Toronto issues RFQs for urban park designs

(source: Waterfront Toronto)

Waterfront Toronto, in partnership with the City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation, is calling on international design professionals to develop a bold vision for two new waterfront parks.

A new request for qualifications invites teams to pre-qualify for a competition that will seek design proposals for Toronto’s York Street Park and Rees Street Park, integrating them into a collection of vibrant public spaces along Toronto’s waterfront.

Located at the southern foot of downtown Toronto, the design challenge is to respond to the pressing issues of a growing city, and a busy waterfront district that attracts millions of visitors annually and is rapidly becoming an extension of the city’s Central Business District.

These will be parks that will serve the diverse needs of local residents, office workers and visitors, and aim to set new standards for inclusive design, sustainability, and climate resilience.

A number of high-level aspirations that will help guide the design of these two parks have been established, including:

• Offer compelling new park experiences and support a range of social activities for a diverse group of people and community groups
• Provide opportunities to incorporate innovative public art and art programs
• Act as key gateways and arrival points to the waterfront by welcoming visitors and creating memorable experiences
• Strive to uphold a high standard of design excellence and quality of place that has been achieved across the waterfront

The design competition will follow a two-stage process beginning with the Request for Qualifications (RFQ). The pre-qualification stage invites international design professionals or collaborative teams to submit statements of qualification to produce innovative designs for the two parks.

Waterfront Toronto and the City of Toronto will then pre-qualify and shortlist one group of four to five teams for each of the two parks.

The shortlisted teams will then be invited to participate in the Request for Proposals (RFP) stage and compete in a six-week design competition.