The Daniels Faculty is pleased to announce that, as part of our ongoing commitment to developing and enhancing Indigenous knowledge and capacity in our Faculty, the role of the First Peoples Leadership Advisor is being expanded to a First Peoples Leadership Advisory Group in order to diversify perspectives and include multiple experiences and expertise from broader Indigenous communities. The expanded role and responsibilities, as well as the public open call for applications, have been made in close consultation with U of T’s Office for Indigenous Initiatives and First Nations House.  

In expanding this role to an Advisory Group to include three members, the Daniels Faculty, its students and our community will benefit from the contributions and advice of multiple perspectives. This group will work closely with a Faculty leadership team and use Wecheehetowin: Answering the Call, U of T’s response to the TRC report, to guide the directions of our efforts and build on work already undertaken within the Faculty.  

This First Peoples Leadership Advisory Group will provide leadership and guidance within the Faculty to enable greater incorporation of Indigenous knowledge into the teaching curriculum and research activities. It will also expand connections and engagement with Indigenous peoples and communities for our students and faculty. And, perhaps most importantly, they will further support the next generation of students in the Daniels Faculty.   

Key responsibilities include: 

Curriculum enrichment: 

• Providing curriculum and research support to the Daniels Faculty to ensure relevant and culturally grounded elements are included 
• Collaborating with faculty on the design and implementation of Indigenous research and education content 
• Supporting targeted requests from faculty for perspective and insight 

Student support: 

• Supporting current Daniels Faculty Indigenous students on culturally specific, financial, academic support or other issues as they arise; liaising with the Registrar or First Nations House as appropriate 
• Advising non-Indigenous students seeking cultural perspective, input, resources or guidance  

Advisory and outreach: 

• Offer advice and counsel to the Dean and Faculty leadership 
• Facilitating outreach or introduction into communities for projects or initiatives 
• Supporting cultivation of pathways for future students to the Daniels Faculty 
• Providing advice on pathways to admission for Indigenous youth and other potential students.  

Service: 

• Establish connections with the U of T Office of Indigenous Initiatives 
• Working with Assistant Dean, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion on broader Faculty initiatives 
• Advising or participating in ceremonies as requested  
• The First Peoples Advisory Group will lead the creation of its Terms of Reference 

Open Call: Those interested may apply via the following link by Friday, July 29, 2022:  

First Peoples Leadership Advisory Group – Application Form 

Applications will be reviewed by a committee comprised of members from U of T’s Office for Indigenous Initiatives and the Daniels Faculty Leadership Team, as well as representatives from Daniels Faculty Indigenous students and alumni. 

Banner image: This year’s Design Studio 2 (ARC 1012) tasked Master of Architecture students with designing a seedbank for the non-profit Kayanase organization (student Alice Dong’s is pictured above) using both science-based approaches and Traditional Indigenous Knowledge. Part of the Daniels Faculty’s ongoing commitment to integrating meaningful Indigenous content into the curriculum, the first-year core MARC course was developed in collaboration with multiple Indigenous experts and directly addresses Call to Action No. 17 in U of T’s response to the report by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. (Photo by Harry Choi)

Newly minted BAAS grad Jessie Pan’s research into the use of trees in building simulation has come full circle in a little over a year.

It started in May of 2021 when she won the NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award to study how better tree modelling could improve building designs. Flash forward 12 months and she will be presenting the fruits of her research, which include a framework for the creation of more dynamic tree models than typically used by designers, at the e-Sim conference in Ottawa on June 22.

“I am excited about the presentation,” says Pan, who received her Honours Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies degree on June 15. “It is a great honour to be presenting my first paper at my first conference.”

Titled Simulating the Impact of Deciduous Trees on Energy, Daylight and Visual Comfort: Impact Analysis and a Practical Framework for Implementation, the peer-reviewed paper that Pan will be presenting at eSim encompasses the research she undertook with Assistant Professor Alstan Jakubiec over the past year.

