our process

plazaPOPS is the result of the hard work and collaboration of many local residents, community organizations, university students, design professionals and academic institutions. Here is a brief timeline of the work we have accomplished so far and the milestones we have ahead!

August 2018

plazaPOPS - lead by Brendan Stewart, Karen Landman and Daniel Rotsztain, in partnership with the Wexford Heights BIA and Scarborough Arts, receives Park People’s Public Space Incubator grant and begins to engage local residents and community organizers, while working with the Wexford Heights BIA to find a site, eventually partnering with Tony Kiriakou, the owner of Wexford Plaza -- one of the founders of the Wexford Heights BIA and owner of Wexford Restaurant (2072 Lawrence Ave E).

26 October 2018

As part of Professor Brendan Stewart’s Professional Practice and Community Design studios, Masters of Landscape Architecture students from the University of Guelph go on a field trip to learn from the East Scarborough Storefront about best practices in community engagement and design, followed by a visit to the Wexford Heights BIA (and a delicious lunch!).

5 December 2018

Our first Community Working Group meeting! The plazaPOPS community working group is comprised of local residents, members of community organizations, local business owners, and City of Toronto staff. Organizations represented include the Arab Community Centre of Toronto, Shwasti, local parks groups, the Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities, and residents associations. The meeting is catered by Nasib’s, a delicious and local middle eastern restaurant at 1867 Lawrence Ave E. The working group determines the plazaPOPS program, its goals, priniciples, objectives and measurements that will help guide the design process:

16 January 2019

Our 2nd Community Working Group meeting! At this meeting, we refined the above plazaPOPS program, and began brainstorming possible design concepts for our plazaPOPS installation. The concepts that emerged were: Modernism, Nature, Storytelling, Diversity, and Entrepreneurialism. University of Guelph Masters of Landscape Architecture students were in attendance, carefully listening to community input in preparation of presenting design concepts at the next meeting. The meeting was catered by Metro Bahn Mi, a delicious Vietnemese restaurant at 2055 Lawrence Ave E.

Late January 2019

Guelph students get busy! Absorbing the input from our Community Working Group, the students were divided into 6 groups to create proposals based on the working group’s identified program and themes as part of Prof Brendan Stewart’s Community Design studio.

30 January 2019

Our third Community Working Group meeting! The meeting was catered by Pizzaland Halal, a delicious pizzeria and pide’erie at 1801 Lawrence Ave E. After two weeks of intense work, University of Guelph Masters of Landscape Architecture presented their 6 design concepts to the working group, receiving feedback in the form of written surveys, sticky notes, and a group conversation.

13 February 2019

Final student presentations at the University of Guelph. Taking into account feedback from the third Community Working Group meeting, students further refined their projects and presented their work to a panel of design professionals, students, professors and those working group members who could travel to Guelph. The presentations were one last time to receive feedback before uploading their designs to this website.

Looking Ahead

12 April 2019

Last day to submit input on the 6 potential plazaPOPS designs.

May - June 2019

After our last plazaPOPS community working group in late April we will refine our final design before the construction process begins. plazaPOPS will be constructed by Ben O’Hara and John Phillips.

5 July 2019

plazaPOPS launch! Stay tuned for more info and events by joining our mailing list or following us on twitter and instagram.

And don’t forget to submit your input on the 6 potential plazaPOPS designs! You can find more about them by clicking the thumbnails below: