The Doctors Parkette

The City of Toronto along with the Harbord Village Residence Association and Kensington Health Centre teamed up to create the Brunswick- College Parkette Steering Committee. PMA was brought on board to create a design to enhance an underused and hard to maintain urban space. The Harbord Village Residence Association held a design competition in which they received approximately 25 entrants. Five (5) of these were selected by the BIA as preferred options to inform the new concepts. PMA was contracted by the City to further develop three (3) inclusive concepts, one was selected as the preferred choice by the Steering Committee.

The space was originally a trap for City debris and failed to complement its prominent location or to properly serve its diverse community. The space was a missed opportunity, underused by multiple user groups, including the local residents, local businesses, tourists, and staff and clients of the Kensington Health Centre and Kensington Gardens long term care facility.

The selected design is simple and strong in its form and has references to the local Portuguese Community in the form of its paving surface (materials to be imported directly from Portugal). The park has a clearly defined north-south walk-through, that is open and intimate at the same time, and provides a central platform for a future sculptural element. Custom benches and a unique light box feature enhance the comfort and intimacy of the space. The open space central to the park is framed with a curbed planting area buffering the parkette from Brunswick Avenue and directing all pedestrian traffic through the space rather than along the outside edges.

In 2016 its name was changed to The Doctors’ Parkette to recognize the many prominent Toronto doctors that have lived in the area, as well as its rich history of hospitals.