The current practice in building simulation, she notes, tends to use solid or simplified trees, disregarding their complex and fluctuating effects, especially when it comes deciduous varieties. 

“Deciduous trees are sophisticated due to tree phenology and leaf senescence that impact their foliage density and colour throughout the year,” Pan explains. “We created a framework for developing dynamic tree models that integrate temporal schedules of colour change, leaf drop and regrowth, as well as physical measurements of gap fractions.”

What she and Jakubiec discovered was that, “when compared to our detailed tree models,” there are “significant differences in lighting, heating and cooling loads when using simplified models…or no trees at all.”

More sophisticated tree modelling, in short, can quantifiably lead to better, more energy-efficient buildings.

The eSim Building Simulation Conference — organized by Carleton University, National Research Council Canada and Natural Resources Canada — is slated to be held at Carleton on June 22 and 23. The theme this year — the conference’s 12th — is Simulating Buildings for the New Normal, with a focus on “using building performance simulation to model and research indoor air quality and other strategies for mitigating risks related to transmission of infectious disease.”

Typically, some 200 delegates attend each conference, with more than 75 peer-reviewed papers presented. Pan is scheduled to present hers on the first day of the event.

In addition to receiving the NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award, Pan also won the 2021 Project StaSIO Summer Challenge, which was focused on the subjects of daylight and glare, for her graphics illustrating her findings.

She created the graphics using Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Excel, Grasshopper/Rhino and Python. The tools used in the simulation analysis were ClimateStudio, Radiance and Python.

The entire project was “my first exposure to academic research and I am very grateful for this experience with Professor Jakubiec,” Pan says. “This opportunity has jumpstarted my research interest, skillset and background, and I look forward to applying it all during my future graduate studies.”

Banner image: BAAS student Jessie Pan poses for a portrait after receiving an Academic Merit Award during the Daniels Faculty’s Graduation and Awards Celebration at 1 Spadina Crescent on June 14. (Photo by Sara Elhawash)

How do you transform a standard shopping-plaza parking lot into a thriving community space that people actually want to be in?  

In late spring, students enrolled in the Design Build Studio architecture course called Corner Commons pondered just that, designing and then building two shade pavilions and a stage canopy in an area outside Toronto’s Jane Finch Mall. 

Architect, urban designer and Daniels Faculty alumnus Clint Langevin co-led the course alongside Amy Norris, an architect at Diamond Schmitt Architects, as a social-purpose exercise with the Jane Finch Community and Family Centre. The result was Corner Commons, a temporary informal gathering space that transformed a portion of the Jane Finch Mall into a multifaceted public resource that the community will be using all summer long. 

Among the interventions that the students made on the site were a new focal point for visitors, a substantial shaded area where residents could gather and relax, and a flexible space for performances and other community-led programming.   

“These studios are an incredible learning experience for everyone involved,” says Langevin, an architect at Perkins&Will. “For the students, it is often the first time they encounter the real challenges and rewards of designing a built project for an actual client, who they meet, present to and receive honest feedback from.” 

“For us,” adds Norris, “it is hugely energizing to jump into this wild sea of ideas and perform the balancing act of guiding the group toward something that is achievable within our timeframe and budget but retains their design aspirations for the project. The design week alone is super satisfying, but the real magic is the week of turning the lines on paper into an occupiable public space with our own hands.  

“There are too many personal and professional lessons learned to list, but watching the development of everyone’s skills, knowledge and confidence over that week and ultimately their pride in building a unique public space for the community is hugely rewarding.” 

With the Mall’s support, the Jane Finch Community and Family Centre will be hosting a wide range of activities and events in the space this summer, with local artists, resident leaders, grassroots groups and various community organizations from the neighbourhood participating.  

The Corner Commons project was awarded a 2022 National Urban Design Award of Excellence by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), which called it the product of “an exceptional community-driven process.” 

“It is clear,” one jury member wrote, “that the community came together under the banner of this initiative. Because of this ownership in process and purpose, the result is a space for the community and by the community. With enough infrastructure to sponsor a wide diversity of programming, from community gardens to performance spaces to spaces for protestation, it is truly the hallmark of authentic public space.” 
 
