Skip to content
Toronto Parks Atlas
Back to map
Urban PlazaType:Walkable Mid-Rise Neighbourhood Park (enclosure-leaning)Downtown Yonge East

45 Dalhousie St Park

Urban Plaza, in the top tier overall (score 45, rank ~86th percentile). Strongest: edge activation; weakest: natural comfort.

No photograph yet. If you have one of 45 Dalhousie St Park, we would like to use it.

Submit a photo

Data updated

45 Dalhousie St Park scores 45.2 / 100. Strongest dimensions: enclosure / eyes on park and edge activation. Weakest: amenity diversity (11.9). Border-vacuum risk is low. This score is a transparent reading of Jane Jacobs-style vitality factors, not a definitive judgment.

Best fordaily passing-throughpocket meetings

Area · 0.10 ha

What's here

Facilities
Benches

Getting around

Paths

87 m of mapped path. Too little surface tagging to say how much is paved.

Too little path mapped to check for steps.

Seating

Typically 5 m to the nearest bench, and 13 m at the far end.

Arrival

Nearest parking 109 m away. None of the 5 nearby lots records whether it has accessible spaces.

Path, seating and parking data comes from OpenStreetMap and reflects what volunteers have mapped, not a survey. Absence here means nobody has recorded it. This section does not assess wheelchair access: the relevant OpenStreetMap tag is present on well under 1% of Toronto paths.

Vitality Score
45/100

Weighted across six dimensions · confidence 65%

Data Confidence
45.2 / 100

Data confidence: moderate

Citywide
86th
of all 3,752 parks
Among Urban Plaza
75th
same primary typology
Expected for similar parks
38
median in pocket Urban Plaza (n=352)
Performance gap
+7
raw − expected · context confidence high
modest overperformer

Scores are not bell-curved. Percentiles and expected scores provide context without changing the underlying model.

Loading map…

The parks map is loading.
Street context. Park polygon highlighted on the citywide map.

Explain this score

Where did the 45 come from? Each weighted contribution against a neutral 50 baseline. Green = pushed up; red = pulled down.

Download JSON
What pushed this score up or down vs a neutral 50weight × score
Amenity Diversity12 · p60
-7.6
Border Vacuum Risk0 (risk)
+5.0
Natural Comfort23 · p1
-4.1
Enclosure / Eyes on Park77 · p81
+2.7
Connectivity37 · p36
-2.6
Edge Activation57 · p97
+1.8

Sum of contributions = the headline score. A negative bar means that dimension dragged the park below the city-wide neutral baseline.

Why this park works

45 Dalhousie St Park works because its edge activation score (57) is one of the city's strongest and its enclosure (77) is also top quartile (its perimeter is lined with active uses).

What limits this park

45 Dalhousie St Park is held back by natural comfort (23, bottom quartile): only 0% canopy means little summer shade.

Most distinctive characteristic

Most distinctive feature: exceptionally low natural comfort (23, bottom quartile).

Jacobs reading

45 Dalhousie St Park sits between an urban social park and an ecological retreat: moderately useful for both, exceptionally suited to neither.

Tradeoffs

  • 49 nearby towers cast wind and shadow without contributing canopy: passive surveillance is plentiful but human-scale comfort is not.

Performance in context

  • A modest overperformer for its urban plaza typology (+7 vs the median in pocket Urban Plaza).

Typology classification

confidence 70%
Urban Plaza

Classified as Urban Plaza: 987 m², paved (0% canopy), 118.7 buildings/100 m

Edge Activation

25% weightpartial 60%
57.1 / 100

Within 100 m of the park edge: 8 active uses (restaurant, retail, cafe) and 0 dead/hostile uses (none). Active edges keep "eyes on the park" through the day; parking lots, blank institutional walls, rail and highway frontages drain street life.

