading back into the office. Sunlight is hard to come by in downtown Toronto, amongst all the new high-rise development. Toronto is famously home to the greatest number of cranes and active construction sites on the continent, and the skyline is changing rapidly.
The current housing affordability crisis has polarized debates on quality of life issues like sunlight, often deeming it less important than maximizing density to deliver more housing. In recent years, the crisis has driven an unprecedented pace of change in regulatory policies and government
programs. It has even been shifting design culture from a focus on quality toward efficiency and standardization, in order to deliver housing more rapidly and maximize density. The incremental deregulation of development to build housing faster is beginning to compromise the values that make cities livable—access to sunlight, sky views, green space, and non-residential mixed uses. The response to this temporary crisis will have long-term implications for the livability of our cities and our future quality of life.
As landscape architects, we understand cities are part of their natural environment, as living systems that evolve over centuries and rely on the metabolic processes of nature to sustain life. Just like plants and animals need access to sunlight, water, clean air, and contact with other species, humans are sophisticated animals that rely on our urban habitat to survive. If the city stops being habitable, people will leave looking for greener pastures, as they did in the last century.
This topic was the subject of a multidisciplinary debate at the OALA’s inaugural Town Hall, April, titled “The Life and Death of Great Canadian Cities: an Interdisciplinary Debate on the Future of Affordable Housing and Quality of Life.” Headlined by former mayor David Crombie, and moderated by Globe and Mail architecture critic Alex Bozikovic, the event brought together leaders from
01-02/ Slivers of sunlight in Toronto.
IMAGES/ Sonja Vangjeli
03/ Toronto’s highrise development, 2022.
IMAGE/ City of Toronto Graphics & Visualizations
the planning, design, and development disciplines in a discussion about trade-offs between delivering affordable housing and quality of life and achieving an optimal balance through design. A key takeaway was the power of design to balance competing priorities in response to a specific context, aiming to achieve multiple objectives to varying degrees.
THE RIGHT TO SUNLIGHT
A hot topic in the debate on quality of life is sunlight access in the densifying city. Some defend it fiercely, others argue that in our warming climate and housing crisis, sunlight is no longer an issue worthy of our attention. There are two types of sunlight access: the right to natural sunlight on private property, within buildings and private yards, and the right to sunlight on public spaces and streets. The protection of private access to sunlight is now sometimes dismissed as NIMBYISM, since it often comes into conflict with building multifamily housing in lots adjacent to single family homes. Sunlight on public space generally has greater support, but is also challenged by some climate change advocates like Sam Bloch, who argue shade, instead of sunlight, should be this century’s priority.
Sun access regulation has a long history from British common law based on the Ancient Lights Doctrine of 1832, to New York’s Zoning Ordinance of 1916 that shaped its skyscrapers, to the Rights of Light Act of 1959. In the 1980s, sun access to solar collectors for harvesting energy became the priority, and researchers like Ralph Knowles developed sophisticated methodologies for measuring sunlight and for shaping built form regulations to achieve it. More recently in 2016, Charles Waldheim and the Office for Urbanization revived this topic with the heliomorphism project, to develop a renewed approach for solar responsive design as part of ecological urbanism.
In Toronto, the method for evaluating sun/ shadow impacts and microclimate that has informed urban design guidelines for decades was developed by Peter Bosselman, with the 1990s study “Sun, Wind, and Pedestrian Comfort: A Study of Toronto’s Central Area”. Sun access regulations have been part of city policies and design guidelines for decades, from George Baird’s 1974 report “On Building Downtown”, the 1993 zoning bylaw, the 1998 Official Plan, 2006-2013 Tall Building Guidelines, to the 2018 TO Core Downtown Secondary Plan. Research done for TO Core, as well as a recent scan of other municipalities in the US and Canada show that, like Toronto, most cities manage sunlight access through their policies and urban design guidelines.
04-05/ Knowles’ Solar Envelopes and Built Form.
IMAGES/ Ralph Knowles
06-07/ Bosselman’s modified solar fan for Osgoode Hall Gardens and zoning heights map.
IMAGES/ Peter Bosselman
It is true that our climate is warming, and extreme weather and temperatures are already being felt across the planet. Our summers are getting noticeably hotter and creating health risks, particularly for more vulnerable populations. Shade is desperately needed and should be more equitably distributed. The best approach for providing shade across the city is through planting deciduous trees, which create seasonal shade in the hot summer months and shed their leaves to allow for sunlight access in the cold winter and shoulder seasons. The seasonal modulation of shade and sunlight access through the canopies of trees is important to differentiate from the more permanent cold shadow cast by buildings in a winter city like Toronto. However sunlight is not just about thermal comfort, it is an essential ingredient of life and natural processes like photosynthesis and evapotranspiration, key to providing clean air and water and sustaining plant and animal life in our polluted urban environments. For humans, it is a key factor for mental and physical health and for quality of life.