Additional studio and site support was provided by Jonathan Wong and Perkins&Will staff. To learn more about the course, visit this web page.  

Photos by Urban Designer, Eunice Wong of Perkins&Will.

Described by Toronto Star columnist Shawn Micallef as “kind of like a library but for urban civics…and a fun one, too,” the Toronto Landscape Observatory has been drawing urban adventurers to Perth Avenue in the city’s west end since the launch of this year’s Toronto Biennial of Art, its home since early spring. 

Part installation and part resource kit for exploring both its immediate surroundings and the city at large, the interactive initiative co-curated by Susan Schwartzenberg and Associate Professor Jane Wolff of the Daniels Faculty was designed “to help Biennial visitors recognize, acknowledge and understand their relationships to this place — and to other people who care about it.” 

In addition to a physical display gallery housed in a building slated for demolition, the initiative encompasses a collection of tools, walks, workshops and conversations focused on “the processes, phenomena and connections that often go unnoticed” when it comes to city planning.

Programmed events investigating the Biennial’s own environs at 72 Perth Avenue have been held every week since May 2, including, on May 29, a Listening Walk led by musicologists Sherry Lee and Emily MacCallum.

The program’s final event — from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on June 5, the last day of the Biennial — will be a Walk to Greet Plants. Led by horticultural writer Lorraine Johnson, it’ll explore the flora of the West Toronto Railpath, with the goal of building “immediate, emotional connections that help people see themselves as part of the natural world.”

“In examining the land and its relationships as they are today,” say the co-curators, “the Observatory looks toward a future made uncertain by local and global change, from development pressures to the climate emergency. It invites visitors to contribute their own observations to an open vocabulary for imagining possibilities that are kinder, more just and more resilient than the status quo.” 

The endeavour — which includes the contributions of a wide range of specialists, from landscape architects and environmental artists to Indigenous knowledge keepers and music experts — was funded by an SSHRC Connection grant and a grant from the University of Toronto’s Office of the Vice-President, International. 

“I would characterize this whole enterprise as an invitation to wonder,” Prof. Wolff told Micallef for his piece in the Star. The writer concurred. “If you need a reason to explore your city,” he concluded, “use the Biennial and the journey in between locations to look at it more closely.” 

For more information on the Toronto Landscape Observatory and remaining events, visit torontobiennial.org. 

Banner image: Visitors to the Toronto Biennial of Art take part in a Toronto Landscape Observatory walk in the city's west end. The multifaceted observatory initiative was co-curated by Susan Schwartzenberg and Associate Professor Jane Wolff of the Daniels Faculty.

The Daniels Faculty’s summer outreach programs for kids, youths and young adults are back, offering introductions to the design process to participants of all ages. 

Starting on June 27, the popular Daniels Minecraft Program, which uses the participant’s love of the now-classic video game to explore the fundamentals of design and architecture while building teamwork and communication skills, is now open to registrants aged eight to 14.  

Three levels will be offered this year: Level 1 (which tackles the Foundations of Architecture), Level 2 (which explores Cityscapes) and Level 3 (all about World Building and Game Design).  

The Minecraft camp will be offered in one-week full-day sessions or two-week half-day sessions. Each will feature live instruction as well as team and individual work, with mentors monitoring and supporting students during their team and solo activities.  

Also starting on June 27, the Daniels Design Discovery program kicks off with both online and in-person versions. 

The online camp, designed for any late-high-school and undergraduate students who are interested in architecture either personally or as a potential career, provides a comprehensive introduction to the field, giving participants the opportunity to experience different ways of seeing, thinking and making through the lens of design.  

The program encompasses four courses that can be taken individually or in bundled form, with the overall aim being the development of skills in a broad range of design tools and techniques.  

Course activities include lectures by practicing architects and faculty, virtual field trips to local buildings and professional offices, one-on-one instruction and feedback, and training in representation, model-building and related skills.  

