ARC364: Landscape Architecture Studio 4
In Landscape Architecture Studio 4, students investigated the layering of connected landscape architecture strategies. For their final projects, each project group designed a bike path hub for a small urban site at Queen Street West and Gladstone Avenue. This studio was taught by associate professor Alissa North.
Matt Arnott and Ozy Videlia
Matt and Ozy write: "Upon analysis, the intersection of Queen and Dufferin streets in Toronto's west end is chaotic, busy, and loud. Our project was driven by this chaos, seeking to create a pocket within the city that offers its dwellers a moment of rest and reflection. With this, we began to consider how the park may be used, and by whom. Commuters, residents of the surrounding area, and those who simply pass by all posed a different set of criteria in our mission of tranquility. Ultimately, Project Peace seeks to satisfy the needs of all these groups, striving to create a sense of peace in this busy pocket of the city in both short and long-term exchanges."
Diana Pop and Anne Field
Diana and Anne write: "Enhancing interaction along the Toronto Railpath begins by analyzing the layered interactions surrounding the Queen and Dufferin underpass, mapping the many elements that produce a complex hub of urban activity. The proposal for the site’s bike hub is centred around catering to different types of social interaction through formal moves, planting strategies, and circulation. Therefore, the proposed plan acts as an 'urban gradient,' ranging from extroverted near the intersection, intermediate in the centre, and introverted towards the west. Ultimately, the project responds to the existing interactions in the site and its context, curating spaces that are suitable for any type of outdoor experience."