A recent thesis study by Matthew Canaran at the University of Guelph analyzed remaining sun access in Toronto’s downtown core. Using parametric tools Rhino, Grasshopper, and Ladybug, he mapped out cumulative sun exposure across the public realm of the downtown core, suggesting where to invest in public spaces where people can enjoy all seasons. In addition to this quantitative approach to measuring sunlight, Canaran uses timelapse photography to make the case for qualitative analysis of the relationship between sunlight and how people occupy public space. This qualitative aspect of sunlight is often overlooked in urban design analysis, yet it is what influences our urban experience and wellbeing most directly.
IMAGE/ Sonja Vangjeli
09-10/ Quantitative Analysis of Aggregated Solar Exposure.
IMAGES/ Matthew Canaran
11-12/ Qualitative Representation of Sunlight and Use of Public Space.
IMAGES/ Matthew Canaran
In a housing crisis, it may seem trivial to some to insist on sun access performance standards for new developments, at the expense of potential additional housing units, as suggested in a 2023 Globe & Mail article called “City of Shadows.” However, these solar policies and design guidelines are what preserve the livability of the city and its public realm in the long run.
PLANNING FOR SUNLIGHT
How performative phenomena like sunlight should be regulated and encoded in urban design master plans and planning policies is an evolving debate. Form-based approaches like angular planes and stepbacks found in Toronto’s built form design guidelines have fallen out of favour and are giving way to less
prescriptive, performance-based metrics that specify the number of hours of sunlight at the equinoxes on sidewalks, or a percentage of allowable new shadow area on parks. For example, the Downtown Plan includes a strategy of no net new shadows on sunprotected parks.
Solar envelopes, a zoning tool introduced in the ‘80s by Knowles and Bosselman, defined the volume within which buildings could be shaped to not impede sun access to public spaces. This concept has been revived by contemporary designers utilizing parametric tools to model the geometric interpretation of solar performance metrics over time, carving generic zoning height envelopes in order to allow the desired amount of sunlight to reach key public spaces for defined periods of time [see Image 13]. Formalizing performance metrics into solar envelopes as part of zoning provides clarity and enforceable policies, but also creates opportunities for environmentally responsive and architecturally novel built form, as shown by Jeanne Gang’s Solar Carve Tower in New York City, designed to preserve sunlight to the High Line.
08/ Dappled light through tree canopy in urban park.
THE PROMISE OF PUBLIC LANDS
Development on publicly owned lands like much of Toronto’s eastern waterfront can be planned proactively, well ahead of block-by-block design proposals. They offer a blank slate for testing and showcasing environmental design and planning methodologies.
Take, for example, Villiers Island—a 40-hectare new island—created by the new re-naturalized Lower Don River. The island was just renamed Ookwemin Minising, meaning the place of the Black Cherry Trees in Anishinaabemowin/Ojibwemowin.
Poignantly, the name chosen for the river park defining the southeast shores of the island, Biidasige, means “sunlight shining toward us” in Anishinaabemowin.
The island is nearly all public land and is envisioned to become a model sustainable community. A framework plan for the Port Lands and a Precinct Plan for Villiers Island were developed and approved in 2017 to set the vision and guidelines for future revitalization and development. Sustainability and microclimate analyses (sun exposure and wind studies) were done at the time to inform the built form urban design guidelines of the precinct plan.
In response to the recent housing crisis and evolving market trends, in 2022 City Council directed staff to revisit the original plan to significantly increase density and maximize the number of housing
IMAGE/ Sonja
14/ Studio Gang Architects’ Solar Carve Tower, New York City.
IMAGE/ Studio Gang Architects
units in order to expand opportunities for affordable housing on the waterfront.
The resulting Density Study undertaken between 2022-24 used parametric modelling and analysis tools, as well as old-fashioned shadow studies discussed in collaborative design workshops, to evaluate various built form and density scenarios—trying to optimize density while preserving sunlight and views
on key areas of the public realm. Solar performance metrics, defined as a number of hours of sunlight from noon at the fall and spring equinoxes, were set for key public spaces like planned pedestrian streets, promenades, and parks with sensitive aquatic habitat, and paired with more specific built-form parameters along them to ensure the desired sun access. The remaining blocks were to be left flexible, guided by the analogy of a “loose fitting suit” approach to flexible zoning permissions that would allow for a variety of built forms and could maximize density.
The question that arose at the end of the study was where and how to best encode all the design intelligence gained from the analysis of the priority sun access areas within the planning instruments that will guide and regulate future development— the Official Plan policies, Zoning Bylaw or the Precinct Plan Urban Design Guidelines. It was unclear which mechanism would strike the optimal balance between enforceability and flexibility for long-term future development, while not hindering architectural creativity. In the final 2024 Precinct Plan Amendment, the zoning envelopes were genericized to prioritize formal “flexibility” with little differentiation or further definition of built form around the priority sunlight public spaces from the study. Although key sun access performance metrics were included as guidelines.
13/
Concept of carving parks’ solar envelopes from built form envelopes to secure sunlight into the Lower Don, academic work at Harvard GSD.
Vangjeli
Other large development sites in progress such as Downsview in North York and the Golden Mile in Scarborough have followed similar approaches of defining sun access in words as guidelines, but also as policies in secondary plans. When these provisions are described in words, as opposed to a geometric zoning envelope, they are often harder to interpret and evaluate in practice in the design and review of development proposals. When they are included in nonbinding design guidelines as opposed to policy and zoning, they are also more challenging to enforce and defend in negotiated appealed cases.
