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Toronto Parks Atlas
Colonel Samuel Smith Park, site photograph
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Destination Parkcluster ·Walkable Mid-Rise Neighbourhood Parks (large-scale)New Toronto (18)confidence moderate

Colonel Samuel Smith Park

Destination Park, middle of the pack overall (score 39, rank ~67th percentile). Strongest: amenity diversity; weakest: edge activation.

Aerial, City of Toronto orthophoto, ~8 cm/px source · cached 5/9/2026

Colonel Samuel Smith Park scores 38.7 / 100. Strongest dimensions: connectivity and enclosure / eyes on park. Weakest: edge activation (0). Border-vacuum risk is elevated (100). This score is a transparent reading of Jane Jacobs-style vitality factors, not a definitive judgment.

Best forweekend outingsdiverse activities in one place

Area · 44.25 ha

What's here

Recreation
PlaygroundSports fieldRunning trackOff-leash dog areaIce rink
Facilities
WashroomPicnic areaBBQShelterBenchesViewpoint
Vitality Score
39/100

Weighted across six dimensions · confidence 72%

Data Confidence
38.7 / 100
Citywide
67th
of all 3,788 parks
Among Destination Park
58th
same primary typology
Expected for similar parks
34
median in all Toronto parks (n=3788)
Performance gap
+4
raw − expected · context confidence low
typical

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

Loading map…

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Street context. Park polygon highlighted on the citywide map.

Boundary: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

Explain this score

Where did the 39 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
Edge Activation0 · p19
-12.5
Border Vacuum Risk100 (risk)
-5.0
Connectivity74 · p96
+4.9
Amenity Diversity58 · p99
+1.5
Natural Comfort41 · p38
-1.3
Enclosure / Eyes on Park61 · p46
+1.1

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

Colonel Samuel Smith Park works because its amenity diversity score (58) is one of the city's strongest and its connectivity (74) is also top decile (11 distinct amenity types support different kinds of use).

What limits this park

Colonel Samuel Smith Park is held back by edge activation (0, bottom quartile): the surrounding streets carry too few active uses to spill into the park; border-vacuum risk is also elevated (100).

Most distinctive characteristic

Most distinctive feature: exceptionally high amenity diversity (58, top decile).

Jacobs reading

Colonel Samuel Smith Park sits between an urban social park and an ecological retreat: moderately useful for both, exceptionally suited to neither.

Tradeoffs

  • Connectivity (74) significantly outpaces natural comfort (41): well placed in the city but offers little shade or ecological respite.
  • The park is enclosed by buildings (61) but the surrounding streets are quiet (edge activation 0): frame without animation.
  • High connectivity coexists with high border-vacuum risk (100): much of that connectivity is to highways, rail, or parking lots, not to neighbourhoods.

Performance in context

  • Cohort is small (3788 parks). The gap shown here should be read with caution.

Typology classification

confidence 65%
Destination Parkalso reads as Waterfront Park

Classified as Destination Park: 44 ha, 11 amenity types, connectivity 74 / comfort 41. Secondary read: Waterfront Park (nearest waterbody within ~0 m).

Edge Activation

25% weightpartial 60%
0.0 / 100

Within 100 m of the park edge: 25 active uses (transit_stop, retail, restaurant, community, cafe) and 26 dead/hostile uses (parking_lot, highway). 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%
74.3 / 100

Connectivity blends paths, intersections, transit, entrances, and edge density. This park has 76 mapped paths/walkways and 140 sidewalk segments within 50 m; 28 street intersections within 100 m; 25 transit stops within a 400 m walk; 19 estimated access points across ~6,926 m of perimeter. low edge density, significant superblock penalty applied. Source coverage: centreline, pedestrian_network, transit_osm.

Streets within 25 m23
Intersections within 100 m28
Paths/walkways (50 m)76
Sidewalk segments (50 m)140
Transit stops (400 m)25
Estimated entrances19
Edge connections / 100 m perimeter0.33
Park perimeter6,926 m

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

Amenity Diversity

20% weightmeasured 75%
57.6 / 100

11 distinct amenity types in the park (dog_area, playground, track, washroom, bbq, 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% weightmeasured 75%
41.2 / 100

Natural-comfort components for this park: ~6.2% effective canopy (3.6% from contiguous tree polygons + scattered tree density); 2.6% water surface; 389 city-mapped trees inside the polygon (8.8/ha). Reading: water-cooled. Source coverage: treed_area, waterbodies, street_trees. Impervious surface is approximated (Toronto's authoritative layer ships only as a raster GeoTIFF).

Canopy coverage3.6%
Canopy area1.60 ha
Inside ravine system0.0%
Water surface inside park2.6%
Nearest water (if outside park)0 m (inside)
Estimated green97.4%
City-mapped trees inside polygon389
Tree density8.8 / ha
Cover diversity (Shannon, 0 to 100)25.0
Sample points used499

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

Enclosure / Eyes on Park

10% weightmeasured 80%
61.4 / 100

215 buildings within 25 m of the park edge (33 mid-rise, 182 low-rise, 0 tower); avg edge height 7.0 m (~2 floors); 3.1 buildings per 100 m of 6,926 m perimeter (strong frontage density); edges are low-rise (mostly 2 to 3 floors); no towers immediately adjacent. "Eyes on the park" come strongest from the 33 mid-rise edge buildings.

