Dr. Lillian Mcgregor Park
Urban Plaza, one of the city's strongest overall (score 59, rank ~98th percentile). Strongest: edge activation; weakest: natural comfort.
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Dr. Lillian Mcgregor Park scores 59.2 / 100. Strongest dimensions: enclosure / eyes on park and connectivity. Weakest: amenity diversity (28.7). Border-vacuum risk is low. This score is a transparent reading of Jane Jacobs-style vitality factors, not a definitive judgment.
Area · 0.52 ha
What's here
Getting around
373 m of mapped path, 100% paved.
No steps mapped on the path network.
Typically 6 m to the nearest bench, and 16 m at the far end.
Nearest parking 24 m away. None of the 12 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.
Weighted across six dimensions · confidence 63%
Data confidence: moderate
Scores are not bell-curved. Percentiles and expected scores provide context without changing the underlying model.
Loading map…
The parks map is loading.Boundary: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Near the park
1Leaf Garden
Barbara Steinman, 2003
Architecture / Landscape · Granite, Landscaping, Water
The park at Opera Place is a sculptural space inspired by the relationship between nature and urban design. Foliage in the half-acre park consists of a variety of trees, shrubs, perennials, grass, ground cover and bulbs that ensure the park is visually pleasing throughout the year. The leaf nodes and main 'stem' pathways in the park are of coloured concrete, granite and soft planting with granite segments water jet cut like the cells of a leaf. The park also has a water feature inset in one of the leaf nodes. Alternately misting and spraying in a Morse code sequence it spells out 'it's time the stone consented to bloom' - a line of poetry by Romanian born poet Paul Celan.
Photo: City of Toronto. Source: City of Toronto Public Art
Numbers match the pins on the map. Works near the park are within 30 m of its edge.
Explain this score
Where did the 59 come from? Each weighted contribution against a neutral 50 baseline. Green = pushed up; red = pulled down.
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
Dr. Lillian Mcgregor Park works because its edge activation score (62) is one of the city's strongest and its connectivity (72) is also top decile (its perimeter is lined with active uses).
What limits this park
Dr. Lillian Mcgregor Park doesn't have a clear weakness. Every measured dimension is at or above the middle of the pack.
Most distinctive characteristic
Most distinctive feature: exceptionally high edge activation (62, top decile).
Jacobs reading
Dr. Lillian Mcgregor Park sits between an urban social park and an ecological retreat: moderately useful for both, exceptionally suited to neither.
Performance in context
- This park is a strong overperformer for its cohort: raw 59 versus an expected 42 for similar parks (small Urban Plaza) (gap +18).
Typology classification
Classified as Urban Plaza: 5187 m², paved (0% canopy), 48.4 buildings/100 m
Edge Activation
Within 100 m of the park edge: 87 active uses (cafe, retail, restaurant, transit_stop) and 4 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: OpenStreetMap: cafes, restaurants, shops, schools, community centres, transit, parking, highways, rail. All data sources.
Connectivity
Connectivity blends paths, intersections, transit, entrances, and edge density. This park has 16 mapped paths/walkways and 13 sidewalk segments within 50 m; 13 street intersections within 100 m; 2 subway or GO stations, 3 streetcar or LRT stops, 9 bus stops within a 400 m walk; 3 estimated access points across ~382 m of perimeter. edge density is healthy, no superblock penalty. Source coverage: centreline, pedestrian_network, transit_osm.
Source: Toronto Centreline V2 + Pedestrian Network + OSM transit stops. All data sources.
Amenity Diversity
3 distinct amenity types in the park (playground, bench, drinking_water). Diversity drives the score, so a park with many distinct activity types can outrank a larger park that repeats the same use. 1 public artwork near the park adds a bonus for the number of works.
Source: Toronto Parks & Recreation Facilities + OSM amenity tags. All data sources.
Natural Comfort
Natural Comfort requires inputs not yet loaded for this park (Treed Area / Ravine / Waterbodies / Street Trees). Score is held at a neutral 50 with low confidence. Read with caution.
Source: Not loaded yet: Treed Area / Ravine / Waterbodies / Street Trees. All data sources.
Enclosure / Eyes on Park
185 buildings within 25 m of the park edge (93 mid-rise, 25 low-rise, 67 tower); avg edge height 42.2 m (~14 floors); 48.4 buildings per 100 m of 382 m perimeter (strong frontage density); edges dominated by towers; 67 towers ≥ 40 m within 25 m of the edge. "Eyes on the park" come strongest from the 93 mid-rise edge buildings.
Source: Toronto 3D Massing (building footprints + heights). All data sources.
Border Vacuum Risk
Border-vacuum factors within 50 m of the park: 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: OpenStreetMap: highways, rail, parking. All data sources.
Equity Context
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: Not loaded yet: Toronto Neighbourhood Profiles. All data sources.