The solar envelope of Knowles and Bosselman is a concept worth reintegrating into our planning instruments, with the added capabilities of time-based parametric tools to help optimize valued parameters like sunlight in our designs for greater density. We now have tools to visualize, analyze and optimize sunlight access and microclimate, and use them to inform the definition of our built form plans. These methodologies
should be integrated in our day-to-day urban design work, to create more intelligent and precise guidelines and policies.
Public lands like the Port Lands are prime opportunities to encode design intelligence in planning decisions. They are fertile grounds for architectural experimentation, planning innovation, and deeper engagement with the broader public on important quality of life issues, and should set the benchmark for future development. As we move toward updating as-of-right zoning for avenues and neighbourhoods with more complex ownership, these more sophisticated planning tools could make an even bigger difference for the provision of sunlight on future public realm city-wide.
15/ Villiers Island Demonstration Plan, Precinct Plan 2024.
IMAGE/ Waterfront Toronto
16/ Diagram illustrating the maximum base building and tower heights in North South (top) and East-West (bottom) cross sections through the island, Villiers Island Precinct Plan.
IMAGE/ Waterfront Toronto
17/ Villiers Island Shadow Study at noon on fall equinox.
IMAGE/ Waterfront Toronto
Sunlight has a long history of design and regulation for good reason, because it is an essential requirement for life on earth. Current attempts to devalue and deregulate our collective right to sunlight in relation to the housing crisis and climate change could result in dire consequences for human and ecosystem health if left unchallenged.
THE ROLE OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
The quality of public spaces landscape architects design are directly influenced by the modulation of sunlight, by the surrounding built form, and the planning policies by which they are guided. Built form and public space should be designed and planned holistically at the same time. Urban design master plans and the policies that regulate their implementation over time should be guided by a strong vision for the public realm, led by landscape architects in close collaboration with colleagues in architecture, urban design, and planning to optimize density and built form while ensuring livability and quality of life. The tools and methods for testing and defining solar envelopes and translating them to words as performance metrics to be secured in planning policy, zoning, and guidelines are readily available, and could become part of our design workflows and our scope of work.
In the context of the current housing crisis and the resulting building boom, the role of landscape architects is more critical than ever to ensure the long-term sustainability and ecological vitality of the city. We should not remain complacent in current public debates on housing, but should speak up for quality of life, public health, and ecological resilience. Landscape architects need to better engage with the public to cultivate landscape literacy and to help people remember the essential qualities that make cities livable and the value of the public realm, before it is too late.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: I AM GRATEFUL TO CAITLYN GIBBONS, CITY PLANNING LIBRARIAN FOR HER ASSISTANCE WITH RESEARCH ON THE POLICY SCAN OF SUN ACCESS REGULATIONS AND LITERATURE REVIEW, AS WELL AS MANY OF MY URBAN DESIGN COLLEAGUES. BIOS/ SONJA VANGJELI, OALA, IS A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT AND URBAN DESIGNER WITH EXPERIENCE IN PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTOR MULTIDISCIPLINARY PLANNING AND DESIGN AND TRAINED AS M.ARCH AND MLA. AT THE CITY OF TORONTO URBAN DESIGN, SHE WORKS AT THE INTERSECTION OF RESEARCH, DESIGN AND POLICY AND IS AN ADVOCATE FOR NATURE-BASED INFRASTRUCTURE AND ECOLOGICAL URBANISM.
MODERATED BY JENNIFER WAN
BIOS/
LINDSAY JUNG, BID, BCSLA, IS A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT WITH OVER A DECADE OF EXPERIENCE IN DESIGNING COMMUNITY-FOCUSED, SUSTAINABLE PUBLIC SPACES. CURRENTLY WITH JANET ROSENBERG & STUDIO, SHE INTEGRATES AI INTO THE LANDSCAPE DESIGN WORKFLOW.
MATT PEROTTO, OALA, IS A SENIOR ASSOCIATE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT AT JANET ROSENBERG & STUDIO (JRS) AND A SESSIONAL INSTRUCTOR II AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO (U OF T) DANIELS FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, LANDSCAPE, AND DESIGN.
MATTHEW SPREMULLI IS RESEARCH MANAGER AT AUTODESK RESEARCH AND A SESSIONAL LECTURER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO, BOTH IN THE MASTERS OF ARCHITECTURE AND MASTERS OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE PROGRAM. HE HOLDS A MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE AS WELL AS A HONOURS BACHELOR OF ARTS AND SCIENCE WITH DISTINCTION FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO.
JENNIFER WAN IS A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURAL INTERN AND DESIGNER BASED IN TORONTO. SHE WORKS AT ERA ARCHITECTS AND IS A GROUND EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBER.
Jennifer Wan: How would you describe your relationship or connection with AI? How do you use it? Are you a skeptic or an enthusiast?
Lindsay Jung: AI is becoming a valuable tool for many different industries and in everyday life. I feel landscape architecture is a little bit behind, but I can still see so much potential for its use in phases of the design process, analyses or reports, graphics, and even environmental impact assessments. AI can be a good influence and make our workflow more efficient.