The in-person Daniels Design Discovery program, meanwhile, provides an unparalleled opportunity to experience the intensive studio culture that characterizes most architecture programs, allowing participants to build up a collection of drawings and models that will complement an admissions portfolio.  

Students will be able to use the design facilities at the Daniels Building at 1 Spadina Crescent. The in-person program will consist of a pair of two-week courses. 

Both the online and the in-person programs are open to registrants aged 15 to 18-plus, although this range is a guide. A certain level of maturity will be expected among all participants.  

For complete details regarding registration, dates, fees, course curricula and more, contact program manager Nene Brode at nene.brode@daniels.utoronto.ca or visit the individual program pages on the Daniels Faculty website. 

This Thesis Booklet showcases final thesis projects produced by Master of Architecture (MARC), Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) and Master of Urban Design (MUD) students at the University of Toronto’s John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design. Thesis booklets are a Daniels Faculty tradition, printed and distributed to graduate thesis students, as well as thesis advisors, external reviewers and guests.

The booklet contains images and brief statements by students who are presenting thesis projects this winter semester, at the culmination of their studies. Feel free to flip through the booklet below, or download a PDF.

A project designed by a trio of Daniels Faculty students that aims to serve the unhoused and precariously housed populations of Toronto has won a National Urban Design Award, presented annually by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC).

Michelle Li, Yongmin (Laura) Ye and Edward Minar Widjaja — all of whom are second-year Master of Architecture students — submitted their project, Mobile Support as Shelter Support Infrastructure, as part of their work for the Integrated Urbanism Studio program.

“We are extremely grateful and honoured by this recognition,” says Ye, co-lead of the project. “Working on this project encouraged us to consider the politics and ethics of designing housing and public spaces, which we will carry into our future design practices.”

Ye and her co-leads received the RAIC award in the category of Student Projects. The award winners were formally announced on March 11.

The three Daniels Faculty students converged on the school from different parts of the world. Michelle Li (1) was born and raised in Toronto; Yongmin (Laura) Ye (2) was born in Tokyo and grew up in Macau; Edward Minar Widjaja (3) hails from Jakarta, Indonesia. (Photos provided by the students)

“Michelle, Laura and Edward took on a challenging and nuanced topic with a rigour that enabled them to question conventions,” says Drew Adams, their instructor, “and to imagine pragmatic and inspired possibilities about empowerment and placemaking in the built environment.”

Here, the students share their thoughts on their project, what they learned, and how they will carry it forward in their careers.

How did Mobile Support as Shelter Support Infrastructure come about?

We chose to focus on shelter support infrastructure as part of the Integrated Urbanism Studio.

Through our research, we discovered that the city has been designing stationary, “brick-and-mortar” solutions (e.g. warming stations, respite sites, shelters, etc.) for unhoused people who are typically mobile. This led us to consider a flexible and temporal system that adapts to a population who is transient.

Why did you focus your project on helping the unhoused and precariously housed of Toronto?

During our research, we realized that unhoused populations have been neglected in most city planning and urban master planning, especially with regards to housing in Toronto. There is a very negative, negligent perception towards people who are unhoused, which is compounded by city bylaws to the point where poverty is criminalized. Designing shelter support infrastructure changes the way services can be provided and how public spaces can be designed to benefit both unhoused people and the local community.

Remember, there is a thin line between having a roof over your head and sleeping on the streets.

Were there other projects that helped serve as templates or inspiration for your submission?

We looked at shelter support networks rather than built projects — organizations such as Encampment Support Network, Toronto Tiny Shelters and Meals on Wheels, which serve those who are precariously housed or unhoused. For precedents on designing transitional and supportive housing, we referred to The SIX by Brooks + Scarpa, which provides supportive housing units for veterans in Los Angeles. We also looked at Eva’s Phoenix by LGA, which provides youth transitional housing in Toronto.

What are your future plans?

