Strip mall parking lots have never been renowned for their ability to entice passers-by to gather and mingle. But that has been changing in parts of Toronto in the last few years thanks to a University of Guelph-led project called plazaPOPS.
The project has transformed barren parking lots in Toronto’s outer boroughs into inviting spaces where residents can sit and chat between shopping errands, or where entire neighbourhoods can gather for day-long community and cultural events.
This year, the first in a three-year grant-funded program of new plazaPOPS, saw a new expanded approach, with four parking lots throughout north Etobicoke repurposed into plazaPOPS spaces through the Albion Islington Square BIA, in partnership with the Rexdale Community Hub.
Each plazaPOPS site featured shaded benches and planters filled with trees and native perennial plants to attract pollinators, as well as murals, a stage and street art projects created by local artists.
A local church hosted a weekly free BBQ and concert at one of the sites, while several large community-led events were held throughout the summer, including carnivals with music, free food and local entertainers. The season ended with a fall harvest festival featuring music and Diwali performances.
Daniel Rotsztain, a U of G graduate whose master of landscape architecture thesis helped launch plazaPOPS, says wherever the team goes, they have insisted the local community lead the event planning.
“We want to create an authentic relationship with community members so that each installation expresses their local culture and their vision for the neighbourhood,” he said.
Enhance spaces that have no space for communing
A parking lot might seem an unusual locale for a neighbourhood party, but as landscape architecture professor Prof. Brendan Stewart explained, the point of plazaPOPS is to create a “main street” atmosphere in parts of the city that are dominated by large lanes of traffic. “We aim to provide a publicly accessible space where there are already lots of things happening and where people are spending time,” said Stewart, a professor in the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development (SEDRD) within the Ontario Agricultural College. “The point is to enhance spaces that are already buzzing but have no space for communing.”
Many of the plazaPOPS have been in strip mall parking lots where locally owned businesses have agreed to give up parking spaces to create a community meeting place.
“We go to where we are invited. We want to support small business, not push anyone out,” Stewart said. “And we always go back to the idea that what’s good for the community tends to also be good for local businesses.”
Attendance at the community events was high this summer, with families and locals gathering. In place for three months, the installations were well used throughout the summer by people looking for a place to sit amid some greenery. “We had a local artist named Wong who spent several weeks on the site creating some of the pavement art and he is full of stories of how people used the space, how there were regulars who come every day,” said Rotsztain.
“It feels like it was very appreciated,” he added. “This part of the city often doesn’t get as much investment in the arts and culture realm as other areas, so it was a refreshing thing for them to have a public space.”
plazaPOPS recently incorporated as not-for-profit organization
With the aim of creating a sustainable, long-term initiative, plazaPOPS was recently incorporated as a not-for-profit organization with an executive and board of directors.
The project received three years of funding from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev) through the City of Toronto’s Main Street Recovery and Rebuild program, as well as a Partnership Development Grant. Next year will see an enhanced research project involving U of G sociologists Drs. Mervyn Horgan and Saara Liinamaa, SEDRD’s Dr. Karen Landman, University of Toronto economist Dr. Rafael Gomez and other collaborators. Local community members will be trained to participate in the research, which aims to understand the economic, social and environmental impact of the plazaPOPS project.
Along with community partners, the team will discuss sites for next year’s installation during the U of G community design studio course to be held in the winter 2023 semester, Stewart said.
“We are trying to create a vibrant city that everyone has access to and are really excited about how this project has grown.”
plazaPOPS, a collaborative research initiative that enhances the public realm through publicly accessible pop-up installations within the privately owned parking lots of commercial strip-malls, has received two significant new grants!
Led by Landscape Architecture Assistant Professor Brendan Stewart, in collaboration with MLA’18 graduate Daniel Rotsztain, the initiative has grown over the past three years. The seeds of the idea were developed in Daniel’s Master of Landscape Architecture thesis which led to a 2019 pilot in Wexford Heights, Scarborough — known as ‘WexPOPS’ — funded by Park People’s Public Space Incubator Grant (with financial support from Ken and Eti Greenberg and the Balsam Foundation), as well as the City of Toronto’s BIA Kickstarter grant, and supported by the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development.
