OCAD UNI
VERSITY
+ OPENCITY

by OpenCity Projects

Photo: Richard Johnson interiorimages.ca

We are excited to announce our partnership with OCAD University International. Together, we will investigate how to design culturally inclusive public spaces and share our findings with design practitioners and in the classroom.

OpenCity has taken the lead on culturally inclusive public space design. Our projects include a new park design in the City of Markham, an intercultural public spaces study and a Design for Diversity toolkit. Building on this work, our initial project done in partnership with OCAD U will be in Mississauga, a fast-growing city that is becoming one of the world’s most culturally diverse. Looking at community hubs in Mississauga, we will explore the spaces between buildings and how to create a unique identity that considers prominent cultures in the community.

Our project findings will be published and used to inform 2022 design workshops for students at OCAD U in Toronto and ENSCI-Les Ateliers in Paris. This follows on the inaugural virtual design workshop, between the two schools held in 2021, where OpenCity participated as the keynote presenter and an advisor. Through this partnership, we will delve deeper into the design of public spaces in culturally diverse communities to create more inclusive cities. A special thank you to the Office of the Vice-Provost, Students & International at OCAD U for providing seed funding to develop our initial project.