Discover the partnership websiteLiving Atlas of Quality
18 August 2026| Resource type |  |
| Author | Leila M. Farah |
| Copyright owner | Leila M. Farah |
| Type of viewpoint | Researcher |
This study was presented at the 2026 Learning & Teaching Conference at Toronto Metropolitan University. The study builds on the works of Canadian artist Larissa Fassler and Danish architect and planner Jan Gehl, who document the uses of public spaces. It presents approaches the author developed in order for her and her research team to analyze and understand the usages of public spaces. It focuses on two sets of locations: Love Park - a site which replaced a vehicular infrastructure formerly hosting a Gardiner Expressway off-ramp - and the East Bayfront Precinct - 23 waterfront hectares bookended by Sugar Beach and Parliament Slip that have been rapidly transforming into a mixed-use area. Specifically, it reviews their planning as well as their evolution and examines how such locations are being revitalized and transformed with the creation of several award-winning projects. Through fieldwork, observational studies and maps, this presentation visualizes the use of public space and showcases ways to synthesize activities they host. This is done via the development and application of methodological innovations that can help examine open urban areas. This work is related to the overall conference’s theme and bridges the classroom with the community in multiple ways. First, it presents various means to document and understand how public spaces are used. Second, it engages and mentors graduate research assistants that have contributed to this study also by inviting them to present related findings in undergraduate classrooms. Further, the replicability and scaling-up properties of the methodological approaches featured in this presentation shed light on segments of Toronto’s revitalized waterfront and can help open new doors for researchers and students in their own research. Conference presentation by Leila M. Farah. Contributors: Nicole Li, James Goodeve, Ryan Bang Ma, Olivia Nunn and Hunter Kauremszky.