Following the success of the pilot, staff from several divisions of the City of Toronto expressed interest in further development of the initiative, and in 2020, joined the research team in a successful Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) grant with a goal to develop a framework for the creation of a sustainable plazaPOPS program. The SSHRC research involved a working group of ten City staff from multiple divisions, who provided input and oversight through a series of virtual workshops in fall 2020 and spring 2021. The partnership led in July 2021 to a $1M grant from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev). Part of a larger ‘Main Street Recovery and Rebuild program’
that responds to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the FedDev project involves the planning, design, fabrication, installation, and programming of a number of new plazaPOPS installations from 2022 to 2024, with the design of an initial cluster in the north Etobicoke neighbourhood of Rexdale planned to open in July 2022.
A second SSHRC grant, providing three years of funding, was just announced, which will evaluate, document, and communicate the social and economic benefits of this new round of plazaPOPS pilots. To oversee the execution of the projects, plazaPOPS has incorporated as a not-for-profit, and has recruited a board of directors who bring a diversity of perspectives and experiences.
The new SSHRC will involve University of Guelph sociologists Mervyn Horgan and Saara Liinamaa, University of Toronto economist Rafael Gomez, as well as SEDRDs Karen Landman, among many other collaborators. The project will bring numerous opportunities to landscape architecture students within SEDRD, including research assistantships, and the possibility of integration into community design studios. As an initial output from the SSHRC funding, plazaPOPS is aiming to launch a refreshed website in fall 2022. See UofG news release for additional information.
If you’ve strolled Reynolds Walk on campus this September, you may have noticed a pop-up relaxation spot installed next to Branion Plaza. The WexPOPS installation is a portable public gathering place that was relocated to U of G from its initial installation earlier this summer in a strip mall parking lot in Scarborough, Ont.
WexPOPS is the pilot installation of the plazaPOPS Initiative – a design and research project led by master of landscape architecture grad Daniel Rotsztain and U of G landscape architecture Profs. Brendan Stewart and Karen Landman.
“Neighbourhood main streets need accessible gathering spaces to support community life and individual well-being,” says Stewart. “PlazaPOPS is testing a high-impact, low cost model to create such spaces in areas that need them most, all in partnership with local businesses who own the land.”
This summer’s POPS (privately owned public space) installation in Wexford Heights Plaza in Scarborough hosted musical acts, workshops and community events.
Designed with community in mind
WexPOPS features a series of modular planters, benches, tables and umbrellas, all clad in marine plywood and trimmed in cedar. The original installation created a comfortable and sheltered space that framed views of the strip mall.
Ben O’Hara, an MLA grad and sessional instructor in the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, managed the installation’s carpentry. All components were designed as modules that can be reconfigured to suit varying future site conditions and that can be packed flat for easy assembly and storage.
The original installation featured almost 500 plants, which were installed in colour-coded pails recycled from U of G: > red for native perennials > orange for annuals > yellow for edible plants
Most of the native plants were donated to the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and planted in a stretch of the Meadoway — a utility corridor naturalization project that runs through Scarborough — this September. The annuals and edible plants were brought back to Guelph and incorporated into the installation on campus. A year of community consultation, planning and design
Retail strip mall plazas are everywhere in suburban North America, Stewart explains. While privately owned, he says, these plazas define main streets and serve as important settings of community life for millions of Canadians. Finding ways to humanize these areas can positively impact many people. The WexPOPS project was part of a second-year master of landscape architecture design studio this past winter. MLA students worked in teams to develop concepts that were presented and refined through workshops and open houses with Scarborough community members. WexPOPS resulted from more than a year of community consultation, planning and design work.
Stewart and Landman hope to roll out a broader plazaPOPS program across the province.
The reinstallation is supported by the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, the Sustainability Office and Physical Resources.Learn more about plazaPOPS at www.plazaPOPS.ca and on Instagram and Twitter @plaza_pops.
Turning a few spaces in a strip mall parking lot into a human-friendly oasis is the vision of the plazaPOPS concept.
