University of Toronto Scarborough Campus Accessible Trail Link

Toronto Urban Design Award, 2021

Society for College and University Planning – Excellence in Landscape Architecture for General Design 2020 Merit Award

The Highland Creek valley is a defining feature of the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTS) campus and affords opportunities for passive recreation and an experience of the natural environment as well as providing important spaces for teaching and research.

SCI was retained by the University in 2016 to design and facilitate the implementation of a fully accessible trail that provides the opportunity for people of all abilities to traverse the steep valley wall and experience the Highland Creek ravine. The switchback trail is designed with cantilevering boardwalks that tower meters above the forest floor, creating an accessible experience of the dense forest canopy. The trail and boardwalk segments descend from the campus down into the natural ravine setting and provide a critical connection to a vast expanse of parkland and the Highland Creek trail system.

The fully accessible trail has become established as an iconic landmark within the UTS campus and the City of Toronto.

The project was honored with a City of Toronto Urban Design Award (September 2021), a Society of College and University Planners Merit Award in 2020 and was shortlisted for a 2020 Landezine International Landscape Award.

http://landezine.com/index.php/2020/05/university-of-toronto-scarborough-valley-land-trail-by-schollen-and-company/