Downsview Park
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| Downsview Park | |
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| Location: | Downsview, Ontario, Canada |
| Nearest city: | Toronto, Ontario |
| Coordinates: | |
| Area: | 2.4 km² |
| Established: | 1998 |
| Governing body: | Park Downsview Parc Inc. (PDP) |
Downsview Park is a former Canadian military base in Downsview, a neighbourhood in the north end of Toronto, Ontario.
Downsview Park has received the designation as a National Urban Park, and comprises a 2.4 km² (600 acres) property. Approximately 1.2 km² (300 acres) is designated for development into parkland, recreational, commercial, and cultural uses.
The property comprises the site of CFB Downsview, a Canadian Forces Base that closed in 1994. The Downsview Airport is located on the property and is still actively used by Bombardier Aerospace which maintains an aircraft manufacturing facility in the park.
Downsview Park is known for being one of the few National Urban Parks in Canada, and claims to be the first[1] along with the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City.[2]
The property has been the site of several high-profile events, including two Papal Visits by Pope John Paul II, in 1984 (while still an active military base) and 2002 (World Youth Day), as well as the Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto concert in 2003 featuring The Rolling Stones.
Downsview and Wilson stations on the Yonge-University-Spadina subway line are both near Downsview Park on its eastern edge; the planned Sheppard West station would be located at the park's north end.
The Canadian Forces transferred control of the property to the Canada Lands Company in 1995. CLC created a subsidiary named Parc Downsview Park Inc. in 1998 to manage and implement the property's redevelopment.
[edit] Development plan
The master plan for the new Downsview Park was the subject of an international competition. Among the finalists were Foreign Office Architects, Brown and Storey, James Corner and Stan Allen, and Bruce Mau in conjunction with the Office for Metropolitan Architecture. In a surprising turn of events, the OMA competition won precisely not due to a traditional design but for presenting a systems for how the park would "work."
Many have criticised PDP for the slow progress made on the actual development of Downsview Park. The property remains mostly inaccessible to the general public since its use as a military base. "The Hangar", a sports facility originally constructed by the military, functions as a community sports centre. The Department of National Defence has retained some ownership of buildings in the park for housing local reserve and regular forces units. Some parts of the park are rented to car dealerships for secure storage of vehicles.
 Downsview Park from the sky |
[edit] External links
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