Led by U of G School of Environmental Design and Rural Development professors Karen Landman and Brendan Stewart, both in the landscape architecture program, the concept is becoming reality in an iconic suburban Toronto strip mall and is getting a lot of media attention. Stewart and project co-lead Daniel Rotsztain, a landscape designer and artist, were on CBC Radio’sFresh Air over the weekend to discuss the concept.
Stewart told Global News Radio that suburban strip malls were primarily designed for the car, but there are many who walk or bus to the malls and contribute to their vibrancy.
“Our project is really about just trying to create better pedestrian facilities and amenities, so that people can take a load off and relax, maybe read a book, and most importantly meet their neighbours,” Stewart said.
Wexford Heights Plaza has undergone a plazaPOPS upgrade, with an enclosed space featuring 360 native plants, some edible, as well as tables and benches. The design was chosen from entries in a landscape architecture design contest at U of G.
Stewart’s research focuses on heritage conservation planning and design, cultural landscape theory, design history, and participatory design practices.
Landman’s research seeks to find ways to make urban agriculture more acceptable by assessing how to design for green space in urban landscapes.
Did you know you could transform your local strip mall parking lot into a radiant community space? Or convert a side walk into an urban garden?
Introducing… the pop-up parklet.
Landscape architects are using colourful and creative ways to reclaim communities’ under-utilised urban spaces to transform them into community hubs. Large cities like Toronto need to rethink their suburban arterials to create high quality community spaces for their growing populations. Pop-up parklets are an inexpensive, easy and fun solution to this problem.
The original parklet concept was introduced to San Francisco in 2010 and was comprised of a green carpet, potted tree, bench and some traffic cones – a simple way to improve the pedestrian environment.
The trend has since been introduced into cities around the world.
For some, pop-ups create a space to advocate and educate on an important subject and for others it might just be a go-to spot to enjoy their city.
Profs. Brendan Stewart and Karen Landman are working alongside landscape architecture alumnus Daniel Rotsztain and current landscape architecture students to create simple, yet impactful, “pop up” public gathering spaces. They’ve coined their project “plazaPOPS”, part of Park People’s Public Space Incubator funded by Ken and Eti Greenberg and the Balsam Foundation.
The goal of these plazaPOPS is to use movable furniture, integrated public art and community programming to transform the underutilized private parking lots in Toronto’s suburban strip malls into buzzing public plazas. Look for plazaPops on Lawrence Avenue East this summer.
Or, advocate for a pop-up in your community! We asked Bachelor of Landscape Architecture alumni for tips!
How to make your community Pop: A Q&A
Jonathan Behnke (JB) is a Landscape & Urban Designer at Lanarc, SITES AP in Nanaimo, BC. He is a 2015 Bachehlor of Landscape Architecture graduate. During his second year, he designed a parklet in honour of his friend Isaak Kornelsen who tragically died just months before. The Isaak Kornelsen Memorial Parklet commemorate Isaak’s life, and provokes thought on how to redesign streets in Edmonton to be safe for all users.
Kathleen Corey (KC) is a Public Space Design Engineer with the City of Vancouver. Her MLA thesis included a design-build case study of the French Quarter parklet while at PWL Partnership and supported by the Landscape Architecture Canada Foundation. In her role with the City of Vancouver she creates parklets, “pavement-to-plaza” projects and curbside patios. She is a part of the VIVA Vancouver program that explores new approaches to increasing public space across the city.
Daniel Rotsztain (DR) is a recent graduate of the Master of Landscape Architecture program. His thesis focused on enhancing local strip mall landscapes for pedestrians, which was the basis of the “plazaPOPS” project. He’s actively involved in the project, along with being an artist, writer, cartographer. More about Daniel here.
Why are parklets and pop-up spaces important?
JB: Parklets and pop-up spaces enable people to advocate for important issues and share new ideas in interactive ways with small budgets. Pop-up spaces are effective at raising awareness due to their ephemeral nature–they pop up out of nowhere, and grab attention by interrupting the daily routines of people walking, driving, and cycling. Pop-up spaces can be low-cost to implement since they are temporary and do not have to be as durable as permanent outdoor public spaces.
KC: Streets make up the majority of the public realm; however, most streets don’t provide much-needed opportunities for seating, people-watching, outdoor eating, and other passive use. Adopting a tactical urbanism approach of targeted, quick-implementation not only fosters creative solutions, it helps create more spaces that strengthen the dialogue between the community and designer.
