Integrated design for public open space and public art: a set of categories identified and evaluated

Abstract

This thesis is an investigation of Integrated Design for Public Open Space and Public Art in the City of Toronto. Integrated design as an approach for publicly accessible places in Toronto was recently sanctioned in the City's Official Plan and through the programs and policies of the Public Art Commission. This research identified the precedents that inform integrated design for public open space and public art in Toronto. The research involved practitioners in the fields of public open space and public art, and a collaborative design application, to identify characteristics, concerns, and issues involved with a design approach that integrates public open space and public art. This research identified a set of three categories under the titles Physical Attributes, Design Conception, and Design Process and Implementation for Integrated Design. The three categories describe physical design tools, the role of collaborative design between landscape architects and artists, and how this design approach affects the relationship between landscape and art in the public realm in Toronto.