Announcements November 26, 2020

Perkins&Will and The TRCA Awarded 2020 Brownie Award for The Meadoway

The Canadian Brownfields Network honours our excellent storytelling and collaboration with The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) for the habitat restoration project.

 

The restored meadow habitat provides an enormous opportunity for people of all ages to learn about the range of natural species that call The Meadoway their home.

Founded by the Canadian Urban Institute, the Brownie Awards recognize innovative rehabilitation efforts by organizations focusing on under-utilized and underdeveloped spaceby remaking them into projects that contribute to healthy communities. The awards are an annual celebration of the outstanding work in remediation and redevelopment of brownfield sites across Canada.  

The “Reach Out” award is for excellence in communications, marketing, and public engagement. It recognizes our collaboration with the TRCA to develop tools to help tell The Meadoway story during its ongoing implementationThe resulting Visualization Toolkit includes experiential elements such as augmented reality, animations, videos, and conceptional renderings by Future Landscapes a high-tech, compelling visual identity and narrative used to engage with local communities and bring The Meadoway to life.

We were challenged to create a multifaceted approach to engage the many communities living along The Meadoway. Our strategies resulted in a clear and inspiring vision for the project. We are proud to be recognized alongside the TRCA with this award.

Paul Kulig, Principal at Perkins&Will

Virtual Reality provides an immersive experience at public engagement sessions allowing the participant to see existing and planned parts of the site in 360 degrees.
Community planting as part of public engagement.

“It’s an honour for TRCA to be recognized for its innovation and dedication to building a thriving greenspace for residents of the City of Toronto. It has never been more important for people to be outside and connect with nature. The revitalization of this space, including a multi-use trail through-out a hydro corridor, will transform the way people move in the city.” 

Jennifer Innis, Chair of TRCA’s Board of Directors 

“Meaningful communications and community engagement play such a critical role in the ongoing and future success of The Meadoway. As the lead funder of the initiative, our Foundation applauds TRCA for its tremendous efforts to work with the many communities surrounding The Meadoway to ensure it meets the needs of, and is celebrated by, local residents. Congratulations to TRCA and Perkins&Will for this well-deserved award.” 

Tamara Rebanks, Chair of Weston Family Foundation 

The Meadoway connects users to the natural environment, with more than 200 hectares of turf grass being transformed into a thriving meadow, creating biodiverse habitat for native plants, pollinators, and wildlife. When complete, the 16-km multi-use trail will travel across Scarborough, connecting Rouge National Urban Park with the East Don trail system leading to the Toronto downtown core. The Meadoway will also connect 70 schools, 34 neighbourhoods, and 15 parks and will provide a critical connection between Toronto’s ravine system. 

The ravine system is one of the most distinctive natural features of Toronto. New bridge crossings provide expanded access into the City’s trail system!