Matthew Spremulli: While I’m optimistic, I would like to see AI steered into solving specific problems in the near-term future, as opposed to being treated like a blanket statement or approach.
Matt Perotto: My exposure to AI, especially in our profession, has really come with the onset of ChatGPT. Suddenly, we were hit with
a whole bunch of image-generation tools that could produce anything—a dog wearing a party hat riding a bicycle. In landscape architecture circles, we talk about imagegeneration. But there are many different types of AI tools and ways to use them. It’s sometimes fatiguing to participate in dialogues when everyone talks about AI as a big, blanket statement, without having the patience or interest to investigate what the heck AI even means.
It’s almost a term we should stop using, because it’s too broad and vague. I’m not a skeptic. There are tools I use frequently: generative machine learning tools, optimizations associated with Grasshopper, ChatGPT, and we use things for research. We just need, as a discipline, to learn about and stay on top of AI tools.
JW: Landscape is a very human-oriented field. We address human needs. How can AI tools contribute to or detract from that aspect of the profession? How does it transform the landscape architect’s role?
MP: Without a baseline understanding of what AI is, people wonder where the designer fits in. Is AI going to design all our parks and public spaces? I don’t think so. Certainly not in the immediate future.
The landscape architect, the architect, the designer are still wearing the creative hat. AI can streamline more tedious, repetitive tasks—things that are an important part of a design process that could be optimized—but creativity is still the human aspect of the design process. And will be for a very long time.
LJ: I agree: AI is not about taking someone’s role, it’s about efficiency. I did a lot of 3D model renders. With AI, I didn’t spend as much time with the details. I created something I wanted to put somewhere and then AI filled in details. I spent less time on
visualization, but still I still put my creativity in, based on analysis.
MS: For impact on the profession, it depends what type of AI we are talking about. Yes, it can be leveraged for efficiency, an example being large language models helping to co-pilot research on a project, or acting like a code compliance guru in the future. Maybe, in the near future when it can handle multimodal input, it can review plans or models and act like a computerized critic. But, with generative AI, especially image- or 3D model-generators, it could be an actual source of creativity and inspiration.
In the future, I can imagine a mixture of traditional creative authorship and asking AI to help suggest a mix of ideas to help visualize what something might look like. I would act as a curator of options.
LJ: With AI, the fun part is the (sometimes unexpected) outcome. Asking A but being given B and realizing B is not a bad idea.
MP: But, even in those instances, you, as the designer or user, are defining the question to begin with.
02-03/ Interconnected Pocket Parks 2 and Multiuse Building renderings
Krish Jain
04/ Midjourney rendering.
IMAGE/ Jeff Cutler
05-06/ AI helped add bicycle helmets to a presentation, before and after.
IMAGES/ Lindsay Jung
07/ Bird's eye rooftop garden AI rendering.
IMAGE/ Adele McWhinnie
08/ Plaza AI rendering.
IMAGE/ Krish Jain
09-10/ Photoshop AI renderings before and after.
IMAGES/ Lindsay Jung
JW: Do you have instances of funny or unexpected stories outcomes of using AI?
MS: My students have had weird examples.
MP: Yeah, I was playing around with Photoshop Beta for a project with a very urgent deadline where I had to make a rendering in no time. I figured I might as well try the Beta. I threw this render output into it and said, “Put a bunch of people here.” It was just funny how painterly the outputs of the people were: some of them were not that weird, while others had their head stuck to their shoe or weird faces.
LJ: I think that’s getting better. I did a render of a bicycle path with riders on it. The feedback from the City was, “We want the people in the picture wearing bicycle helmets.” So I highlighted the heads in Beta and typed “bicycle helmet,” and, in one second, they all had helmets. I sent it right back to the City. Convenient.
MS: Some of my students deliberately tried to pair something strange and pattern-based
with something very explicitly landscapebased. Imagine a top-down view, but forcibly mashing together something abstract. In the case I’m remembering, it was skin conditions people might be afflicted by and some type of well-known landscape. The best result I saw was cystic acne and chickenpox combined with marshes. The student thought, “Geometrically, this could be something fascinating to inhabit.” They went on and pursued it as an actual project.
JW: That really shows the creativity of the prompter. I would never have thought of that.
What AI models, tools, and workflows are most useful for landscape architects?
MP: That’s a tough question, because there’s a lot of different types of AI tools that can be useful for a typical landscape architect’s workflow. But this requires a certain amount of consideration. It’s important to explore and just have fun, because that’s how we learn. It’s like that with any kind of software. Matthew’s assignment allowed students to be creative, try things, and discover the relationship between word prompts and results.
But, when it comes to being productive in the workplace, it’s a challenge, especially when we, as landscape architects in private practice, are billing hours and need to stay on track. It’s attractive to think how AI can be used to save time, but you have to know when to use it. When it comes to rendering a site plan, there’s a danger, because, in
the past 20 years of digitized computer rendering, we confront questions of detail. For example, when is the right time to use Photoshop to render a site plan with photorealistic textures? If you’re at concept design, there’s a risk of over-rendering flower textures and planting beds et cetera, when you might be better off in early design phases being more illustrative and general.
