Don Valley Urban Field Guide
Studying urban life among Toronto’s hidden waterways
The purpose of this guide is to understand how people and wildlife use the Don Valley and how that information can help us encourage more active transportation. How can we improve the conditions of trail users to make Toronto more environmentally resilient?
Location: Toronto, Canada
The Don Valley The Don River Valley is a sprawling network of green space, waterways, parks, and trails stretching from Lake Ontario to Toronto’s northern suburbs.
Project backgroundDeveloped as part of the Urban Life course at OCAD University led by Professor Lori Riva, this field guide studies Toronto’s lost rivers and using counter-mapping to deepen our understanding of urban ecology.
Over the course of four months, students chose a site along one of Toronto’s lost waterways and employed various methods to observe and record the interconnections between human activity and nature.
The field guide documents my observations and offers a critical analysis about what they reveal about the space.
Site overview
The chosen site focuses on the section of the valley near Bloor St, north of Riverdale Park. It includes the Don Valley Trail, the Don River, the Don Valley Parkway (DVP), Bayview Avenue, and the GO/CN rail corridor.
Research questions1. How can we make the Don Valley more accessible, safe, and enjoyable for current and future users?
2. How do we prioritize natural space and protect wildlife while serving busy transit corridors? How can the Don Valley make our city more sustainable and resilient?
Mapping activitiesThroughout the course, several group mapping activities were organized to explore different methods of studying urban life.
One of which was mapping speculative futures, where a list of issues were identified within a certain site, and a map was created to speculate what it would look like 10 or 20 years in the future.
CountingJan Gehl and Brigitte Svarre’s How To Study Public Life, describes counting as the basic tool for studying public life.
These counts were taken on three separate weekday afternoons between 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm. Each count lasted 10 minutes and were repeated 2-3 times to calculate the average per hour.
*The GO Transit Richmond Hill line only operates northbound service in the afternoon. Trains depart Union Station at 15:45, 16:45, 17:15, 17:45, and 18:45.
Finding tracesHumans and wildlife often leave traces that provides clues into how spaces are used.
For example, graffiti and garbage was prevalent in the valley, which is evident of the fact that the Don Valley can be secluded and hidden from city life.
A raccoon was also spotted, suggesting that wildlife also use the trails as a “road” to travel on, especially during the late evening and night time.
Test ridesTaking a walk, or in my case, a bike ride, can reveal problems and opportunities along the route.
Proposed interventionsThe CROW Design Manual for Bicycle Traffic used in the Netherlands for designing bicycle infrastructure recommends a set of conditions for a recreational cycling network: attractiveness, comfort, and safety.
Based on those recommendations, I proposed the following:
1. Widening the trail
2. Separating bicycle and pedestrian traffic
3. Road narrowing
4. Improve amenities (benches and rest zones)
5. Improved connections with nearby streets
Urban field guideThe final field guide document compiles all activities, research, and findings throughout the course.