Working on this project encouraged us to consider the politics and ethics of designing housing and public spaces, which we will carry into our future design practices — considerations such as how to design an apartment for someone who has experienced trauma, or building welcoming and accessible public spaces for people of all income levels. In studio, we typically do not consider urban policies or the social implications of our designs. However, we see a real possibility of having discussions with people from the community about compassionate design, and bringing in lecturers who are involved in social work or social housing.

Beyond this project, there is the potential of volunteering with a shelter support organization or speaking with social workers who directly engage with vulnerable groups on a frequent basis. In our thesis research, one of us is looking at modular construction, which has the possibility of being adapted for mobile support infrastructure as an extension of this project. We want to address the question: Could designers advocate for housing rights through architecture and urban design?

What kind of guidance did you get during your design process?

We would like to express our deep gratitude to our instructor, Drew Adams, who continuously guided and supported us throughout our research and design process. We wish to thank him for his encouragement and offering his insight on designing shelters for the unhoused and precariously housed. We would also like to thank Steve Hilditch from Hilditch Architect for our conversation on transitional and supportive housing, and Robert Raynor who spoke with us about Toronto Tiny Shelters.

Developing Mobile Support as Shelter Support Infrastructure as part of their Integrated Urbanism Studio challenged the trio “to think about decarbonization, climate resilience, employment, equity and social justice, and to envision new forms of housing, open spaces, infrastructure and social services in the 21st-century city,” according to their instructor Drew Adams. (Illustrations provided by the students)

Monday, April 11 to Friday, April 27
Daniels Faculty Building,
1 Spadina Crescent, Toronto, Ontario

Throughout April, students in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design and forestry will present final projects to their instructors. Students of the Daniels Faculty will also present to guest critics from both academia and the professional community in attendance.

Please note: As we continue to maintain a safe and healthy environment in compliance with public health guidelines and University of Toronto policies, winter reviews will only be open to members of the University of Toronto community and not to the general public at this time.

U of T requires all those coming to campus to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide proof of vaccination via UCheck.

Follow the Daniels Faculty @UofTDaniels on Twitter and Instagram, and join the conversation using the hashtag #DanielsReviews.

Monday, April 11 | Undergraduate

Design Studio I
JAV101H1S
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET
Instructors: Jay Pooley (coordinator), Kearon Roy Taylor, Danielle Whitley, Nova Tayona, Sonia Ramundi, Katy Chey, Batoul Faour, Chloe Town, Jeffrey Garcia, Jennifer Kudlats, Gregory Beck Rubin, Luke Duross, Scott Sorli, Jordan Prosser, Reza Nik and Anamarija Korolj
Rooms: Principal Hall (170), 215, 230, 240, 330

Tuesday, April 12 | Undergraduate

Design Studio II
ARC201H1S
9 a.m.–1 p.m. ET
Instructors: Fiona Lim Tung (coordinator), Daniel Briker, Anne Ma, Maria Denegri, Shane Williamson, Jamie Lipson, Kara Verbeek, Nicolas Barrette, Nova Tayona and Sonja Vangieli
Rooms: 209, 215, 230, 240, 242, 330, 1st floor hallway, 2nd floor hallway

Technology Studio IV
ARC381Y1S
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET
Instructors: Andrew Bako (coordinator) and Kfir Gluzberg
Room: Principal Hall (170)

Wednesday, April 13 | Undergraduate

Architecture Studio IV
ARC362Y1S
10 a.m.–4 p.m. ET
Instructors: Jon Cummings (coordinator), Lukas Pauer and David Verbeek
Rooms: Principal Hall (170), 230

Landscape Architecture Studio IV
ARC364Y1S
12 p.m.–5 p.m. ET
Instructor: Pete North
Room: 330

Thursday, April 14 | Graduate & Undergraduate

Drawing & Representation II
ARC200H1S
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET
Instructors: Michael Piper (Coordinator), Jon Cummings, Francesco Valente-Gorjup, Phat Le, Scott Norsworthy, Kiana Mozayyan and David Verbeek
Rooms: Principal Hall (170), 209, 230, 240, 2nd floor hallway

