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City Wide Open Space — site photograph
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Urban Plazacluster ·Walkable Mid-Rise Neighbourhood Parks (enclosure-leaning)Bay Street Corridor (76)confidence moderatereal Toronto data

City Wide Open Space

Urban Plaza, one of the city's strongest overall (score 50, rank ~96th percentile). Strongest: edge activation; weakest: amenity diversity.

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

City Wide Open Space scores 50.3 / 100. Strongest dimensions: enclosure / eyes on park and edge activation. Weakest: amenity diversity (0). Border-vacuum risk is low. This score is a transparent reading of Jane Jacobs-style vitality factors — not a definitive judgment.

Best for:daily passing-throughpocket meetings

Area · 0.12 ha

Vitality Score
50/100

Weighted across six dimensions · confidence 54%

Data Confidence
50.3 / 100
Citywide
96th
of all 3,273 parks
Among Urban Plaza
93rd
same primary typology
Expected for similar parks
36
median in pocket Urban Plaza (n=337)
Performance gap
+14
raw − expected · context confidence high
strong overperformer

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

Explain this score

Where did the 50 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 Diversity0 · p18
-10.0
Border Vacuum Risk12 (risk)
+3.8
Enclosure / Eyes on Park80 · p83
+3.0
Edge Activation61 · p98
+2.7
Connectivity54 · p62
+0.8
Natural Comfort50 · p60
+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

City Wide Open Space works because its edge activation score (61) is one of the city's strongest and its enclosure (80) is also top quartile (its perimeter is lined with active uses).

What limits this park

City Wide Open Space is held back by amenity diversity (0, bottom quartile).

Most distinctive characteristic

Most distinctive feature: exceptionally high edge activation (61, top decile).

Jacobs reading

City Wide Open Space 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 50 versus an expected 36 for similar parks (pocket Urban Plaza) (gap +14).

Typology classification

confidence 70%
Urban Plaza

Classified as Urban Plaza: 1150 m², paved (0% canopy), 32.5 buildings/100 m

Edge Activation

25% weightpartial 60%
60.9 / 100

Within 100 m of the park edge: 20 active uses (restaurant, retail, transit_stop, cafe) and 2 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%
54.0 / 100

Connectivity blends paths, intersections, transit, entrances, and edge density. This park has 0 mapped paths/walkways and 11 sidewalk segments within 50 m; 6 street intersections within 100 m; 31 transit stops within a 400 m walk; 0 estimated access points across ~138 m of perimeter. edge density is healthy — no superblock penalty. Source coverage: centreline, pedestrian_network, transit_osm.

Streets within 25 m4
Intersections within 100 m6
Paths/walkways (50 m)0
Sidewalk segments (50 m)11
Transit stops (400 m)31
Estimated entrances0
Edge connections / 100 m perimeter2.89
Park perimeter138 m

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

Amenity Diversity

20% weightinferred 30%
0.0 / 100

No amenities recorded — score is 0 until inventory is loaded.

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, 0–100)0.0
Sample points used16

Source: Treed Area / Ravine / Waterbodies / Street Trees

Enclosure / Eyes on Park

10% weightmeasured 80%
79.9 / 100

45 buildings within 25 m of the park edge (19 mid-rise, 13 low-rise, 13 tower); avg edge height 30.9 m (~10 floors); 32.5 buildings per 100 m of 138 m perimeter — strong frontage density; edges lean tall but still framed; 13 towers ≥ 40 m within 25 m of the edge. "Eyes on the park" come strongest from the 19 mid-rise edge buildings.

Buildings within 25 m45
Buildings within 50 m45
Avg edge height30.9 m (~10 floors)
Tallest edge building105.2 m
Mid-rise (3–7 floors)19
Low-rise (< 3 floors)13
Towers (≥ 13 floors)13
Frontage density32.52 per 100 m perimeter
Mid-rise share of edge42%
Tower share of edge29%
Blank-edge share (proxy)0%
Park perimeter138 m

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

Border Vacuum Risk

10% weightpartial 60%
12.0 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" — 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 (0)

No amenities recorded for this park.

Nearby active-edge features (74)

  • transit stop — St. Joseph Street1 m
  • parking lot22 m
  • transit stop — St. Joseph Street26 m
  • retail — 7-Eleven32 m
  • retail — Hair District32 m
  • cafe — Second Cup33 m
  • retail — Polo Cleaners50 m
  • restaurant — Petit Potato51 m
  • restaurant — Tokyo Sushi63 m
  • retail — Bay Street Clinic of Electrolysis And Skincare64 m
  • restaurant — Petit Potato64 m
  • restaurant — Pizza Nova66 m
  • retail — Pets67 m
  • retail — Hasty Market69 m
  • restaurant — Super Chicken70 m
  • retail — Flowers on Bay74 m
  • restaurant — Holychoco Toronto80 m
  • retail — Telus83 m
  • retail — HM Dry Cleaner85 m
  • retail — Binns Kitchen + Bath Design85 m
  • parking lot86 m
  • retail — Suzuki Shiatsu89 m
  • restaurant — Firkin on Bay Street105 m
  • restaurant — The Foxes Den109 m
  • retail113 m
  • cafe — Kelly's Cafe114 m
  • restaurant — Rolltation118 m
  • parking lot126 m
  • cafe — Tim Hortons132 m
  • parking lot140 m
  • parking lot140 m
  • restaurant — Freshii151 m
  • parking lot154 m
  • retail — Ralph's Barber Shop154 m
  • retail — New Wave Travel156 m
  • cafe — Togo cafe157 m
  • parking lot159 m
  • restaurant — ramen RAIJIN160 m
  • transit stop — Bay Street164 m
  • retail — The Cutting Room165 m
  • restaurant — Ali Baba's166 m
  • retail — Robert Gage Hair Salon166 m
  • retail — Maison Akari166 m
  • retail — Rapunzel Hair167 m
  • retail — Coaté nails169 m
  • parking lot170 m
  • cafe — City Bakery & Cafe171 m
  • retail — Tailspin Dog Spa171 m
  • parking lot172 m
  • parking lot177 m
  • restaurant — Subway178 m
  • transit stop — Bay Street178 m
  • parking lot179 m
  • retail — Lu Dream Spa179 m
  • retail — Platis Cleaners180 m
  • restaurant — Lao Lao Bar180 m
  • restaurant — Bar Volo181 m
  • restaurant — Avelo182 m
  • retail — Eleven182 m
  • retail — ASP Security Services183 m
  • retail — Shoe Therapy Quality Shoe Repair184 m
  • restaurant — Sushi on bay185 m
  • retail — Five Condominiums185 m
  • cafe — Nabulu Coffee188 m
  • parking lot191 m
  • retail — Ralph’s Barber Shop191 m
  • transit stop — Wellesley Street West191 m
  • retail — Reflex Copy & Digital Printing191 m
  • retail — My Touch Beauty Spa & Salon193 m
  • parking lot194 m
  • parking lot195 m
  • retail — Bruno Malfara Hair Studio197 m
  • restaurant — Ethiopian House Restaurant197 m
  • retail — Zazo Hair Studio200 m

Park profile

Five-axis radar across the structural dimensions.

Edge ActivationConnectivityAmenity DiversityNatural ComfortEnclosureCity Wide Open Space

Citywide percentile ranks

Across all Toronto parks in the dataset.

  • Overall vitality
    96th
  • Edge activation
    98th
  • Connectivity
    62th
  • Amenity diversity
    18th
  • Natural comfort
    60th
  • Enclosure
    83th

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 City Wide Open Spacematters. 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

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 — 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.