Dufferin Grove Park

Dufferin Grove Park, in Toronto's west end near Dufferin Street and Bloor Street, became known starting in the 1990s for an unusually resident-driven approach to park programming, built up gradually by local community organizers rather than imposed from City Hall. Volunteers and part-time city staff worked together to build a wood-fired bread oven in the park, host regular pizza nights and a farmers' market, and run a well-used rink house that stayed open with a staffed fire and hot food through Toronto's winters.

A model studied elsewhere

The park's model of low-cost, hands-on community programming, often run with minimal formal city funding relative to its level of activity, drew attention from urban planners and parks departments in other cities looking to replicate its success, and Dufferin Grove became a frequently cited case study in discussions of participatory public space management. The park remains an active neighbourhood hub today, still centred on the same community-run bake oven and rink house that built its reputation.

Sources

• Toronto Star — Dufferin Grove Park community programming
• Wikipedia — Dufferin Grove Park

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