Design Studio 2
LAN1012YS
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET
Instructors: Liat Margolis (Coordinator) and Terence Radford
Room: 330

Urban Design Studio Options
URD1012YS
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET
Instructor: Simon Rabyniuk
Room: 215

Monday, April 18 | Graduate & Undergraduate

Design + Engineering I
ARC112H1S
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET
Instructors: Jay Pooley (coordinator) and Jennifer Davis
Room: 200

Design Studio 2
ARC1012YS
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET
Instructors: Adrian Phiffer (coordinator), Chloe Town, Anya Moryousef, Julia Di Castri, Matthew Hickey, Tom Ngo and Behnaz Assadi
Rooms: Principal Hall (170), 230, 330

Tuesday, April 19 | Graduate

Design Studio 4
ARC2014YS
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET
Instructors: Samuel Dufaux (coordinator), Brigitte Shim, Steven Fong, Chris Cornecelli, Aleris Rodgers, Maria Denegri, Carol Phillips, Eiri Ota and Greg Neudorf
Rooms: 215, 230, 240, 330

Wednesday, April 20 | Graduate

MArch Post-professional Thesis
ALA4022YS
10 a.m.–4 p.m. ET
Instructors: Roberto Damiani (coordinator), Alstan Jakubiec, Erica Allen Kim, Alex Lukachko, Michael Piper and Stephen Verderber
Room: 200

Design Studio 4
ARC2014YS
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET
Instructors: Samuel Dufaux (coordinator), Brigitte Shim, Steven Fong, Chris Cornecelli, Aleris Rodgers, Maria Denegri, Carol Phillips, Eiri Ota and Greg Neudorf
Rooms: 215, 230, 240

Design Studio 4
LAN2014YS
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET
Instructors: Alissa North (coordinator), Todd Douglas and Rui Felix
Room: 330

Thursday, April 21 | Graduate & Undergraduate

Senior Seminar in History & Theory (Thesis)
ARC457Y1S
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET
Instructor: Simon Rabyniuk
Rooms: Principal Hall (170), 209, 215, 230, 240

Senior Seminar in Design (Thesis)
ARC462Y1S
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET
Instructor: Laura Miller
Rooms: Principal Hall (170), 209, 215, 230, 240

Senior Seminar in Technology (Thesis)
ARC487Y1S
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET
Instructor: Nicholas Hoban
Rooms: Principal Hall (170), 209, 215, 230, 240

Design Studio Thesis
LAN3017YS
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET
Instructors: Liat Margolis (coordinator), Behnaz Assadi, Fadi Masoud, Pete North, Alissa North, Matthew Perotto and Aisling O’Carroll
Rooms: 242, 330

Friday, April 22 | Graduate & Undergraduate

Senior Seminar in History & Theory (Thesis)
ARC457Y1S
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET
Instructor: Simon Rabyniuk
Rooms: Principal Hall (170), 209, 215, 230, 240

Senior Seminar in Design (Thesis)
ARC462Y1S
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET
Instructor: Laura Miller
Rooms: Principal Hall (170), 209, 215, 230, 240

Senior Seminar in Technology (Thesis)
ARC487Y1S
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET
Instructor: Nicholas Hoban
Rooms: Principal Hall (170), 209, 215, 230, 240

Design Studio Thesis
LAN3017YS
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET
Instructors: Liat Margolis (coordinator), Behnaz Assadi, Fadi Masoud, Pete North, Alissa North, Matthew Perotto and Aisling O’Carroll
Rooms: 330

Urban Design Studio Thesis
URD2015YS
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET
Instructors: Otto Ojo and Michael Piper
Rooms: 242, 215

Monday, April 25 | Graduate

Architectural Design Studio: Research 2
ARC3021YS / ARC4018YS
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET
Instructors: Lina Ghotmeh, Shane Williamson, Stephen Verderber, Mason White, Miles Gertler, Lara Lesmes and Fredrik Hellberg
Rooms: 215, 230, 240, 242, 330, main east entrance, Library