Source: OSM POIs (amenity/shop) + Toronto Building Footprints + land use

Connectivity

20% weightmeasured 85%
36.9 / 100

Connectivity blends paths, intersections, transit, entrances, and edge density. This park has 0 mapped paths/walkways and 6 sidewalk segments within 50 m; 5 street intersections within 100 m; 21 transit stops within a 400 m walk; 0 estimated access points across ~127 m of perimeter. low edge density, significant superblock penalty applied. Source coverage: centreline, pedestrian_network, transit_osm.

Streets within 25 m0
Intersections within 100 m5
Paths/walkways (50 m)0
Sidewalk segments (50 m)6
Transit stops (400 m)21
Estimated entrances0
Edge connections / 100 m perimeter0.00
Park perimeter127 m

Source: Toronto Centreline V2 + Pedestrian Network + OSM transit stops

Amenity Diversity

20% weightmeasured 75%
11.9 / 100

1 distinct amenity types in the park (bench). Diversity, not raw count, drives the score so a park with many distinct activity types can outrank a larger park that repeats the same use.

Source: Toronto Parks & Recreation Facilities + OSM amenity tags

Natural Comfort

15% weightinferred 24%
22.6 / 100

Natural-comfort components for this park: 0.0% estimated tree canopy; nearest waterbody ~1317 m. Reading: exposed. Source coverage: waterbodies. Impervious surface is approximated (Toronto's authoritative layer ships only as a raster GeoTIFF).

Canopy coverage0.0%
Canopy area0.00 ha
Inside ravine system0.0%
Water surface inside park0.0%
Nearest water (if outside park)1,317 m
Estimated green100.0%
City-mapped trees inside polygon0
Tree density0.0 / ha
Cover diversity (Shannon, 0 to 100)0.0
Sample points used16

Source: Toronto Treed Area + Ravine + Waterbodies + Street Tree Inventory

Enclosure / Eyes on Park

10% weightmeasured 80%
77.3 / 100

151 buildings within 25 m of the park edge (84 mid-rise, 18 low-rise, 49 tower); avg edge height 37.4 m (~12 floors); 118.7 buildings per 100 m of 127 m perimeter (strong frontage density); edges lean tall but still framed; 49 towers ≥ 40 m within 25 m of the edge. "Eyes on the park" come strongest from the 84 mid-rise edge buildings.

Buildings within 25 m151
Buildings within 50 m151
Avg edge height37.4 m (~12 floors)
Tallest edge building166.8 m
Mid-rise (3 to 7 floors)84
Low-rise (< 3 floors)18
Towers (≥ 13 floors)49
Frontage density118.66 per 100 m perimeter
Mid-rise share of edge56%
Tower share of edge33%
Blank-edge share (proxy)0%
Park perimeter127 m

Source: Toronto 3D Massing (building footprints + heights)

Border Vacuum Risk

10% weightpartial 60%
0.0 risk

Park edges face the city. No significant border vacuum detected.

Source: Toronto Street Centreline (highways) + rail layer + OSM landuse + building footprints

Equity Context

contextinferred 15%
50.0 / 100

Equity Context requires inputs not yet loaded for this park (Toronto Neighbourhood Profiles). Score is held at a neutral 50 with low confidence. Read with caution.

Source: Toronto Neighbourhood Profiles

Amenities (1 types · 9 records)

  • bench

Nearby active-edge features (45)

