POPS Place, Toronto, Canada

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❖POPS Place, Toronto, Canada, 2024[open in full screen]

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Quite inespectedly in a little street we found this pleasant public space [square] just by being forced here. We were looking for the parking in this quite busy area near intersection of Bloor Street east and Sherbourne Street.

It is called Rosedale on Bloor
Privately Owned Publicly-Accessible Space [POPS]. CREATIVE PLACE-MAKING TO ENHANCE URBAN LIFE

Click on the photo right bellow map to see what they were talking about.

This Privately Owned Publicly-Accessible Space, acctually back entrance to the hotel Canopy by Hilton, is provided by The Gupta Group in partnership with the City of Toronto. Space is available for your enjoyment from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., warning us that as with all publicly-accessible spaces, city by-laws apply.

Canopy by Hilton Toronto Yorkville, is hotel as they say: "steps from the heart of Yorkville neighborhood, near shops, restaurants, and galleries. We are a short walk to Sherbourne subway station and under a mile from Royal Ontario Museum and Gardiner Museum. Casa Loma and Midtown Toronto are 15 minutes’ drive. Enjoy our café, restaurant, indoor pool, fitness room and comfortable meeting rooms".

There is a Map that shows 228 locations of POPS sites throughout the City of Toronto. The inventory is a record of existing and future sites. Please browse the map below to locate POPS across the city.

In order to provide this much needed open space within Toronto’s dense urban landscape, the City often negotiates with private developers to include Privately Owned Publicly-Accessible Spaces, or “POPS” for short, as part of the development application and review process. POPS are a specific type of open space which the public is welcome to enjoy, but remain privately owned.

I have to say that even as an urbanspace enthusiast I was not before today aware that this initiative in Toronto exist. We even have few of those spaces in our collection.

We have spent half hour here today. Pleasantly surprised how cleverly this urban space is designed.

Wall with excellent street art is blocking the view to the ugly side of the next building, providing in the same time benches in the shade, mostly used for lunch brake.

At the back of this wall there is still enough space for those in minority that are still smoking, saving others from smoke inhalations and maybe even hiding from the public.

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❖..c l a s s i f i c a t i o n ... s y s t e m..❖
more about evaluation method		more about types of squares
sociability	7	ceremonial	x
uses & activities	6	religious	x
access & linkages	6	social	x
comfort	8	residential	x
image	8	courtyard	x
tourist value	0	with park	x
total	33	street, shopping	x