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PARKDALE HEALTH CENTRE - Building Grounds, site photograph
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Urban PlazaType:Underperforming / Leftover Space (enclosure-leaning)South Parkdale

PARKDALE HEALTH CENTRE - Building Grounds

Urban Plaza, middle of the pack overall (score 36, rank ~55th percentile). Strongest: enclosure; weakest: natural comfort.

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

Data updated

PARKDALE HEALTH CENTRE - Building Grounds scores 35.7 / 100. Strongest dimensions: enclosure / eyes on park and connectivity. Weakest: edge activation (0). 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 · 0.17 ha

What's here

Recreation
Garden

Getting around

Paths

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

1 flight of steps on the mapped network.

Seating

No seating mapped in OpenStreetMap.

Arrival

Parking inside the park. None of the 10 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
36/100

Weighted across six dimensions · confidence 66%

Data Confidence
35.7 / 100

Data confidence: moderate

Citywide
55th
of all 3,753 parks
Among Urban Plaza
33rd
same primary typology
Expected for similar parks
38
median in pocket Urban Plaza (n=352)
Performance gap
-2
raw − expected · context confidence high
typical

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.

Grounds of a City building, not a designated park. It is left out of park rankings.

Explain this score

Where did the 36 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 · p62
-12.5
Amenity Diversity12 · p64
-7.6
Enclosure / Eyes on Park81 · p86
+3.1
Border Vacuum Risk24 (risk)
+2.6
Connectivity59 · p74
+1.8
Natural Comfort39 · p33
-1.6

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

PARKDALE HEALTH CENTRE - Building Grounds works because its enclosure score (81) is in the top tier and its connectivity (59) is also above-average (5 mid-rise buildings frame the edge with passive surveillance).

What limits this park

PARKDALE HEALTH CENTRE - Building Grounds is held back by natural comfort (39, below-average): only 0% canopy means little summer shade.

Most distinctive characteristic

Most distinctive feature: exceptionally high enclosure (81, top quartile).

Jacobs reading

PARKDALE HEALTH CENTRE - Building Grounds sits between an urban social park and an ecological retreat: moderately useful for both, exceptionally suited to neither.

Tradeoffs

  • The park is enclosed by buildings (81) but the surrounding streets are quiet (edge activation 0): frame without animation.

Performance in context

  • Citywide rank is high (55th) but typology rank is more modest (33rd): the strength likely comes from the dataset average pulling lower than this typology’s baseline.

Typology classification

confidence 70%
Urban Plaza

Classified as Urban Plaza: 1750 m², paved (0% canopy), 20.6 buildings/100 m

Edge Activation

25% weightpartial 60%
0.0 / 100

Within 100 m of the park edge: 20 active uses (retail, restaurant, transit_stop, cafe) and 11 dead/hostile uses (parking_lot, rail). 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

20% weightmeasured 85%
58.8 / 100

Connectivity blends paths, intersections, transit, entrances, and edge density. This park has 0 mapped paths/walkways and 15 sidewalk segments within 50 m; 11 street intersections within 100 m; 6 streetcar or LRT stops, 3 bus stops within a 400 m walk; 0 estimated access points across ~170 m of perimeter. edge density is healthy, no superblock penalty. Source coverage: centreline, pedestrian_network, transit_osm.

Streets within 25 m5
Intersections within 100 m11
Paths/walkways (50 m)0
Sidewalk segments (50 m)15
Transit stops (400 m)9 (0 subway/GO, 6 streetcar/LRT, 3 bus)
Estimated entrances0
Edge connections / 100 m perimeter2.95
Park perimeter170 m

Source: Toronto Centreline V2 + Pedestrian Network + OSM transit stops. All data sources.

Amenity Diversity

20% weightmeasured 75%
11.9 / 100

1 distinct amenity types in the park (garden). Diversity 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. All data sources.

Natural Comfort

15% weightinferred 36%
39.2 / 100

Natural-comfort components for this park: ~6.3% effective canopy (0.0% from contiguous tree polygons + scattered tree density); nearest waterbody ~1192 m; 9 city-mapped trees inside the polygon (9.0/ha). Reading: exposed. Source coverage: waterbodies, street_trees. 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)1,192 m
Estimated green100.0%
City-mapped trees inside polygon9
Tree density9.0 / ha
Cover diversity (Shannon, 0 to 100)0.0
Sample points used17

Source: Toronto Treed Area + Ravine + Waterbodies + Street Tree Inventory. All data sources.

Enclosure / Eyes on Park

10% weightmeasured 80%
80.8 / 100

35 buildings within 25 m of the park edge (5 mid-rise, 30 low-rise, 0 tower); avg edge height 7.3 m (~2 floors); 20.6 buildings per 100 m of 170 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 5 mid-rise edge buildings.

