Disclaimer: This post is about an intentionally playful dog park and must be read with imagination and humor.
Imagine that you are a dog living on the 20th floor of a condo tower in one of America’s densly-populated downtown areas. You become agitated if you?re inside for too long, and to get your human?s attention, you either have to bark at them or out the window. Maybe you sit facing the door with your head on the floor looking bored. Your human, a conscientious urbanite who loves you unconditionally, picks up on your cues, and takes you out for a walk. Still, you yearn for an expansive dog park where you can run with the other dogs. Unfortunately, most downtowns do not have enough space to create the type of park that would get your tail wagging with content. You?ll have to settle for a cramped, corporately-managed public space, filled with as much fun as a cardboard box.
Don?t wallow in discouragement, dear pretend-canine reader. A small park in Toronto opened on June 28th for creatures just like you, and it’s called Berczy Park. The name alone makes it sounds like a playful place, and that was the intention of the Montreal-based landscape architect who designed it, Claude Cormier. The park, which takes up approximately 0.88 acres of land, is set on a triangular block adjacent to a key part of Toronto?s architectural heritage, the iconic Gooderham Building, also know as the “Flatiron Building.” Berczy proves that even a small, irregular parcel ...