Amenities (3 types · 15 records)
- playground
- bench
- drinking water
Nearby active-edge features (80)
- retail: Cha Payom6 m
- retail: E-Blue Esport Stadium15 m
- retail: LOCO SPACE18 m
- retail: My Touch Beauty Spa & Salon23 m
- retail: Rabba24 m
- parking lot24 m
- retail: Platis Cleaners25 m
- cafe: City Bakery & Cafe27 m
- restaurant: Ali Baba's29 m
- retail: Rogers32 m
- restaurant: Subway34 m
- retail: Signs & Prints37 m
- restaurant: BOKU (Yonge St.)39 m
- transit stop: Bay Street42 m
- retail: La Para42 m
- retail44 m
- retail45 m
- restaurant: Taqueria El Pastorictio45 m
- retail: Adult Mart45 m
- retail: Chakra Healing Zone46 m
- restaurant: The Fry46 m
- cafe: Charlies Tea46 m
- retail: Venus Nails & Esthetics47 m
- restaurant: Mr Tonkasu47 m
- restaurant48 m
- restaurant: Woojoo Bunsik49 m
- retail: Kream51 m
- restaurant: McDonald's53 m
- transit stop: Wellesley Street West53 m
- retail53 m
- restaurant: Bone Soup Malatang55 m
- parking lot55 m
- retail: Lamoure57 m
- highway: Yonge Street60 m
- restaurant: Sushi Garden60 m
- retail: Lu Dream Spa60 m
- parking lot61 m
- retail: Effi Bike62 m
- retail: Galleria Supermarket Express62 m
- restaurant: Fish Buy Buy65 m
- retail: United Perfumes & Cellular68 m
- restaurant: Taning Lemon Tea69 m
- retail: PP Pet69 m
- restaurant: Church's Chicken70 m
- retail: Cash 4 You70 m
- restaurant: Egg Club70 m
- retail: Exposures Photography71 m
- retail: Toronto Tees71 m
- restaurant: Sweetpepper71 m
- restaurant: Diyijia72 m
- restaurant: ramen RAIJIN73 m
- retail73 m
- retail: Shu Cake73 m
- retail: LCBO74 m
- retail: Dollarama74 m
- retail: Van-Thi Barber & Hair Stylist;Van Barber & Hair Stylists75 m
- transit stop: Wellesley Street West75 m
- restaurant: Mars Village Eatery75 m
- retail76 m
- retail: L3 Digital Print & Copy76 m
- transit stop: Wellesley77 m
- restaurant: Slay Fruits79 m
- restaurant: Darvish Persian Cuisine80 m
- retail80 m
- retail: Super Vape81 m
- retail: Ultra Convenience82 m
- retail83 m
- retail: Henri's Optical85 m
- restaurant: Freshii85 m
- restaurant: HI Bowl85 m
- transit stop: Bay Street85 m
- retail: BZB Convenicne86 m
- retail: Milano Nails & Spa88 m
- transit stop: Yonge Street88 m
- cafe: Tim Hortons88 m
- retail: Kawaii Spa90 m
- restaurant: Firehouse Subs91 m
- retail92 m
- retail: Coach House Tavern Restaurant92 m
- retail92 m
Park profile
Five-axis radar across the structural dimensions.
Citywide percentile ranks
Across all Toronto parks in the dataset.
- Overall vitality98th
- Edge activation98th
- Connectivity94th
- Amenity diversity83th
- Natural comfort56th
- Enclosure76th
Most similar parks
Closest in metric space across the five structural dimensions.
- David Crombie ParkParkette57
- Parliament Square ParkCivic Square57
- Malta ParkUrban Plaza61
- Liberty Village ParkCivic Square61
- Skymark ParkOther57
Most opposite parks
Furthest in metric space. Useful for recognising what kind of park this isn’t.
- Trca Lands ( 26)Ravine / Naturalized Park27
- Toronto Islands - Muggs Island ParkRavine / Naturalized Park26
- Rouge ParkRavine / Naturalized Park26
- Rouge ParkRavine / Naturalized Park21
- Rouge ParkRavine / Naturalized Park28
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 Dr. Lillian Mcgregor 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.
What would improve this park?
Generated from the weakest measured dimensions: a starting point, not a prescription.
- Diversify what people can do in the park (playground, washroom, water, shade, performance, sport, garden): even small additions raise this score.
Data sources
- City of Toronto Open Data: Green SpacesPolygon boundaries, official names, land classes. Boundaries are reconciled against OpenStreetMap (ODbL) for new and updated parks.
- Parks & Recreation FacilitiesInventory of in-park amenities (washrooms, fields, rinks…).
- Toronto Pedestrian NetworkSidewalk segments around and through parks; estimated park entrances.
- Toronto Centreline V2Street segments + intersection nodes near park edges; trails and walkways.
- Toronto 3D MassingBuilding footprints + heights for edge-building counts, frontage density, and tower-in-the-park risk.
- Toronto Treed AreaTree canopy share inside park polygons via stratified-grid sampling.
- Toronto Waterbodies & RiversWater surface inside parks + nearest-water distance for cooling.
- Ravine & Natural Feature ProtectionRavine overlap as a cooling / natural-comfort signal.
- Toronto Street Tree InventoryTree count + density inside park polygons.
- OpenStreetMap (Overpass API)Cafés, restaurants, retail, transit stops, parking, highways, rail.