Some students think they don’t need to learn how to use Photoshop, because AI can render it. You receive images and graphics that are clearly rendered by an AI tool. Those students don’t understand the detailed thinking that would’ve had to go into producing that graphic. So my answer is: it depends and it requires a level of knowledge about when to deploy certain tools.
LJ: I’ll speak about three different categories. The first is visualization. Things like Midjourney or other graphic visualization AI we can use for inspiration and digital art. I use it to create texture and
certain graphics. We can use AI to make our own library of these things.
The next category is style: we can use AI to switch visual styles.
Finally, the category ChatGPT will be most popular for is data analysis. We get a lot of data from surveys. With ChatGPT, we can integrate the workflow, analysis, the data of trends, and people’s preferences. From there, it can help produce a report. We feed the information into AI and give an example of the format we want, and then we have a report. But we are the last person to edit everything.
MS: I can imagine a variety of tools coming out, both in the near and long-term future. Thinking about skills landscape architects will need to navigate this emergence of tools, I would put them into two groups. The first is input: clarifying your intent and being articulate, deliberate, and systematic about how you approach an AI generator. But also being conscious about when to flip into creative mode.
Next is data analysis or even data science, which is the output. Once you’ve created or have the computer create thousands of versions of something, how do you filter that down and understand what is more or less successful for your specific design intent? The skill I can imagine landscape architects missing, as a piece in their tool belt, is being systematic and bringing a curatorial framework to all those options.
JW: How do clients and other stakeholders respond to seeing the AI-generated work?
MS: I’m personally finding things like generative design, which is essentially the use of a genetic algorithm or multi-objective optimization, is becoming much more palatable with customers and clients. Now that it’s been out for about nine years, a lot of people are getting comfortable with the fact that a genetic algorithm will iterate a design on your behalf and yield high performing options. There is trust in that now. What is still a bit of a question is on the generative AI
side—the use of large language models for prompts, or for acting like a research assistant, or on the image generation side. Because the level of control on these is not yet refined and you are limited by your input. But I think that level of control will be pushed upon by the industries AI is being applied to, to accurately reflect the level of trust that is needed.
LJ: I was working a lot with the City. They don’t really know what parts we use AI for yet. So, even though we use it for many different parts of design process, the client isn’t necessarily aware. They don’t have much information about AI, and I can feel the trust Matthew mentioned is still low. That needs more progress. We need to have sessions with clients about how we use AI, when, and its impact on our designs.
MP: I find, even internally, there’s bit of a lack of trust. I’m all for exploration, but, when it comes to being under the gun, I would still rather have someone spend six hours building a rendering than 30 minutes using some kind of image generator. I have anxiety about that person thinking it’s perfect when there’s got to be errors, and then I have to spend all this time looking it over. So there’s a trust factor, for sure, and it’s internal. And if, internally, we are a bit anxious about certain
tools, that’s not something you would want to advertise to your clients, externally.
However, you’re not usually disclosing the methods used to produce a product. You’re providing the client with a product, and you, as the consultant, own the quality of that product. As a designer, you use tools you need, that you believe in, that can produce a product you are happy with and that fulfills your contractual requirements.
JW: Are there important ethical issues when it comes to AI integration in landscape architecture?
MP: It’s always important to be thinking about ethics—especially where information comes from. My own internal dialogue, as we’re working through design processes, is, “Where is the information coming from? And what level of confidence do I have in the material and the source?” And then, “What requirement is there for me to have a very tight margin of error on whatever it is I’m producing?” Finally, “What are the expectations that certain information is my own original work?”
MS: All the large image-making tools or large language models use billions of data points. That is where the ethics question comes in because, to echo Matt, that can be opaque. There’s the question of whether the data is sourced, used, and credited ethically, or is being understood by your prompt in an ethical manner. But there are
other AI tools that leverage small models. And this is where tools are being developed for customers to bring in their own data. This is where the ethics falls squarely back on the user: if you feed your small model thousands of data points of your own designs, it’s your ethical responsibility now, because it’s literally your own material. So I want to paint a picture where the future isn’t dictated only by the large models. There is an alternative future that we can collectively build and experiment with that
using small models. And this may help a number of topics, whether it’s data sourcing, cost, or ethics. AI is being shaped at the moment. We don’t have to solely rely on big companies to give us tools. We have the means to create our own.
LJ: Responsibility and professional judgment is really important. Don’t rely on the AI one hundred per cent. I once used an AI tool with my previous boss where we both asked it the same thing but got different results. Depending on how you ask, you’re getting totally different answers. My boss had more experience, so he got better results.
Lastly, I’ve heard of new graduate students using computer tools in the early stage of design. I still believe the old-fashioned, hand-sketched way enhanced our creativity. We still need balance between old and new tools. You can’t use AI for everything. It’s an extension of our existing tools.
MS: AI is here to stay. But it’s not going to replace jobs. People who use AI may become a bit more efficient or co-creative, but I don’t think it’s anything to be scared of. Also remember that AI is a How, not a What. If it’s not assisting you in how you do a task and you’re just using it for its own sake, you might be missing the point.
MP: I read a quote that said, “I want AI to do my laundry and dishes, so that I can do art and writing. Not for AI to do my art and writing, so that I can do my laundry and dishes.” To me, that is the power of AI. It’s not about seeing AI as a creativity generator.
