Toronto's stunning heart-shaped park recognized with international award

There are a slew of new parks in the works for Toronto, but among all of those in progress, recently completed or still only in the theoretical phase, few have garnered quite the attention that Love Park has.

The relatively small (but mighty) green space was hyped up for years before its debut, not only for its unique and trendy design, but for what it was taking the place of — a barren gap along the city's bustling waterfront where an unsightly concrete offramp for the Gardiner once stood.

Architects promised an "urban green oasis" full of grassy areas, ample seating, a variety of local flora, an off-leash area for dogs, and, inspiring the space's name, a stunning heart-shaped pond framed by a magnificent mosaic of red rose tiles.

The water feature proved to be as much of a photo-op as expected when the construction fencing around it came down in summer 2023, echoing famed public spaces like Barcelona's Park Güell and inspiring awe both on the ground and from above.

And, although the park has faced a few minor hiccups since opening, the two-acre attraction is still getting love, recognized with an international award for its design just this past week.

The public selected Love Park as the best in the Landscape Architecture category of the 2025 AZ Awards from Azure magazine, an outlet which, though Toronto-based, has been honouring the best in architecture and design across the globe for 15 years.

Only eight Canadian projects were recognized as winners or people's choice in their respective categories, with buildings from China, Italy, Mexico, the U.S., and more populating the list.

Waterfront Toronto shared the news on X, congratulating everyone involved in what was a proud moment for the teams behind the space that, fitting to its name, many have come to love.