Making space for kids and dogs in the Hyper City

How is Toronto beginning to resemble the teeming, multi-level future city that Fritz Lang envisioned nearly 90 years ago in Metropolis, and what does this mean for children and dogs? PLANT partner Lisa Rapoport addressed those issues yesterday in her presentation at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture’s Hyper City Toronto 2030 symposium. The day-long event explored how buildings and public spaces might develop at a time when the city’s downtown residential population is rapidly increasing. Lisa was one of six leading thinkers, designers, developers and urban planners invited by Waterloo Architecture to participate at the third annual event. Referencing the Nathan Phillips Square Revitalization and other PLANT projects, Lisa spoke about the imbalances that are emerging at the intersection of public space design and community politics. A key problem she identified is a shortage of efficiently planned public spaces that meet the needs of burgeoning numbers of children and dogs in the downtown core. Lisa discussed how PLANT’s Vermont Square Park Renewal resolved usage conflicts between a playground and a dog run, and spoke about our in-progress Block 22 Amenity Spaces and Landscape Design for a downtown Toronto high-rise condo development, which features a dog park on its 11