To date we have engaged in over thirty projects in the Greater Toronto Area. Our projects range in scale, from coaching gardeners in gardens at their buildings, to comprehensive urban agriculture programs in master planned communities. We typically start with clients during the design and conception stage of a project, and then implement the project with the client and the community. We aim to leave the project with the communities able to run their own projects.
Featured Project: University of Toronto Scarborough Master Plans
Hoffmann Hayes consulted on the inclusion of a permaculture approach to the university’s Landscape Public Realm Master Plan. The campus is 303 acres. 2022-06-10_UTSC_LPRMP-ACCESSIBLE-Revised
Following the full campus master plan, we consulted on a Master Plan for the Campus Farm. HH contributed permaculture sensibilities and approaches to the process and design work for the 10 acre site. UTSC-CampusFarm_Master-Plan_240517-WEB-01-r 2
Featured Project: Urban Agriculture Strategy
We worked with over 2000 community members, organizations and City of staff towards a Mississauga Urban Agriculture Strategy (published June 1st, 2022).
Urban-Agriculture-Strategy-2022Featured Project: Regent Park Revitalization Development
Community gardens and coaching at multiple buildings (2013-present)
Hoffmann Hayes has partnered with The Daniels Corporation to add gardens and run urban agriculture programs for eight of the developments in the emerging 59 acre Regent Park revitalization project. We’re excited to honour and build on the rich history of community gardening in Regent Park, and to invite many others to join in. Projects we are working with or have recently worked with include: Artsy/Artworks, Evolv, The Wyatt, DuEast, The Bartholomew, One Park Place, Paintbox, and The Sutton Collection. We typically spend two to three years at each site, helping the building tenants learn how to grow food. We also coach Community Garden committees on to organize themselves to grow food together for years to come.
Featured Project: Erin Mills Master Planned Community
A healthy food hub; Farmers market; Public community gardens; and gardens at multiple buildings (2013-2023)
This project included a Farmers Market with public community gardens, and a community of gardeners with gardens at multiple buildings. The Erin Mills Market and first public community gardens were created in 2013 by Hoffmann Hayes in partnership with The Daniels Corporation. The project incorporated as a not-for-profit and bridged connections into the social and economic fabric of buildings next to the market. Each of those buildings, as well as others we’ve worked with in nearby neighbourhoods have their own community gardens. Projects: The Arc, Skyrise, West Tower, Encore 1, and Encore 2. This work has helped build relationships with other agencies and municipal partners working towards regenerative community development, food security and ecological approaches to growing and distributing food.
Featured Project: Food and pollinator landscape at a commercial building
This foodscape and pollinator garden pilot project is at 95 St Clair at Avenue Rd, awarded The Outstanding Building of the Year (International TOBY® Award 2020) for the highest standards in building management, design and community impact. In 2022, the project won the Landscape Ontario Environment Award. The space features rows of kales, lettuces, and other shade tolerant veggies, as well as flowering plants for some of Toronto’s 350+ species of bees. Stumps, placed in a socially distanced seating circle, provide places to sit in the garden. Food is harvested weekly and donated to folks in the community. The project was conceptualized by Colliers, with funding from Desjardins. Hoffmann Hayes’ scope of work included: consulting on the site and program development; initial site designs and concept development details; growing, tending and harvesting the garden for two years; troubleshooting and continuing to evolve the design; and engaging people in the building and community.
TOBY International Award winner (2020), Landscape Ontario Environment Award (2022), Food donations, Community engagement
Other Projects
We’ve been and continue to be involved with a number of other projects, including some in North York, High Park, on Toronto’s Waterfront and in Toronto’s business district, in Mississauga centre, Brampton and Pickering. Our team members also farm, consult, coach, design and build community in the Greater Golden Horseshoe. We’re happy to share more about what we’re up to and how we might work with you. Contact us.