Case: Downsview Park Toronto

In 1999, an international competition was held to select an urban park
design for a former military base in Toronto. This 320-acre federal park
will provide natural and formal garden environments, offering both passive
and active recreation while promoting such themes as environmental
sustainability, new ecologies, and the rich heritage of the site.
Contributors to this volume analyze the entries of the competition finalists
and consider a range of issues raised by the competition, including
landscape architecture, geography, landscape ecology, and contemporary
urbanism.

This competition was especially noteworthy because it encouraged submissions
from teams comprised of designers from varying fields, including ecology,
graphic design, and landscape architecture. The historically charged site,
the competition's visionary parameters, and the resulting innovative
collaborations of the five finalists-including the winning design by a
diverse team led by Rem Koolhaas of the Office for Metropolitan
Architecture-make the Downsview competition and its outcome a particularly
significant case study for architecture, urbanism, and landscape design.