P2 / Mapping Toronto: Engaging Indigenous Knowledge, Principal investigators: Jane Wolff and Jennifer Wemigwans / Grant: $9,000
A long-term mapping endeavor on the Toronto area landscape’s evolution from pre-colonial times to the present. The LACF grant will support respectful engagement with and ethical mobilization of Indigenous knowledge, re-establishing lost connections with layers related to the landscape, and prepares the way for mapping sustainable development into the future.
Initiated by the City of Toronto’s Planning Division and connected with City of Toronto initiatives on biodiversity, climate resilience and place-making strategies, this long-term project will bring together expertise in the landscape’s natural and cultural histories. As a publicly accessible digital tool, it will provide historical and contemporary information as a basis for discussion about the future. The project will make information available to diverse audiences and constituencies: landscape architects, planners, educators, students, policy makers and citizens. Indigenous knowledge is an essential cornerstone of the endeavor, both in the historical record and as a way of facilitating continuing conversation and involvement with Indigenous peoples. This approach recognizes the depth and importance of regional knowledge that goes back millennia.