• Orphan Spaces
• Lectures
• Conferences
• Sustainability
• Resources
  
• Universal Design

Orphan Spaces:

Cities inherently amass Orphan Spaces, areas that become lost in the shuffle of building new homes, businesses, parks, utility and transportation corridors and other phenomenon associated with large urban systems. Design Exchange, in association with the City of Toronto's Clean & Beautiful City, Neighbourhood Beautification Project, believes that creative and inclusive design direction involving emerging design professionals and the community can reintegrate these forgotten spaces so that each and every space in Toronto can be made livable and beautiful.

Following the success of our inaugural 2005 Series, DX will host a series of design charrettes in 2006 that will bring together an array of design professionals, students, community members and stakeholders whose talents will be combined to re-design a selection of identified Orphan Spaces. The aim of the Series is to enable design solutions that will identify the potential of some of Toronto's underdeveloped urban areas, then reclaim and beautify these Orphaned Spaces while maximizing their design potential, empowering the communities in which they are situated. The design proposals should adhere to the principles of universal and sustainable design.

Lectures:

Dates:

• Monday May 7, 2007 (6:30-8:00pm) - Janet Rosenberg

In 2007 the Design Exchange will present the DX Power Lecture Series in honour of the lifework of celebrated designers. The Series will be held at the Design Exchange throughout 2007 and will be delivered by Canadian and internationally based, world-renowned designers and researchers. As Canada’s centre for design research and education, our goal is to host lectures that involve diverse opinion, insight and fascination discussion revolving around design.

Conferences:

THE DX NATIONAL DESIGN CONFERENCE
OURTOPIAS: Ideal cities and the roles of design in remaking urban space.

June 14 - 16, 2007

This interdisciplinary conference, the second presented by the Design Exchange, Canada’s National Design Center, seeks to explore the varied and future states of cities.

Interested in the roles cities play in the economic, social and cultural lives of societies, this conference invite papers that explore such topics as the architectural, design and material culture of cities, densification, urban renewal, branding, zoning, adaptive re-use, gentrification, social responsibility and historic preservation.

Similarly, papers are invited that address such related and relevant topics as green space in cities, infrastructure, technology, environmentalism, and sustainability, brown-site rehabilitation, exurban growth, public transportation, universal design, street furnishings, climate change and disaster preparedness.

It is the purpose of this conference to examine both the historical and contemporary cultures and contours of urban experience and the status and promise of the post-millennial, post-industrial urban fabric. What is our future?

Sustainability:

Toronto and Region Conservation (TRCA), in partnership with the Design Exchange (DX), have created this competition with the assumption that in the 21st century sustainable design is no longer a luxury; it has become a necessity. Along with this assumption is the belief in the innovation of Canadian designers and their ability to adapt to the changing needs of contemporary society.

Resources:

The Canadian Design Directory is an on-line resource that provides comprehensive information on the Canadian design sector. Professional designers, design students and the general public are encouraged to browse through the directory to find the most updated information on Canadian design services, resources, jobs and events.

The Design Industry Advisory Committee (DIAC) was formed in January 2001 by City of Toronto Economic Development and comprised of stakeholders of the design industry and the Design Exchange. It set as its primary goal the strengthening of design-related strategic partnerships that address human resource issues and economic development in Ontario. DIAC envisions a future Ontario in which the design industry workforce expands it s skills and capabilities in order to play a vital role in the economic and social health of the province.