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Toronto Unbound

Transforming Toronto neighbourhoods through design

As part of a 2008 creative lab in partnership with the Ontario College of Art & Design and City of Toronto, design students identified opportunities to enhance the neighbourhood experience for Toronto residents and visitors.

OpenCity Projects Lab at OCAD

OpenCity Projects equipped OCAD students with a range of research tools to immerse themselves in neighbourhoods and understand residents’ needs. Research tools included:

- Audits of urban spaces and places
- One-on-one interviews with key stakeholders, including residents, small business owners and students, who will use the design solution
- Personas representing fictional portraits of interviewees
- Mapping of stakeholders’ journey in neighbourhoods to help pinpoint opportunity areas

Making projects happen with City of Toronto

From 80 concepts, the 22 most compelling design solutions were selected for OpenCity Projects’ Toronto Unbound exhibit at the XPACE Cultural Centre in June 2008. Three hundred people attended the launch event. A special jury, representing the client, partners and the office of Mayor Miller, selected the top six projects to be implemented in 2009/2010. They include:

- Living Canvas, Corktown
- Community Market, Regent Park
- Red Carpet, Queen West/Parkdale
- Nightscape, Corktown
- TTC Gallery, Corktown
- Night Mural, Triangle Junction

Contributions 
Michèle Champagne 
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