Shifting Conceptions of Nature in Toronto: A Comparative Study of High Park and Rouge Park

Since their inception, parks have constantly been evolving and reflect social change. Beginning as gardens in the 18th Century to becoming a means to escape the harsh conditions of the city in the 19th Century, parks have now turned into the equivalent of the backyards of city dwellers. In this research paper, High Park and Rouge Park are used as case studies to answer the following question: What is the aesthetic shift of parks and green spaces in Toronto? This paper approaches the topic by examining environmental aesthetics of natural landscapes, post-colonial aesthetic imprint on parks, changing demographics, ecological awareness of natural landscapes, aesthetic justice in parks and, culturally entangled aesthetic values.With the use of first-hand accounts and perceptions of those in knowledge-based and decision-making positions, this research finds that the emerging natural park is the new face of urban parks.