Biidaasige Park:
Connecting Nature and the City.
Shannon Baker

Key Takeaways

• • Flood protection and ecological restoration can be integrated at a large scale. The Port Lands project is a seven-year, $1.4B effort that renaturalizes the mouth of the Don River while lifting land out of a regional floodplain.
  • Indigenous engagement and cultural design (naming process (Biidaasige), indigenous plant palettes, ceremonial structures, marker trees, elders/youth programs and indigenous artists) were integrated from early stages.
  • Advocate for deeper human–nature connections in cities, and protect and design blue-green infrastructure that supports both climate resilience and public health.

Summary

1. 1. Biidaasige Park is the centrepiece of Toronto’s Port Lands / Don River mouth renaturalization. It is a 7-year, $1.4 billion landscape infrastructure project that creates a new river valley, provides robust flood protection, and transforms formerly industrial/infilling land into 60 hectares of accessible nature (opened in the initial phase)
   2. Key Design Choices:
      • The park is intentionally subdivided into zones (such as nature play, wetlands, kayak launches, promontory event lawn),  so it functions as both a neighbourhood park and a regional destination.
      • The park stitches two regional trails (the Don Valley Trail and the Martin Goodman Trail)  while minimizing user conflicts through grade separation, bridges and a spine circulation path.
      • Designers planned for four seasons (fire pits, winter programming, cross-country skiing) and for safe, multi-modal access (trails, limited parking, transit emphasis).
      • Indigenous plant materials are included in all of the plantings throughout the park. Over 2 million perennials, 77,000 shrubs and 5,000 trees planted thus far.
   3. Lassonde Art Trail will consist of temporary and permanent art, including works by prominent indigenous artists, throughout the river valley system and park.

How can Cities apply these learnings?

1. 1. Design flood-protection landforms as multi-functional river valleys or wetlands rather than rigid levees.
   2. Prioritize indigenous and/or local partnership and cultural co-design.
   3. Connect the park into a regional trail & transit network to limit car dependence.
   4. Design for year-round programming and health benefits by using microclimate design (shelters, wind buffers), specific durable surfaces for snowy/wet use, and partnerships with outfitters/ infrastructure providers for programming.

Ideas for further research

1. 1. Mixed-methods study measuring changes in visitors’ nature connectedness, mental health and stewardship behaviour after repeated visits.
   2. GPS/observational study of visitor flows in winter vs. summer, and evaluation of winter programming’s effectiveness in sustaining year-round use.