Tuesday, April 26 | Graduate

Architectural Design Studio: Research 2
ARC3021YS / ARC4018YS
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET
Instructors: Petros Babaskias, Kelly Doran, George Baird and John Shnier
Rooms: Principal Hall (170), 209, 230, 240, 242, 330, main hall mezzanine, Gallery entrance, Library, bottom of main staircase

Wednesday, April 27 | Graduate

Architectural Design Studio: Research 2
ARC3021YS / ARC4018YS
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET
Instructors: Laura Miller, Brady Peters and Brian Boigon
Rooms: 230, 240, 330

Architectural Design Studio 7: Thesis
ARC4018YS
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET
Instructors: Michael Piper, Reza Nik and Miles Gertler
Rooms: 209, 242

Banner photo by Harry Choi.

Associate Professor Robert M. Wright is the 2022 recipient of the Vivek Goel Faculty Citizenship Award, one of the University of Toronto’s annual Awards of Excellence recognizing outstanding faculty, staff and students.

While those who have known Prof. Wright personally won’t be surprised to learn that he has been singled out for his academic dedication and professional intrepidness, a list of just a few of his titles and accomplishments over his past 35 years at U of T should give even the uninitiated some idea of his hands-on m.o.

At Daniels Faculty alone, he has served as the inaugural associate dean for research (from 2010 to 2014), as the Dean’s representative when it came to Site Plan and Landscape Architectural Implementation during the epochal redesign of 1 Spadina (from 2016 to 2018) and as the interim dean of the Faculty itself (in 2020–21).

In previous years and elsewhere at the University, Prof. Wright drafted the Master of Urban Design proposal for Graduate Studies (in 1995–96), was among the founding members of an innovative pre-Internet learning hub called the Knowledge Media Design Institute (which he directed from 1998 to 2003) and played a role in “envisioning and advancing” what will be the tallest wood structure in North America (slated to go up, at 315 Bloor Street West, sometime this summer).

Most significantly, he often undertook these leadership and guidance roles under challenging circumstances from which many others would have shied away.

While he was serving as the founding director of the Centre for Landscape Research, for instance, Prof. Wright also began a two-year term as the last dean of the Faculty of Forestry, successfully overseeing its long-brewing 2017 transitioning into the John H. Daniels Faculty. When he stepped into the role of interim dean, the Covid pandemic was at its peak and addressing racial injustices became an urgent issue.

“Rob has provided strong, successful leadership for a remarkably long list of programs, schools and faculties at the University of Toronto,” Larry Wayne Richards, professor emeritus and former dean of the Daniels Faculty, said in the nomination package for the Vivek Goel Award. “[He’s] an exemplary citizen, to say the least.”

The University of Toronto Alumni Association, which supports and oversees the Awards of Excellence, agreed.

The Vivek Goel Faculty Citizenship Award, created to mark the 2008 departure of its namesake from his role as U of T’s vice-president and provost, recognizes a faculty member who has served the University “with distinction in multiple leadership capacities in diverse spheres.”

The winner is typically “a senior member of the faculty,” and “an exemplary university citizen” over many years. Indeed, recipients are very often individuals with a “sustained” history of service.

Highlighting that long track record, Professor Eric Miller, of the Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering, wrote in the nomination package: “[Prof. Wright] combines a very realistic, pragmatic view of the world and its many challenges — grounded in decades of professional and academic experience — with an amazingly positive and upbeat approach to problem-solving, policy-setting and decision-making, whether it be the design of a new academic program or sorting out thorny interdepartmental relations.”

“This is not an easy task,” Professor Mark Fox of Industrial Engineering and Computer Science added, citing the restructuring of Forestry when it joined the Daniels Faculty, “as the views and needs of faculty and the disappointment of alumni have to be balanced with the long-term goals of the University. To do this with a minimal amount of friction while displaying an unusual level of equanimity [as Prof. Wright did] never ceased to amaze me.”

