Parkettecluster ·Active-edged · exposed parksThistletown-Beaumond Heights (3)confidence moderatereal Toronto data

THISTLETOWN MULTI-SERVICE CENTRE - Building Grounds

Parkette, above average overall (score 41, rank ~78th percentile). Strongest: edge activation; weakest: enclosure.

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

THISTLETOWN MULTI-SERVICE CENTRE - Building Grounds scores 40.6 / 100. Strongest dimensions: enclosure / eyes on park and natural comfort. Weakest: amenity diversity (11.9). Border-vacuum risk is elevated (36). This score is a transparent reading of Jane Jacobs-style vitality factors — not a definitive judgment.

Best for:a quiet siteveryday neighbourhood use

Area · 0.78 ha

Vitality Score

41/100

Weighted across six dimensions · confidence 68%

Data Confidence

40.6 / 100

Citywide

78th

of all 3,273 parks

Among Parkette

83rd

same primary typology

Expected for similar parks

median in small Parkette (n=218)

Performance gap

raw − expected · context confidence high

typical

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

Explain this score

Where did the 41 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 · p70

-7.6

Edge Activation28 · p86

-5.5

Border Vacuum Risk36 (risk)

+1.4

Natural Comfort56 · p70

+0.9

Enclosure / Eyes on Park58 · p27

+0.8

Connectivity53 · p60

+0.6

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

THISTLETOWN MULTI-SERVICE CENTRE - Building Grounds works because its edge activation score (28) is in the top tier and its amenity diversity (12) is also above-average.

What limits this park

THISTLETOWN MULTI-SERVICE CENTRE - Building Grounds is held back by enclosure (58, below-average)— no mid-rise frontage to provide eyes on the park; border-vacuum risk is also elevated (36).

Most distinctive characteristic

Most distinctive feature: exceptionally high edge activation (28, top quartile).

Jacobs reading

THISTLETOWN MULTI-SERVICE CENTRE - Building Grounds sits between an urban social park and an ecological retreat — moderately useful for both, exceptionally suited to neither.

Typology classification

confidence 70%

Parkette

Classified as Parkette: small (7766 m²) with strong building frontage (7.9 per 100 m)

Edge Activation

25% weightpartial 60%

27.8 / 100

Within 100 m of the park edge: 31 active uses (restaurant, retail, transit_stop) and 7 dead/hostile uses (parking_lot). 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%

52.9 / 100

Connectivity blends paths, intersections, transit, entrances, and edge density. This park has 0 mapped paths/walkways and 15 sidewalk segments within 50 m; 4 street intersections within 100 m; 17 transit stops within a 400 m walk; 0 estimated access points across ~466 m of perimeter. edge density is healthy — no superblock penalty. Source coverage: centreline, pedestrian_network, transit_osm.

Streets within 25 m7

Intersections within 100 m4

Paths/walkways (50 m)0

Sidewalk segments (50 m)15

Transit stops (400 m)17

Estimated entrances0

Edge connections / 100 m perimeter1.50

Park perimeter466 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 (community_centre). 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% weightpartial 45%

56.2 / 100

Natural-comfort components for this park: ~25.9% effective canopy (0.0% from contiguous tree polygons + scattered tree density); nearest waterbody ~446 m; 37 city-mapped trees inside the polygon (37.0/ha). Reading: partially shaded. 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)446 m

Estimated green100.0%

City-mapped trees inside polygon37

Tree density37.0 / ha

Cover diversity (Shannon, 0–100)0.0

Sample points used54

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

Enclosure / Eyes on Park

10% weightmeasured 80%

58.2 / 100

37 buildings within 25 m of the park edge (0 mid-rise, 37 low-rise, 0 tower); avg edge height 5.0 m (~2 floors); 7.9 buildings per 100 m of 466 m perimeter — strong frontage density; edges are barely there or single-storey; no towers immediately adjacent. "Eyes on the park" come strongest from the 0 mid-rise edge buildings.

