Pottery Road Bicycle and Pedestrian Crossing in Toronto recognized by CSLA as preeminent example of Canadian landscape architecture.

Ottawa, 6 March 2014 — The Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA) announced the national and regional winners of its annual Awards of Excellence.  The Pottery Road Bicycle and Pedestrian Crossing is one of fifteen projects that received a national award this year. It is the first component of a larger scheme to provide interpretation, accessibility, and environmental control for the Lower Don Recreational Trail in Toronto. 

Pressured by its urban location, the site’s heavy usage by cyclists and pedestrians resulted in numerous unplanned and unsustainable trails, including a widely used but extremely dangerous crossing at Pottery Road. PLANT Architect addressed these and other issues by designing a new controlled crossing and reconfigured road-island with visual graphics and laser-cut signage to direct and control traffic. 

Since its unveiling in 2012, the project has significantly improved the safety of pedestrians and cyclists in Toronto, and has become a landmark entry to the Lower Don Recreational Trail. The design of the project draws on key elements of the Don Valley, echoing the site’s ecological and post-industrial history and choreographing a twenty-first-century experience of the Lower Don landscape where urban infrastructure meets urban ecology.