Lower Don Valley
Designing for the future of Toronto’s ravines
DTAH led this master plan effort for the Lower Don Trail, a six-kilometer-long corridor extending from Pottery Road to the north to Parliament Street to the south. The intensification and development of new communities in the Lower Don Valley neighbourhoods will bring an estimated 80,000 new people into the core of the city within the next decade. This new population will significantly increase the demands on the Lower Don River valley lands as a commuting route and recreational destination. On the heels of the successful master plan effort, DTAH was selected by the City of Toronto to implement the first phase of improvement which includes the new Pottery Road Bridge and Belleville Underpass. Currently, DTAH is working with the City and Evergreen on the Lower Don Trail Master Plan Refresh.
Location
Toronto, Ontario
Client
City of Toronto
Awards
- Toronto Urban Design Awards, Award of Merit, 2015
- Canadian Society of Landscape Architects, Regional Honour, 2014
The award-winning Lower Don Trail Accessibility, Environment and Art Master Plan recommends strategies to improve environmental protection and access, and to consider possibilities for public art in the Lower Don River valley lands. It also provides a long-term strategy to establish several themes, create positive user experiences, improve access, and incorporate all existing studies, plans and initiatives in the study area. This Master Plan marks the beginning of a bold new chapter in the ongoing revitalization of the Lower Don Valley – one of the City’s most unique and undervalued resources.
Uncovering the vast ecological, cultural and economic potential of Toronto’s ravine system.
DTAH also led the revitalization of Riverdale Park East, which connects the city into the Lower Don Valley, and were the curators of the RavinePortal exhibit, which explored the past and present role the ravines have played in the life of the city, and the future potential of the ravine system as a defining, interconnected and accessible open space and cultural network.
