Mirvish Village in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood has a rich legacy as a site of community, commerce, and cultural history. The site is bounded by Bloor Street West to the north, Bathurst Street to the east, Lennox Street to the south and the alley between Markham Street and Palmerston Boulevard to the west.

Currently under construction, the mixed-use, transit-oriented urban hub is being built around an expansive pedestrian-oriented public realm. The 100% purpose-built rental project offers an eclectic mix of retail and amenities – and an array of civic and green spaces – designed to reflect the dense, vibrant, and diverse neighbourhood at Bathurst and Bloor.

As landscape architect on the project, JRS has been involved in the design and development of the public realm strategy for the site. A continuous ground plane will extend throughout the porous site, unifying the block with a coherent identity, while at the same time allowing smaller zones to be animated. The treatment will wrap around Bloor and Bathurst Streets, where the boulevards will be widened through the setback of the building faces, further enhancing the pedestrian experience by creating the space necessary to buffer vehicular traffic.