Buildings within 25 m35
Buildings within 50 m35
Avg edge height7.3 m (~2 floors)
Tallest edge building24.9 m
Mid-rise (3 to 7 floors)5
Low-rise (< 3 floors)30
Towers (≥ 13 floors)0
Frontage density20.63 per 100 m perimeter
Mid-rise share of edge14%
Tower share of edge0%
Blank-edge share (proxy)0%
Park perimeter170 m

Source: Toronto 3D Massing (building footprints + heights). All data sources.

Border Vacuum Risk

10% weightpartial 60%
24.0 risk

Border-vacuum factors within 50 m of the park: parking_lot, 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

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: Not loaded yet: Toronto Neighbourhood Profiles. All data sources.

Amenities (1 types · 1 records)

  • garden

Nearby active-edge features (79)

  • parking lot0 m
  • retail: Forward Wireless2 m
  • retail: Parkdale Barbers13 m
  • cafe: Bom Dia22 m
  • retail: Barton Floor Coverings25 m
  • cafe: Rustic Cosmo Café28 m
  • restaurant: Matt's Burger Lab28 m
  • transit stop: Dufferin Street30 m
  • retail: Queen & Dufferin Convenience33 m
  • cafe: My Tea Bar35 m
  • retail: Kim Nails & Spa35 m
  • retail: Clover Flora38 m
  • restaurant: Alexander Falafel39 m
  • restaurant: Motel Bar43 m
  • transit stop: Queen Street West47 m
  • restaurant: Danu Social House48 m
  • parking lot49 m
  • retail: Dirty Mike's Thrift53 m
  • retail: House of Vintage56 m
  • transit stop: Queen Street West58 m
  • rail: Galt Subdivision65 m
  • parking lot66 m
  • transit stop: Dufferin Street67 m
  • rail: Weston Subdivision71 m
  • parking lot71 m
  • restaurant: Rhino73 m
  • rail: Weston Subdivision77 m
  • parking lot79 m
  • rail: Weston Subdivision82 m
  • rail: Weston Subdivision84 m
  • rail: Weston Subdivision99 m
  • parking lot100 m
  • retail: Vegan Danish Bakery102 m
  • parking lot103 m
  • restaurant: Guu Izakaya107 m
  • restaurant: Armonia Pasta Bar112 m
  • restaurant: Molkagtez Mexican Cuisine115 m
  • retail: Smoke N Fire116 m
  • rail: Weston Subdivision117 m
  • rail: Weston Subdivision118 m
  • restaurant: Mary Brown's121 m
  • restaurant: Nuna121 m
  • rail: Weston Subdivision123 m
  • parking lot125 m
  • retail: Green Pentagon Cannabis127 m
  • cafe: Starbucks129 m
  • retail: The Wine Shop130 m
  • retail: Lynn's Convenience138 m
  • transit stop: Dufferin St at Melbourne Ave138 m
  • retail: Wavy139 m
  • retail: Dang Jewellery & Watches141 m
  • retail: Dollarama142 m
  • retail: Metro145 m
  • restaurant: Kaminari146 m
  • parking lot147 m
  • restaurant: Craig's Cookies151 m
  • parking lot155 m
  • retail: Gas City156 m
  • rail: Weston Subdivision156 m
  • retail: Lola160 m
  • transit stop: Sudbury Street163 m
  • retail: Matchbox Tattoo164 m
  • retail: Made You Look Jewellery166 m
  • restaurant: Lao Thai167 m
  • retail: Fetchy169 m
  • retail170 m
  • retail: Paper Plus Cloth173 m
  • restaurant: Island Foods174 m
  • retail: The UPS Store176 m
  • community: Creating Together EarlyON Child and Family Centre179 m
  • retail: Canada MedLaser180 m
  • retail: Budget One Stop186 m
  • cafe: Highly Likely190 m
  • restaurant: Hanoi Restaurant-Cake191 m
  • transit stop: Brock Avenue192 m
  • transit stop: Gladstone Avenue192 m
  • retail: De Mart197 m
  • retail: King West Flowers197 m
  • restaurant: Mercato197 m

Park profile

Five-axis radar across the structural dimensions.

Edge ActivationConnectivityAmenity DiversityNatural ComfortEnclosurePARKDALE HEALTH CENTRE - Building Grounds
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
    55th
  • Edge activation
    62th
  • Connectivity
    74th
  • Amenity diversity
    64th
  • Natural comfort
    33th
  • Enclosure
    86th

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 PARKDALE HEALTH CENTRE - Building Grounds 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.

  • Activate the edges: encourage cafés, retail or community uses on the streets that face the park; replace blank or parking-lot edges where possible.
  • 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.
  • OpenStreetMap (Overpass API)
    Cafés, restaurants, retail, transit stops, parking, highways, rail.