11-12/ Toronto Green City, and Geometric Pathway AI renderings
IMAGES/ Adele McWhinnie
13-14/ Midjourney AI renderings.
IMAGES/ Jeff Cutler
15-16/ Pathway and Pocket Park AI renderings.
IMAGES/ Adele McWhinnie
17/ Geometric Urban Park AI rendering.
IMAGE/ Krish Jain
18/ Midjourney AI rendering.
IMAGE/ Jeff Cutler
2024 OALA AWARDS
Congratulations to all those honoured with the 2024 OALA Recognition Awards, and special thank you to the OALA Honours, Awards and Protocol Committee (HAP) members: Steve Barnhart (Chair), Jane Welsh, James Melvin, Nelson Edwards, Ashley Hosker, and Stefan Fediuk. The awards were presented on October 17th at the OALA Awards Ceremony at the Niagara Parks Power Station.
01/ Wetland restoration.
02/ Trees for Guelph.
OALA AWARDS
THE CARL BORGSTROM AWARD FOR SERVICE TO THE ENVIRONMENT
This award recognizes an OALA member who practices in an environmentally, socially, culturally, and economically sensitive and sustainable manner. Ecologically sound and sustainable design does not preclude aesthetically beautiful work, nor vice versa, and this award is intended to recognize such efforts.
Heather Schibli, OALA, CSLA
OALA AWARD FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE TO THE ENVIRONMENT
This public outreach award recognizes and encourages special or unusual contributions for culturally sensitive and inclusive, sustainable design solutions leading to the improvement of environmental health, community livability, and human interaction in the environment. The award may also recognize work that contributes to addressing climate change and supports nature-based solutions.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of Heather Schibli
IMAGE/ Courtesy of Trees for Guelph
Heather Schibli is dedicated to ecologically-based landscape design and community engagement. She spearheaded the mini-forest project (a collaboration between Dougan & Associates, Green Communities Canada, and Canadian Geographic), which involved over 1,300 native plantings and nearly 200 volunteers. Through her advocacy and effective communication, Heather has fostered widespread awareness and set a benchmark for environmental stewardship.
Trees for Guelph
Since 1990, Trees for Guelph has impacted the City of Guelph's urban canopy through environmental education, community leadership, and planting trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants. The mission to enhance Guelph's natural landscape has resulted in the planting of over 175,000 native trees and shrubs, and their inclusive approach has engaged thousands of volunteers.
This award acknowledges the outstanding leadership of a member of the profession in public service who promotes and enhances landscape architecture by working for improved understanding and appreciation of the work of landscape architects in both public and private practice. The award may be given to an individual in recognition of a specific project, for a body of work, or for exemplary leadership or advocacy.
There are three recipients this year.
Julie Michaud, OALA, CSLA
Julie Michaud has been the City of London's Senior Landscape Architect for two decades. Some of her recent project examples include the Springbank Park accessible staircase, and award-winning public spaces such as Lome Avenue Park, and East Lions Park. Julie ensures that parkland planning, operations, maintenance, accessibility, safety, and enjoyment are seamlessly integrated.
Joanne Moran, OALA, FCSLA
Joanne Moran shaped Ottawa's parks and communities for over 35 years. As former OALA President and a member of the CSLA Board, her advocacy advanced the profession. She led nearly one thousand park construction projects ranging from lifecycle replacements to multimillion-dollar builds. Her work includes the Ottawa River shoreline, calming erosion at Petrie Island beach, and improvements to the Britannia Park beach.
Ruthanne Henry, OALA, CSLA
Ruthanne Henry joined the City of Toronto in 2002. Beginning as a Parks Planner, she focused on strategic planning, engagement, and accessibility. Now a Senior Project Manager with Capital Project Design and Delivery, Ruthanne manages a team of landscape architects. Achievements include guiding the Lower Don and East Don Trail Improvements, and the Guild Park and Gardens and Toronto Botanical Gardens Master Plan and Management Plans.
03/ East Lions Park.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of Julie Michaud
OALA PUBLIC PRACTICE AWARD
RESEARCH & INNOVATION AWARD
This award recognizes scholarly activities and/ or the development of innovative practices and the publication and dissemination of this knowledge for the betterment of the profession and the greater good. This may include: academic papers, research, publications, books, e-applications, or public presentations which contribute to the knowledge base that furthers the advancement of the art, science, and practice of landscape architecture.
Nikibii Dawadinna Giigwag (NDG)
Nikibii Dawadinna Giigwag (NDG) (Anishinaabemowin for “Flooded Valley Healing”), is a unique land-based program for Indigenous youth (ages 15-20), co-led by Elder Whabagoon and Liat Margolis. Since 2018, the program provides full-time summer employment, mentorship, and pathways to postsecondary education in fields related to design and the environment. It combines cultural teachings with landscape architecture and ecological conservation.
