(AGENPARL) – Thu 23 October 2025 City of Toronto Media Relations has issued the following:
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News Release
October 23, 2025
City of Toronto launches international design competition for new park in Liberty Village
The City of Toronto is launching an international design competition today for a new park in Liberty Village, representing the City’s continued investment in high-quality design and great public spaces.
The two-stage competition invites landscape architecture and design teams from around the world to reimagine a site located at 34 Hanna Ave. The site currently serves as a parking lot and a temporary pop-up park, before it will be transformed into a vibrant green space for the community.
The first stage of the competition invites teams to submit their team qualifications to the City by Friday, November 28. Eligible design teams will be evaluated based on their qualifications, work experience and design approach to the park site.
From there, five teams will be shortlisted and invited to submit conceptual designs for the new park. Design ideas will be presented to a design jury and the community, alongside feedback from a Community Advisory Committee (CAC), before the winning design by the winning team is selected.
Resident feedback informs park design principles
In preparation for the design competition, the City worked with the local community to help to establish the preliminary vision for the future park. The vision from the people who live and work in the neighbourhood promotes flexible spaces for gathering, markets, music events, outdoor movies and more.
Great design for a healthy, vibrant city
Launching the design competition for 34 Hanna Ave. follows the success of recent competitions such as Love Park and is the second international design competition launched by the City this year. In August 2025, the City launched an international design competition for a net zero Community Recreation Centre at Ramsden Park. The Ramsden Park Community Recreation Centre design competition is the first international design competition for a community recreation centre since 1987.
More international design competitions are planned in 2026 and beyond, including for a new park at 50 Queens Quay East and a redesign of Olive Square Park as a permanent memorial to honour and remember the victims of the tragedy that took place on Yonge Street in 2018. This emphasis on high-quality design signals the City’s ongoing bold commitment to sustainable, inclusive design, resilient infrastructure and a beautiful public realm as outlined in the “Towards a Beautiful City” initiative, adopted by Toronto City Council in April 2025.
The new park at 34 Hanna Ave. is projected to open to the public in 2028.
More information on the design competition and for the new park at 34 Hanna Ave. is available on the City’s website: http://www.toronto.ca/34HannaPark
Current business opportunities for parks and recreation facilities including design competitions, request for proposal, request for expressions of interest opportunities are on the City’s website: https://www.toronto.ca/business-economy/doing-business-with-the-city/advance-notice-of-opportunities
Quotes:
“Our parks and public spaces are essential to the health and well-being of all our communities, especially in our growing downtown neighbourhoods like Liberty Village. The new park coming to 34 Hanna will be a gateway for Liberty Village – I welcome talents in architecture and design from across Canada and the world to share their vision for this landmark park. By investing in good design, we can ensure our community amenities are enjoyed for generations to come.”
– Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik (Spadina-Fort York)