The Daniels Faculty would like to congratulate Professor John Danahy on receiving a Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA) Teaching Award.

The CSLA Recognition Awards honour the work and commitment of Canadians to the profession of landscape architecture. The Teaching Award, in particular, recognizes an individual who has made a substantial and significant contribution to landscape architecture education.

A Full Professor of Landscape Architecture with a cross appointment in Computer Science at the University of Toronto, Professor Danahy has had a long history with the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design. He graduated from U of T with a BLA in 1977 and has taught at the Faculty for the past 25 years. He received a certificate in Urban Design from the Royal Danish Academy of Art in 1978 and a Master of Science in Urban and Regional Planning from U of T in 1983. He has been a Full Member of the OALA and CSLA since 1985.

Professor Danahy’s influence on the practice and the field of Landscape Architecture has been considerable. Colleagues have estimated that he has helped educate approximately one third of the landscape architects now working in Canada. He has been a core and guiding figure in U of T's previous Bachelor of Landscape Architecture program and current Master of Landscape Architecture program — one of four accredited by the CSLA across the country.

As the director of U of T’s Centre for Landscape Research (CLR) from 1992 to 2013, Professor Danahy led the development of new research software systems and pioneered the use of computing and virtual reality in the practice of landscape architecture. His expertise in digital media allowed him to develop innovative teaching methods that take advantage of visualization, immersive design, and 3D spatial literacy at a time when these techniques were new, and almost unknown in much of the field.

Professor Danahy has taught in landscape architecture, urban design, planning, architecture, computer science and knowledge media design. His core teaching has included design studios and thesis as well as specialized courses focused on social life and human factors design. His myriad works and accomplishments in research and creative practice as well as his passion for, and involvement in, the field of landscape architecture have made him an inspiring educator and a critical figure in the field — in Canada and beyond.