Buildings within 25 m37

Buildings within 50 m37

Avg edge height5.0 m (~2 floors)

Tallest edge building8.2 m

Mid-rise (3–7 floors)0

Low-rise (< 3 floors)37

Towers (≥ 13 floors)0

Frontage density7.94 per 100 m perimeter

Mid-rise share of edge0%

Tower share of edge0%

Blank-edge share (proxy)0%

Park perimeter466 m

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

Border Vacuum Risk

10% weightpartial 60%

36.0 risk

Border-vacuum factors within 50 m of the park: parking_lot, parking_lot, parking_lot. Jacobs warned that highways, rail, parking lots and blank institutional edges act as "vacuums" — they 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 (1 types · 1 records)

community centre

Nearby active-edge features (75)

parking lot0 m
parking lot0 m
retail — D&E Barber Shop4 m
transit stop5 m
retail — Kiran Beauty Parlor9 m
restaurant — Kebabs & More Authentically Indian12 m
retail — Laxmi Ma Religious Store14 m
restaurant — Shawarma Royal Number 117 m
retail — Manuel Market Limited Fresh Meat Halal21 m
retail — Platinum Hair Studio26 m
retail — Al- Falah Grocery & Halal Meat32 m
transit stop — Thistle Down Boulevard33 m
parking lot37 m
retail — Canara Hair Salon38 m
retail — Samirmis Supermarket43 m
restaurant — Roti Roti Family Restaurant48 m
parking lot54 m
retail — Snack Shop65 m
retail — Raza.com67 m
retail71 m
parking lot75 m
retail — Classic Hair cut & Beauty Spa80 m
restaurant — Ice Flame81 m
retail — Coin Laundry82 m
transit stop — Thistle Down Blvd at Albion Rd84 m
retail — Telus84 m
restaurant — Mr. Singh’s Pizza85 m
retail — Zahe Naseeb Style Designer Pakistani Clothing86 m
retail — Hair King Hair Cut88 m
restaurant — The Burrito Bros & The Burger Bros90 m
retail — Audio Empire91 m
retail — JC Cleaners93 m
retail — Shiksha’s Cake Rush95 m
retail — The UPS Store96 m
parking lot98 m
retail — Keke’s Beauty Supply98 m
parking lot99 m
retail — Blessing African Food Market100 m
restaurant — Ayoka Ade African Delicacies106 m
retail — New Maharani Jewellers112 m
restaurant — Afro Continental Restaurant Bar & Grill113 m
transit stop — Thistle Down Blvd at Albion Rd118 m
parking lot122 m
transit stop — Sandhill Drive124 m
restaurant — Pizza Pizza124 m
retail — New Image Unisex Salon125 m
parking lot126 m
transit stop130 m
retail — Farm Fresh Meat134 m
parking lot135 m
retail — Bukande Fabrik’s & Wears136 m
retail — A-Z African & West Indian Market139 m
restaurant — Super Samosa142 m
transit stop — Albion Road152 m
restaurant — Domino's153 m
retail — Q-Market159 m
retail — Yukimi Spa159 m
retail — New Asafo Market164 m
restaurant — Dosa Twist164 m
retail171 m
parking lot173 m
retail — Freedom Mobile174 m
retail — Indian Kitchen King & Puja Hut178 m
retail — Okaishe Supermarket180 m
restaurant — Golden Joy Chinese Restaurant183 m
retail — Albion Medical Pharmacy185 m
restaurant — 6ixty Wings187 m
retail — Akal Optical188 m
retail — New India Fresh Market190 m
parking lot190 m
retail — Roha Laser Spa & Dental193 m
retail — Bareera’s Boutique Pakistani Designer Collection196 m
parking lot197 m
retail — Yong Albion Convenience198 m
retail — Fadi Fashions199 m

Park profile

Five-axis radar across the structural dimensions.

Citywide percentile ranks

Across all Toronto parks in the dataset.

Overall vitality
78th
Edge activation
86th
Connectivity
60th
Amenity diversity
70th
Natural comfort
70th
Enclosure
27th

Most similar parks

Closest in metric space across the five structural dimensions.

Ricardo ParketteParkette43
Underhill ParkNeighbourhood Park42
Cedargrove ParkNeighbourhood Park43
Allanhurst ParkParkette43
Chartland ParkNeighbourhood Park43

Most opposite parks

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

ALEX WILSON COMMUNITY GARDEN - Open Green SpaceUrban Plaza59
Trca Lands ( 26)Ravine / Naturalized Park27
Toronto Islands - Muggs Island ParkRavine / Naturalized Park25
Leslie Grove ParkParkette68
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 THISTLETOWN MULTI-SERVICE CENTRE - Building Groundsmatters. 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.

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.
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

City of Toronto Open Data — Parks (Green Space)
Polygon boundaries, official names, types.
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.