In her testimonial, Professor Liat Margolis, Prof. Wright’s successor as associate dean of research at the Daniels Faculty, summed up: “He is generous with his time, critical reflections and insights, an excellent listener, and an engaging colleague. His energy and contribution as a citizen of the University and an active leader in the design community are important, but his support for students and their needs are even greater.”

According to Prof. Margolis, Prof. Wright has a mantra that encapsulates his engaged, proactive philosophy. It is: “...the most important thing you can do as a faculty member or as a student of the Daniels Faculty is to leave the building.”

And, she added, “he has done just that.”

Assistant Professor Fadi Masoud is the director of the Daniels Faculty’s Centre for Landscape Research, a research centre originally conceived in the early 1980s to provide a support structure and a culture of research aimed at enhancing landscape architecture’s knowledge base at the University of Toronto.

Through the Centre, Masoud and his colleagues work on projects with experts and community members across a wide range of disciplines and issues. In 2019, the Centre was awarded the School of Cities Urban Challenge Grant, which led to the Towers in the Park: A Prospective for Equitable Resilience research project.

In a recent interview with the School of Cities, Masoud shared some of the preliminary findings of Towers in the Park, his experience working on the project, and future steps that need to be taken for the provision of green open space and green infrastructure that should be prioritized in equity-deserving neighbourhoods.

School of Cities: How does this initiative complement the City of Toronto’s resilience strategy? How involved is the City with this work?

Fadi Masoud: The City’s Resilience Strategy identified Tower Renewal as the foremost Priority Action [“Vertical Resilience”] to ensure Toronto’s resilience. This is because it clearly sits at the intersection of socio-economic and climate pressures.

How has collaboration through the School of Cities enabled you to advance this initiative?

Without the School of Cities this project would not have been possible. The Urban Challenge Grant provided the space and time for interdisciplinary teams and stakeholders to tackle a project of shared interest. It was hard work to find a common language, thread and set of objectives, but the ability to exchange and explore overlaps was an extremely enriching experience that is just beginning.

What kind of a role do you see for community members as this work advances?

Community members should be the drivers of what needs to change, but it is the landlords’ and the City/government’s responsibility to act and deliver. The power and financial balance for true climate action is in their hands. As academics we will continue to co-create projects and knowledge to help communities mobilize action, including arming them with additional tools and information, as well as design strategies and recommendations where needed.

Are there any comments from the community participants that really stood out for you?

There is a deep embedded knowledge in how communities see and understand their surroundings. Different people from different parts of the world, ages and walks of life think about climate action in different ways and in different time horizons. Finding a way to synchronize our understanding of the situation, needs and objectives of different stakeholders while mobilizing action is a difficult but crucial act.

As this is just the beginning of a new way of seeing these previously overlooked and neglected spaces (and their significant potential to support equitable resilience), how do you see this initiative rolling out over the long term?

In addition to the need for landlords and the City to act and deliver, the City’s Parks Forestry and Recreation and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority should work with Tower Renewal to understand the linkages between private/semi-private open space and public parks and ravines. This would establish stronger connections between all green open spaces, public right of ways and community spaces to work towards this idea of equitable resilience — by increasing access, protecting green space and ensuring the proper design and programming of these spaces to generate community and environmental co-benefit.

Do you have some favourite examples of how communities have started to use the green/open spaces adjacent to their homes?

I think this question can be best answered by some of [the] Thorncliffe Park [neighbourhood]’s residents, who organized various events that overlapped religious holidays with other gatherings, such as educational events or outdoor vaccination clinics. They also mentioned that the school drop-off and pick-up areas are vital community meeting spaces.

Learn more about Towers in the Park in the City Research Insights brief (PDF). See the maps from Towers in the Park here.

Banner image gallery: Through Towers in the Park, Masoud and his colleagues hope to measure, evaluate and quantify the social and environmental value of public and private open space assets, including parks and right-of-ways, as they relate to the city's overall resilience goals that relate to Tower Renewal. (Illustrations from Towers in the Park)