Bridge as Anchor: Connecting Neighbourhoods, the City, and the Ravine in Toronto’s Rosedale Valley

Abstract

Toronto is a city characterized by the rich dichotomy between its urban fabric and the natural environment which shaped the city. Ravines are a primary contributor of open space, and a source of social and urban infrastructure for the city. A parallel exists between the city’s diverse and ever-changing neighborhoods and their relationship to this common green space. The network offers residents a place of refuge, and is celebrated as a shared public amenity. This thesis explores Toronto’s connectivity to the ravine network. It specifically investigates the Rosedale Valley Ravine, and the Glen Road Pedestrian bridge which spans it. This infrastructure is explored as an anchoring point between urban fabric and ravine network. In addition to providing access to the ravine, the bridge is studied as an opportunity to programmatically engage and connect the communities of St. James town and Rosedale on either side of the ravine.