DR: Toronto’s inner suburbs were built in the 1950s and 1960s to accommodate the car. But these days, there more and more people who don’t have cars and walk or take transit instead. So, the suburbs have to catch up with how they are being used! Also, the retail life of Toronto’s strip malls is so vibrant, and home to so many new immigrant community businesses. It’s important to recognize how important these retail strips are, and figure out ways to support them, rather than thinking the only way to improve them is to demolish them and start anew since the new buildings that replace strip malls tend to have rents that are too expensive for the existing businesses. Finally, there is so much land in Toronto that is used as if it were public, but is actually privately owned. plazaPOPS is trying to figure out ways to activate these kinds of neglected spaces.
What advice do you have for community members looking to create or advocate for pop-up spaces?
JB: The first step is to come up with an idea for a pop-up space: is there a particular issue you would like to bring attention to, or something missing in your neighbourhood that you would like to provide? You will also have to decide on how long you want your space to last; this will affect the budget you will need. The next step is to get permission from your municipality. This can be intimidating because every municipality has different procedures for approving pop-up spaces–some may not have any procedures at all. Talking to the elected councillor in the area of the project is a good place to start. They can direct you to the correct contact within the municipal administration. Look through the local planning documents like neighbourhood plans and complete street strategies, and find the goals and objectives that your pop-up space will be achieving. If your idea is in line with the adopted local plans, the politicians and municipality should be supportive.
KC: Start with an idea on how to include the public whether it’s through a special event or workshop, refine your concepts, and then present your community proposal to your municipality.
DR: Find collaborators! There are so many community groups, residents associations, public health organizations, or business associations that would make a great partner to make a pop up gathering space happen! You can get more done if the entire community is on board from inception to installation.
Do you have any tips or resources on how to turn concepts into reality?
JB: If you need help transforming your idea into a design that can be built, there are often landscape architecture, architecture, or planning students looking for exciting projects to be involved in during their breaks between school terms. Or if you have budget available, hire a professional.
KC:The parklet, pavement-to-plazas, and curbside patio programs we’ve created for the City of Vancouver are all adaptable to other cities/municipalities. They are designed to be modular and adaptable to their surroundings, supporting high foot and bicycle traffic generated by shopping streets. We have also developed modular platforms for parklets and curbside patios to improve installation, drainage, and maintenance.
DR: I produced a guide based on my thesis research that shows how a resident can initiate landscape enhancements for pedestrians at their local strip mall.
How long to pop-ups last? JB: The Isaak Kornelsen Memorial Parklet I created is a small urban park set up for one day each year in two metered parking spaces on Whyte Ave in Edmonton, Alberta. My long-term goal is to have it set up for an entire week or even a few months each year.
DR: Depending on the design, the pop up can last one day, one week, one season, or morph into something that is permanent! The pop up approach is a great way to test designs, experiment with configurations and show people what’s possible without committing to an expensive and permanent infrastructure installation.
KC: Parklets, on average, last for five years with the opportunity for renewal and upgrades to extend longevity.
How much do pop-ups cost? How are they funded?
JB: The cost of parklets vary greatly depending on the design and whether the construction labour is paid or volunteer. Finding money to implement a pop-up space can be a challenge. Look for grants, consider crowd-funding, or partner with a like-minded business located near your proposed location. Scale your design to match the budget you have. The Isaak Kornelsen Memorial Parklet is a painted wood frame structure built by volunteers. It cost $2,400 in the first year including materials, municipal permits, and transportation costs. I reuse the structure each year so my annual cost varies from $300-$500 including permits, maintenance, and transportation.
KC: Each parklet often involves multiple partnerships and in-kind contributions. As a result, the cost can vary significantly.
DR: Each project will be different in terms of cost and time, but we recommend taking the “tactical urbanism” approach, which uses inexpensive materials like asphalt paintings, patio furniture, and upcycled materials to create colourful installations without the barriers of high costs.
These interviews have been shortened and condensed. A condensed version of this article was originally published in the LIBRANNI 2019 / Vol. 1