Buildings within 25 m215
Buildings within 50 m215
Avg edge height7.0 m (~2 floors)
Tallest edge building29.7 m
Mid-rise (3 to 7 floors)33
Low-rise (< 3 floors)182
Towers (≥ 13 floors)0
Frontage density3.10 per 100 m perimeter
Mid-rise share of edge15%
Tower share of edge0%
Blank-edge share (proxy)0%
Park perimeter6,926 m

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

Border Vacuum Risk

10% weightpartial 60%
100.0 risk

Border-vacuum factors within 50 m of the park: Colonel Samuel Smith Park, parking_lot, Lake Shore Boulevard West, Assembly Hall Parking, Lot 5, parking_lot, Lot 4, parking_lot, parking_lot, parking_lot, parking_lot, Lot 2, Lake Shore Boulevard West, Lot 4, parking_lot, Lake Shore Boulevard West, parking_lot. Jacobs warned that highways, rail, parking lots and blank institutional edges act as "vacuums" that suppress foot traffic and isolate the park from its neighbourhood.

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 (11 types · 43 records)

  • dog area
  • playground
  • track
  • washroom
  • bbq
  • bench
  • ice rink
  • picnic
  • shelter
  • sports field
  • viewpoint

Nearby active-edge features (80)

  • parking lot: Colonel Samuel Smith Park0 m
  • parking lot0 m
  • parking lot: Assembly Hall Parking0 m
  • parking lot0 m
  • parking lot0 m
  • parking lot0 m
  • parking lot: Lot 20 m
  • parking lot0 m
  • parking lot: Lot 43 m
  • transit stop3 m
  • parking lot: Lot 56 m
  • transit stop: Lake Shore Boulevard West7 m
  • parking lot13 m
  • transit stop: Fifteenth Street13 m
  • highway: Lake Shore Boulevard West15 m
  • highway: Lake Shore Boulevard West15 m
  • highway: Lake Shore Boulevard West15 m
  • transit stop: Fifteenth Street16 m
  • parking lot17 m
  • transit stop: Kipling Avenue17 m
  • parking lot: Lot 425 m
  • cafe: Tim Hortons27 m
  • retail: Doggy Styles Pet Services28 m
  • retail: Perfect Images29 m
  • transit stop: Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive29 m
  • retail: Palatinum Hair Design29 m
  • retail: Aqua Nails & Spa29 m
  • retail29 m
  • retail29 m
  • restaurant: Speed Roll & Thai29 m
  • transit stop: Lake Shore Boulevard West30 m
  • retail: Dive World30 m
  • transit stop: Thirteenth Street30 m
  • parking lot33 m
  • retail: Minute Muffler Brake & Wheel43 m
  • retail: Ridley Funeral Home44 m
  • transit stop: Kipling Ave at Lake Shore Blvd49 m
  • transit stop: Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive49 m
  • parking lot50 m
  • retail: Moulin Rouge51 m
  • parking lot54 m
  • community: Ken Cox Community Centre57 m
  • parking lot59 m
  • transit stop: Thirteenth Street61 m
  • parking lot76 m
  • highway: Lake Shore Boulevard West81 m
  • parking lot85 m
  • parking lot88 m
  • cafe: Starbucks92 m
  • parking lot94 m
  • parking lot99 m
  • parking lot102 m
  • parking lot104 m
  • parking lot112 m
  • parking lot113 m
  • transit stop: Colonel Samuel Park119 m
  • cafe: Tim Hortons120 m
  • transit stop: Colonel Samuel Park125 m
  • transit stop128 m
  • highway: Lake Shore Boulevard West131 m
  • retail: Tatsu's Bread136 m
  • restaurant: Pizzaiolo145 m
  • parking lot150 m
  • parking lot150 m
  • retail: Le Gourmand Bakery151 m
  • transit stop153 m
  • retail: L.A. Salons160 m
  • parking lot162 m
  • restaurant: Subway165 m
  • retail: All in One Travel169 m
  • cafe: CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice170 m
  • restaurant: Michael's West Indian Flavour175 m
  • restaurant: Popeyes176 m
  • transit stop: 327 Kipling Avenue180 m
  • retail: Lakeshore Smoke & Variety181 m
  • retail: Zakopane Deli186 m
  • restaurant: Albatros Pub192 m
  • restaurant: Ghazale194 m
  • parking lot196 m
  • parking lot199 m

Park profile

Five-axis radar across the structural dimensions.

Edge ActivationConnectivityAmenity DiversityNatural ComfortEnclosureColonel Samuel Smith 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
    67th
  • Edge activation
    19th
  • Connectivity
    96th
  • Amenity diversity
    99th
  • Natural comfort
    38th
  • Enclosure
    46th

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 Colonel Samuel Smith Parkmatters. 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.

  • Activate the edges: encourage cafés, retail or community uses on the streets that face the park; replace blank or parking-lot edges where possible.
  • Increase canopy and reduce paved area. Shade and water features extend usable hours and seasons.
  • Mitigate border vacuums (highways, rail, parking) with active programming on the still-permeable edges and treat the hostile edge as a design challenge.

Data sources

real Toronto data
  • City of Toronto Open Data: Parks (Green Space)
    Polygon boundaries, official names, types. 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.