Once an awkward, hemmed-in wedge of urban greenery that felt more forbidding than inviting, Berczy Park today is the main attraction of its thriving district. To the north, a barricade of spindly trees and brick retaining walls has been replaced by an ample sidewalk and a gently rising lawn criss-crossed by footpaths with sightlines into the park. To the south, a formerly insular plaza now spreads clear across the sidewalk in a broad quilt of patterned pavers, compelling passersby to take in the park’s centrepiece: a two-tiered Victorian fountain bedecked with cast-iron sculptures of a menagerie of dog breeds – plus one cat.

Project: Berczy Park Location: Toronto, Canada Firm: Claude Cormier + Associés, Canada

Team: Claude Cormier, Marc Hallé, Guillaume Paradis and Yannick Roberge with Blackwell Structural Engineers, DEW, EN Consulting Group, Odan/Detech Group, Robinson Iron, Smith + Andersen and Somerville Construction