09/ Toronto island canoe tour, summer 2021.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of Nikibii Dawadinna Giigwag
10/ Alderville Black Oak Savannag Restoration, Summer 2023.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of Nikibii Dawadinna Giigwag
11/ Design research, Portlands, Summer 2024.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of Nikibii Dawadinna Giigwag
12/ UTSC Farm with Isaac Crosby, Summer 2024.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of Nikibii Dawadinna Giigwag
06/ Highland Creek Trail Extension.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of Ruthanne Henry
07/ Glen Stewart Balsam stairs to Glen Stewart Ravine Trail.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of Ruthanne Henry
Lower Don Trail ph 1 bridge.
Courtesy of Ruthanne Henry
OALA
Honourary members are those who have contributed significantly to advancing the course of landscape architecture in Ontario.
There are two recipients this year.
Bill DeLuca has led in the landscape industry for over 50 years. He holds degrees in Horticulture from the University of Guelph and Economics from Western University. As president and CEO of Aldershot Landscape, the firm offered design, construction, plant propagation, nursery materials, and maintenance services. Bill is a past president of the Ontario Landscape
Contractors Association and has sponsored many OALA events.
Bill is semi-retired and is enjoying time with his family in Burlington and Florida.
Gregg Lintern is the former Chief Planner and Executive Director, Toronto City Planning. Throughout his career, he enhanced parks and public realm with a focus on climate resilience and promoted equity. Work includes plans for the Downtown (TOCore), the Regent Park revitalization, Dundas Square, the Mirvish Village redevelopment, and the mid-rise guidelines update. He helped introduce new forms of small-scale and multi-plex housing.
13/ Trillium Park.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of Bill DeLuca
Rock garden.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of Bill DeLuca
Gregg Lintern
Bill DeLuca
OALA HONOURARY MEMBER AWARD
OALA AWARD FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE TO THE ENVIRONMENT
This public outreach award recognizes and encourages special or unusual contributions for culturally sensitive and inclusive, sustainable design solutions leading to the improvement of environmental health, community livability, and human interaction in the environment. The award may also recognize work that contributes to addressing climate change and supports nature-based solutions.
Friends of Allan Gardens
The Friends of Allan Gardens, a volunteerbased registered charity in downtown Toronto, exemplify community service. In 2017, they published "Refresh," a vision for a 21st-century horticultural park. Their initiative, "Growing with the City," fosters engagement and fundraising to address challenges and seize opportunities by developing social infrastructure. These include expanding the historic greenhouse conservatory, reinvesting in the park’s landscape, supporting Indigenous placemaking, and enhancing horticultural and cultural programming.
This prestigious award is named for an outstanding volunteer of the OALA, David Erb. His volunteer services to the Association furthered the goals of the OALA and set a high standard. This award recognizes a Full Member of the OALA who has shown outstanding volunteerism over the years, and contributed to furthering the goals and strategic plan of the OALA, while making a real difference to the association and its members.
Aaron Hirota, OALA, CSLA
Aaron Hirota is a leader in the landscape architecture community through his involvement with Landscape Architecture Ottawa Chapter (LAO) and the OALA. His insightful contributions at LAO meetings earned him the role of Secretary. In 2021, Aaron moved to become an OALA Councillor and Chair of the Continuing Education Committee. By 2022, Aaron was OALA VicePresident. He also planned the two most recent OALA conferences.
Steve Barnhart, OALA, CSLA
As President of the OALA, Steve devoted countless hours to promoting and advancing the profession of landscape architecture in Ontario. During the pandemic, he anticipated long-term changes in public spaces and authored an article promoting the profession to the public. His presidency ushered in transformative changes and led to the establishment of the 2022-2026 Strategic Plan. Now as Past-President, he is a valued OALA representative at the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects Board.
15/ Yard and trucks.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of Bill DeLuca
16/ Gregg speaking to Toronto Council.
IMAGES/ Courtesy of Gregg Lintern
17/ Allan Gardens
IMAGES/ Courtesy of Friends of Allan Gardens
18/ Victoria Lookout Enabling Project, Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Ontario.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of Aaron Hirota
OALA PRESIDENT’S AWARD
THE DAVID ERB MEMORIAL AWARD
Notes: A Miscellany of News and Events conference
books
The Daniels Corporation President and CEO Mitchell Cohen just launched a book called Rhythms of Change: Reflections on the Regent Park Revitalization. The book is very readable, with lots of colourful graphics and short chapters, but it tells a very complicated story of Toronto's attempt to turn a neighbourhood in decay with a terrible reputation into a thriving community full of amenities and opportunity, without displacing the diverse population that called it home. The Regent Park revitalization is had many stumbling blocks, and is still ongoing after many, many years of redeveloping the neighbourhood. But Cohen's book is an insightful look into how to manage many different sets of priorities and expectations, how to navigate a hostile change in local government, and how to build a dense, mixed-income community in an age of tight budgets and limited resources. Rhythms of Change is available now from Page Two.
For over 50 years, LABash has been a cornerstone event for the landscape architecture community, providing a platform for students and professionals to connect, learn, and share their work. Each year, the conference is hosted by a different university, offering a fresh perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing our field.
The 2025 LABash conference will be hosted by the University of Guelph, March 12-15.
01/ Rhythms of Change book cover.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of Mitchell Cohen
02-04/ Past LABash conference participants.
IMAGES/ Courtesy of LABash
05/ Toronto: Bike Lane on Richmond east of University.
