Opaque Ground: Reimagining Human–Soil Relations in the Lower Don This student project explores urban soils and the cultural and ecological stories they hold. The project proposes an urban soil survey and a series of experimental gardens along a 10-kilometer trail in Toronto’s Lower Don Valley. Each garden is shaped by one guiding principle: no new soil can be added. Plants become collaborators that reveal below-ground conditions. Across five potential sites, from dense business districts to former industrial landscapes, the gardens use ruderal species, low-impact installation, and successional processes to make the invisible visible. Together, they form living laboratories that build soil literacy and model more resilient, soil-conscious approaches to urban design. “I hope this project speaks to the future of landscape architecture because it looks at soil not just through a technical lens, but as a complex living system with social and ecological histories that plants respond to.” —Rebecca Martin, Student ASLA Explore the full project: https://bit.ly/3X7ZbIw Image credit: ASLA 2025 Student General Design Award of Excellence. Opaque Ground: Reimagining Human–Soil Relations in the Lower Don. Rebecca Martin, Student ASLA; Faculty Advisor: Alissa North; University of Toronto #aslaawards #thisislandscapearchitecture
