A City within a park
Parks are vital to social and cultural life of Toronto. In this post we will explore Dufferin Grove Park, located just south of the beautiful and much beloved Bloor/Gladstone Library in Toronto's west-end.
Dufferin Grove Park
Dufferin Grove spans two city blocks and is full of huge deciduous trees. It boasts a community centre, pizza oven, vegetable garden, two skating rinks (that sub as a bike polo rink and a skate park in the summer), an organic farmers market and way more.
The organic farmer's market at Dufferin Grove.
Part of what makes Dufferin Grove unique is the way it is run. A mix of the Parks Department and local community involvement has brought about initiatives like an ice skate rental program, the construction of a community bake oven and the creation of community fire pits.
Local resident and park volunteer Jason Kun (pictured above) has helped organize and build a skatepark at Dufferin Grove for the past few years.
If you are interested in learning more about Toronto's parks or the uses of public space have a look at the links and books mentioned below. Or better yet, visit North York Central Library or your nearest Toronto Public library branch to speak with your local and friendly librarian.
Dufferin Grove in 1913
Library Related Resources:
- Jacobs, Jane. The death and life of great American cities. 1961.
- Maciejewski, Andrej. Toronto Parks. 1997.
- Low, Setha and Smith Niel. The Politics of Public Space. 2006.
- Kingwell, Mark and Turmel, Patrick. Rites of way: the politics and poetics of public space. 2009.
- Neal, Zachary P. and Orum, Anthony M. Common ground? reading and reflections on public space. 2010.
- Kayden, Gerald S. Privately owned space: the New York experience. 2000.
- Mitchell, Don. The right to the city: social justice and the fight for public space. 2003
One thought on “A City within a park”
Thanks for the post Tom. I love Dufferin Grove Park! It’s great how much pride local residents take in the park. It would be a shame and a loss if they were discouraged from doing so by city managers.
Speaking of a city within a park, Toronto certainly is! Over the past couple of years I’ve discovered the beauty of Toronto’s ravines. Last summer I saw a blue heron fishing along Burke Brook near Sunnybrook Park an unbelievably short walk away from the busy hub of Yonge and Eglinton. It was hard to believe! Get more information about Toronto ravines here: http://www.toronto.ca/trees/ravines.htm
If you are interested in parks and other wonderful public spaces, check out Spacing magazine for insightful commentary and beautiful photography. The print magazine is available at North York (4th floor) and other branches. Their website is http://spacing.ca/