IMAGE/ The City of Toronto via Flickr, Creative Commons License: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ 06/ John “Jack” Milliken.
IMAGE/ Courtesy of the OALA
As part of this exciting event, professionals are invited to submit proposals and be a part of the conference programming. This year’s theme, “Reimagine,” centres around innovation in the face of new technologies, increased environmental stresses, and a changing climate.
You can submit presentations or offer to contribute to the Seed Fund, which helps students with financial needs attend LABash in the future, at labash.org
resources
The CSLA has prepared an online resource for anyone interested in learning about Artificial Intelligence. It's a platform for sharing tools and resources, as well as a forum for discussion.
As the CSLA website says: “The rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) promises to reshape many professions, including landscape architecture. From design efficiency and data-driven decisions to ethical considerations and potential job displacement, AI's influence is expected to be vast and multifaceted.
By embracing AI technologies, landscape architects can unlock new possibilities, optimize workflows, and create innovative solutions that shape the future of our environments. Engaging with AI means not only elevating your work but also redefining the very methodology of your design and implementation processes.”
You can join the CSLA AI Network by going to the “Career & Continuing Education” section of the website: csla-aapc.ca.
new members
Ontario Association of Landscape Architects is proud to recognize and welcome the following new members to the Association:
Khatereh Baharikhoob *
Cheryl Bouwmeester
Anna Ceraulo-Jalazo
Wayne Flapper
Stef Goldsborough
Jacob Gorveatt *
Kiersten Lieske
Niloufar Makaremi Esfarjani *
Yaermaimaiti Manzure
Morgan Quinn
Janet Squair *
dues
Your 2025 OALA member dues are now available through your member dashboard to download and process your payment. In advance, we encourage you to log into your profile to ensure your billing information and communication preferences are accurate.
2025 membership dues are payable by January 7, 2025. After that date, dues will increase by 10%. You can learn more at: www.oala.ca/frequently-asked-questionsmember-dues
cycling
Premier Doug Ford has announced his intention to block construction of any new bike lanes in any Ontario municipality that would remove a lane of traffic. He went further to say he intends to rip out existing bike lanes in Toronto on Bloor St., Yonge St., and University Ave. The Ford government is blaming cyclists and cycling infrastructure for traffic gridlock. It's all part of Bill 212 or the “Reducing Gridlock, Saving you Time Act.”
Many have called out this move, citing everything from a lack of data justify tearing up cycling infrastructure, to the fact it will put lives at risk. Organizations who have been publicly critical of Bill 212 include the Ontario Professional Planners Institute, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the Ontario Traffic Council, and 120 physicians.
in memoriam
The OALA is saddened to announce the passing of Professor John (Jack) Milliken, on June 8, 2024. Jack had joined as a full member of the OALA in 1978 and had been a Full Member – Emeritus since 1994.
Professor John “Jack” D. Milliken, OALA Emeritus, FCSLA , April 26, 1935 –June 8, 2024
Jack Milliken completed his MLA at the University of Michigan. He worked there for a year and a half prior to moving to Canada and helping to shape the profession of landscape architecture in Ontario.
Below we share the obituary prepared by the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development at the University of Guelph:
Asterisk (*) denotes Full Members without the use of professional seal.
If you'd like to voice your support of bike lanes, advocacy group Cycle Toronto has a petition you can sign at: www.cycleto.ca/ ilovebikelanes
The Landscape Architecture program in the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development is saddened to hear of the passing of retired Professor, John D. “Jack” Milliken, who died June 8, 2024, in his 90th year. Jack was a faculty member at the University of Guelph from 1965 until his retirement in 1993. He was credited for establishing the Master of Landscape Architecture program at Guelph in 1974. Jack Milliken was inducted into the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects College of Fellows in 1980 and the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects as OALA Emeritus in 1994.
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Twin Overlay
Pitch Crossing
Top Rope Pass
Perched high on the smooth rocks of the Georgian Bay shoreline is a single tree.
The lone windswept pine is estimated to be over 100 years old, has access to basically no soil, and is an unmistakeable icon of Killbear Provincial Park, defining the picturesque landscape.
To many, including myself, this tree embodies feelings and emotions that cannot be summarized.
Every year of my life I find my way back to this tree. I walk out to the rocky point with friends and family by my side and breathe a sigh of relief upon confirmation that it managed to survive another harsh winter fighting the prevailing winds. We sit peacefully together next to the tree, always in the same spot, and watch the sun set. Then, we snap a photo, and walk away into the evening—until next time.
I have taken hundreds of photos of this tree over the years—during all seasons, under double rainbows, covered in snow, with people gathered around it and, sometimes, if I’m lucky enough, all by itself.
Each year, it leans a little more, and loses a few more branches and needles. It is now lovingly propped up by metal braces installed in 2022 in attempts to preserve it as long as possible. With every visit, the tree is older, wiser, and so am I.
I know that one day I will arrive and the tree will have fallen. I try not to think about this day. But I will be grateful for every last moment we have together until then.
01-04/ Killbear Tree throughout the seasons. IMAGES/ Shannon Gallant
TEXT BY SHANNON GALLANT, OALA
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