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Toronto Parks Atlas
Hillsdale Avenue Parkette, site photograph
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Urban Plazacluster ·Walkable Mid-Rise Neighbourhood Parks (enclosure-leaning)Mount Pleasant West (104)confidence moderate

Hillsdale Avenue Parkette

Urban Plaza, in the top tier overall (score 45, rank ~86th percentile). Strongest: enclosure; weakest: connectivity.

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

Hillsdale Avenue Parkette scores 44.8 / 100. Strongest dimensions: enclosure / eyes on park and natural comfort. Weakest: amenity diversity (19.9). 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 · 0.07 ha

What's here

Facilities
Drinking waterBenches
Vitality Score
45/100

Weighted across six dimensions · confidence 59%

Data Confidence
44.8 / 100
Citywide
86th
of all 3,788 parks
Among Urban Plaza
75th
same primary typology
Expected for similar parks
38
median in pocket Urban Plaza (n=360)
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.

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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 Diversity20 · p67
-6.0
Border Vacuum Risk0 (risk)
+5.0
Connectivity28 · p24
-4.5
Enclosure / Eyes on Park94 · p98
+4.4
Edge Activation33 · p89
-4.2
Natural Comfort50 · p57
+0.0

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

Hillsdale Avenue Parkette works because its enclosure score (94) is one of the city's strongest and its edge activation (33) is also top quartile (13 mid-rise buildings frame the edge with passive surveillance).

What limits this park

Hillsdale Avenue Parkette is held back by connectivity (28, bottom quartile).

Most distinctive characteristic

Most distinctive feature: exceptionally high enclosure (94, top decile).

Jacobs reading

Hillsdale Avenue Parkette sits between an urban social park and an ecological retreat: moderately useful for both, exceptionally suited to neither.

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: 743 m², paved (0% canopy), 59.0 buildings/100 m

Edge Activation

25% weightpartial 60%
33.3 / 100

Within 100 m of the park edge: 26 active uses (retail, restaurant, cafe, transit_stop) and 6 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% weightpartial 65%
27.7 / 100

Connectivity blends paths, intersections, transit, entrances, and edge density. This park has 0 mapped paths/walkways and 0 sidewalk segments within 50 m; 6 street intersections within 100 m; 39 transit stops within a 400 m walk; 0 estimated access points across ~119 m of perimeter. low edge density, significant superblock penalty applied. Source coverage: centreline, transit_osm.

Streets within 25 m0
Intersections within 100 m6
Paths/walkways (50 m)0
Sidewalk segments (50 m)0
Transit stops (400 m)39
Estimated entrances0
Edge connections / 100 m perimeter0.00
Park perimeter119 m

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

Amenity Diversity

20% weightmeasured 75%
19.9 / 100

2 distinct amenity types in the park (bench, drinking_water). 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 15%
50.0 / 100

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.

Canopy coverage0.0%
Canopy area0.00 ha
Inside ravine system0.0%
Water surface inside park0.0%
Nearest water (if outside park)1,500 m
Estimated green100.0%
City-mapped trees inside polygon0
Tree density0.0 / ha
Cover diversity (Shannon, 0 to 100)0.0
Sample points used15

Source: Treed Area / Ravine / Waterbodies / Street Trees

Enclosure / Eyes on Park

10% weightmeasured 80%
94.4 / 100

70 buildings within 25 m of the park edge (13 mid-rise, 48 low-rise, 9 tower); avg edge height 16.4 m (~5 floors); 59.0 buildings per 100 m of 119 m perimeter (strong frontage density); edges are at a Jacobs-scale walkable mid-rise (3 to 7 floors); 9 towers ≥ 40 m within 25 m of the edge. "Eyes on the park" come strongest from the 13 mid-rise edge buildings.

