MARKET LANE PARK
Toronto, ON

The Planning Partnership is working on a refurbishment of Market Lane Park adjacent the new North Market building at the St Lawrence Market in downtown Toronto. The site is small but it’s impact on the city and the complexity of the site belies it’s relative size.

Through multiple public meetings the firm listened to the desires and needs of the community and developed a plan that responds to the neighbourhood requirements. In a dense downtown neighbourhood liek this, social performance has an outsized impact and as such, the design includes pieces of ‘social infrastructure’ including a drinking fountain, a cooling station, and hand warming station, and a public wash basin. The design draws on the natural history of the site, referencing a long geological and glacial history in terms of design elements and materiality. Large glacial eratic boulders find themselves at either end of the park as anchors. Enhancing the soil profile for a long lasting tree canopy and increasing porosity of the site to capture storm water were key tenets of the design.

Finally, a catenary lighting system references common constellations from indigenous perspectives allowing residents to “see” the stars, so commonly missing from downtown skies.