A new green space is being discussed right in the heart of Canada's largest city.

RAIL DECK PARK

Toronto may soon be home to an iconic landmark 21-acre park

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Daksha Rangan

Digital Reporter

Tuesday, September 20, 2016, 2:53 PM - Decreased commute times, better health, an escape from sweltering temperatures, and a well-connected city.

These are just a few of the things that Toronto may see in the near future if the city's proposed Rail Deck Park becomes a reality.

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Mayor John Tory and councillor Joe Cressy officially announced the plan for Rail Deck Park in August as part of the TOcore project, a seven-pillar strategy to revamp one of the country's most rapidly growing cities.

The proposed 21-acre park will be decked atop the Toronto rail corridor, bridging the gap between the King-Spadina and CityPlace neighbourhoods.

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"At the City of Toronto we did an assessment in terms of the amount of park land that was available," Cressy said. "And downtown Toronto, in this area, has the lowest amount of park land of anywhere in the city."

Cressy notes that this is particularly problematic due to the city's rate of growth.

"The population of downtown Toronto, just to put it in context, it is expected to double in size to nearly a half a million people in the next 25 years," the Trinity-Spadina councillor explains. "And the area around Rail Deck Park, well, I have to tell you 20 years ago, we had 945 people living there. Today we have nearly 50,000 people living there. Meanwhile, we haven't built a park."

Watch Below: Toronto Councillor Joe Cressy talks about why Rail Deck Park is a necessity in Toronto

The park's staff agree that the green space will be more than just an natural oasis in the city -- it's also the key to connecting multiple neighborhoods and promoting a healthy-active lifestyle, encouraging those who live in the city to commute to work by foot or bicycle.

“[W]e’ve entered an era where we move around the city a lot in our cars, and that has resulted to inactive living," says Jennifer Keesmaat, Toronto's chief planner.

"We spend a lot of time sitting in our everyday work today at our desks. ... The more sedentary our work lives and our commuting lives have become, it’s become essential, really, to have those places where you can walk, where you can cycle, where you can get out and throw a baseball or throw a Frisbee after work in the park. So this is really directly linked to some of the challenges that we see in modern living.”

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Keesmaat adds that Rail Deck Park won't just be a typical neighbourhood green space -- it will also be a regional destination. The city's urban planner lists everything from pedestrian and cycling paths to baseball diamonds and even snowshoe trails as fair game in the design process for Rail Deck Park.

Next Steps: Putting the project in motion

A preliminary staff report tags the project at a lofty $1.05 billion, but Cressy says the "bold, ambitious" space is worth the investment.

"You know far too often in the City of Toronto, big, ambitious, and transformational projects like this get nickel-and-dime, but this is the type of project that I think the City of Toronto is finally ready for, and I'm looking forward to getting on with it."

On Sept. 22, the proposal for "Toronto's Central Park" will come before Tory's executive committee. Following the presentation, an official plan amendment is the critical next step in changing the regulatory policies and laws around the space in order to accommodate the park.

All images courtesy of the City of Toronto.