  • retail: No Frills22 m
  • retail33 m
  • retail: Evershine Print & Parcel38 m
  • restaurant: Subway45 m
  • restaurant: A&W45 m
  • cafe: Mast Coffee52 m
  • retail: Henry's69 m
  • retail72 m
  • restaurant: T.C.J. Restaurant105 m
  • retail: Zara Spa & Hair Studio108 m
  • parking lot109 m
  • parking lot121 m
  • retail124 m
  • restaurant: The Carbon Bar127 m
  • retail: Downtown Camera131 m
  • retail: Illy135 m
  • restaurant: McDonald's137 m
  • transit stop: Queen Street East141 m
  • restaurant: Yeti Kitchen142 m
  • retail: Ben McNally144 m
  • retail: Queen & Jarivs Vape Shop147 m
  • retail: Garage Hair Repair Studio150 m
  • retail: Crown Variety & Snack150 m
  • retail: Parsian Fine Foods151 m
  • retail: Sweetgrass151 m
  • retail: Queen's Own Bakery152 m
  • parking lot153 m
  • retail: Henry's Outlet Centre154 m
  • retail: Pink Elephant Creamery156 m
  • retail: Panemor157 m
  • transit stop: Church Street164 m
  • transit stop: Jarvis Street164 m
  • retail: My Legacy Cannabis167 m
  • retail: Deals 4 U171 m
  • retail: TireSource174 m
  • retail: UnideLuxe175 m
  • community: Toronto Met Catholics176 m
  • retail: Jewellery Plus Pawnshop179 m
  • transit stop: Jarvis Street185 m
  • retail: YJC MediSpa190 m
  • parking lot191 m
  • restaurant: Wild Wing193 m
  • parking lot195 m
  • restaurant: J-San Sushi Bar195 m
  • restaurant: Tahini's197 m

Park profile

Five-axis radar across the structural dimensions.

Edge ActivationConnectivityAmenity DiversityNatural ComfortEnclosure45 Dalhousie St Park
Edge activation, connectivity, amenity diversity, natural comfort, and enclosure, each 0 to 100.

Citywide percentile ranks

Across all Toronto parks in the dataset.

  • Overall vitality
    86th
  • Edge activation
    97th
  • Connectivity
    36th
  • Amenity diversity
    60th
  • Natural comfort
    1th
  • Enclosure
    81th

Most similar parks

Closest in metric space across the five structural dimensions.

Most opposite parks

Furthest in metric space. Useful for recognising what kind of park this isn’t.

Human activity signals: not available

No activity signals have landed for this park yet. The model has scored its physical form but it can’t yet say how often it’s programmed, photographed, or walked through. See /data-ethics for what we will and will not collect.

Does this score feel accurate?

Your read of 45 Dalhousie St Park matters. We’re testing whether the model lines up with how people actually use the park. Submissions are stored locally; no account needed.

Tell us how this park feels

We measure structure (canopy, edges, connectivity). You measure feeling. Both matter, and disagreement is itself useful civic data.

Rate this park on as many dimensions as you have an opinion about. 1 = not at all, 5 = strongly. Skip the ones you don't feel sure about. Aggregated only, no comments stored at the row level.

feels socially active
feels comfortable
feels safe
feels connected
feels welcoming
feels ecological / natural
feels good for lingering
feels family-friendly
feels culturally important
70%

What would improve this park?

Generated from the weakest measured dimensions: a starting point, not a prescription.

  • Add or open more entrances and improve sidewalk continuity around the park. More permeability means more spontaneous use.
  • Diversify what people can do in the park (playground, washroom, water, shade, performance, sport, garden): even small additions raise this score.
  • Increase canopy and reduce paved area. Shade and water features extend usable hours and seasons.

Data sources

real Toronto data
  • City of Toronto Open Data: Green Spaces
    Polygon boundaries, official names, land classes. Boundaries are reconciled against OpenStreetMap (ODbL) for new and updated parks.
  • Parks & Recreation Facilities
    Inventory of in-park amenities (washrooms, fields, rinks…).
  • Toronto Pedestrian Network
    Sidewalk segments around and through parks; estimated park entrances.
  • Toronto Centreline V2
    Street segments + intersection nodes near park edges; trails and walkways.
  • Toronto 3D Massing
    Building footprints + heights for edge-building counts, frontage density, and tower-in-the-park risk.
  • Toronto Treed Area
    Tree canopy share inside park polygons via stratified-grid sampling.
  • Toronto Waterbodies & Rivers
    Water surface inside parks + nearest-water distance for cooling.
  • Ravine & Natural Feature Protection
    Ravine overlap as a cooling / natural-comfort signal.
  • Toronto Street Tree Inventory
    Tree count + density inside park polygons.
  • Neighbourhood Profiles
    (Pending) Equity context proxy.
  • OpenStreetMap (Overpass API)
    Cafés, restaurants, retail, transit stops, parking, highways, rail.