Community Oriented Parks

February 2015

The City of Toronto understands the importance and economic benefits of parks. While beneficial to residents, parks are also an attraction to tourists and businesses.

Creating parks requires a significant expenditure. Toronto requires land developers to provide money for parklands or to dedicate part of their sites for public parkland.

Parks play an important role for local residents. They act as a hub where local communities can congregate. They are a place for exercise and recreation. They help attract local businesses to an area and help to increase property values.

Developers recognize that parkland adds value to their project. It makes real estate easier to sell and can increase its value. People prefer to look out onto parks with activity rather than concrete structures.

Avondale Park is an example of the importance of parkland to a community. The park hosts summer BBQs and Movie Nights where families sit under the stars to watch movies on a big screen, and which others can view from condo balconies facing the park. Each September annual Day in the Park events attract upwards of 2,000 attendees.

Nathan Phillips Square, High Park, Edwards Gardens, Mel Lastman Square and Allan Gardens – one of the oldest parks in Toronto, founded in 1858 – are all successful uses of public land for the community which offer playgrounds, ice skating, concerts, movies and far too many events to mention in this space.

In all cases the area becomes a central part of the community where residents congregate. All are functional and aesthetically pleasing.

The City of Toronto’s 2013–2017 Parks Plan which outlines the importance of parks to the city’s infrastructure, recognizes the economic benefits that parks offer through their ability to attract tourists and businesses.