Buildings within 25 m70
Buildings within 50 m70
Avg edge height16.4 m (~5 floors)
Tallest edge building98.5 m
Mid-rise (3 to 7 floors)13
Low-rise (< 3 floors)48
Towers (≥ 13 floors)9
Frontage density58.96 per 100 m perimeter
Mid-rise share of edge19%
Tower share of edge13%
Blank-edge share (proxy)0%
Park perimeter119 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 (2 types · 3 records)

  • bench
  • drinking water

Nearby active-edge features (80)

  • retail: Farm Boy38 m
  • cafe: Hale Coffee46 m
  • retail: Staples47 m
  • retail: west elm48 m
  • retail: Wine Rack49 m
  • cafe: Sisters Café54 m
  • restaurant: Sansotei Ramen59 m
  • parking lot59 m
  • restaurant: Oretta60 m
  • transit stop: Yonge St at Soudan Ave63 m
  • retail: easyfinancial68 m
  • restaurant: Samba71 m
  • highway: Yonge Street72 m
  • retail: iRepair.ca73 m
  • restaurant: Social Llama75 m
  • highway: Yonge Street77 m
  • retail: Alma Natural Quick Spa79 m
  • highway: Yonge Street79 m
  • restaurant: Maki Mart81 m
  • retail: Hunny Pot Cannabis83 m
  • retail: Bean Wise85 m
  • restaurant: Ramyun Korean Snack Bar87 m
  • retail: Fogtown88 m
  • restaurant: Juicy Dumpling89 m
  • cafe: Togo Coffee89 m
  • retail: Fuze90 m
  • restaurant: Mia Brunch Bar90 m
  • retail: Mode Hair Studio For Men92 m
  • parking lot95 m
  • parking lot98 m
  • retail: Kitchen Stuff Plus98 m
  • transit stop: Berwick Avenue100 m
  • highway: Yonge Street103 m
  • parking lot104 m
  • retail: Super Unique106 m
  • parking lot107 m
  • highway: Yonge Street109 m
  • retail: Untitled109 m
  • retail: Wrench Works Bicycles109 m
  • retail: Sight Care Optometry & Optical113 m
  • restaurant: Zezafoun116 m
  • retail: Global Pet Foods122 m
  • retail: Hunny Pot Cannabis132 m
  • transit stop: Manor Road West134 m
  • transit stop: Eglinton Station136 m
  • parking lot136 m
  • restaurant: Padaria139 m
  • parking lot139 m
  • retail: Rogers140 m
  • retail: Midnight Cookie141 m
  • transit stop: Eglinton Station142 m
  • retail: Potato Skins149 m
  • restaurant: PI CO. Pizza Bar151 m
  • transit stop: Manor Road East151 m
  • transit stop: Eglinton Station153 m
  • highway: Yonge Street153 m
  • retail: Belsize Cleaners155 m
  • retail: Yes Again Bins158 m
  • transit stop: 2190 Yonge St (Eglinton Station)161 m
  • rail: Line 1 Yonge-University161 m
  • rail: Line 1 Yonge-University161 m
  • retail: Peppermills164 m
  • transit stop: Opposite 2190 Yonge St165 m
  • retail: Skiis and Biikes167 m
  • transit stop: Eglinton Station167 m
  • parking lot168 m
  • retail: Poor Little Rich Girl171 m
  • retail: Chloe Alterations174 m
  • restaurant: Kadak Vibrant Indian Cuisine176 m
  • restaurant: Hokkaido Ramen Satouka178 m
  • highway: Yonge Street178 m
  • transit stop: Eglinton Station180 m
  • restaurant: Mariachi's Mexican Cuisine182 m
  • retail: The Butcher's Son184 m
  • transit stop: Yonge St Entrance186 m
  • retail: Velora Wax Bar188 m
  • restaurant: Popeyes188 m
  • retail: Au Lit Fine Linens193 m
  • transit stop: Eglinton Station195 m
  • retail: Tonic Eye Care & Vision Therapy198 m

Park profile

Five-axis radar across the structural dimensions.

Edge ActivationConnectivityAmenity DiversityNatural ComfortEnclosureHillsdale Avenue Parkette
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
    89th
  • Connectivity
    24th
  • Amenity diversity
    67th
  • Natural comfort
    57th
  • Enclosure
    98th

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 Hillsdale Avenue Parkettematters. 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.
  • 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.

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.