Harbourfront Centre offers cultural, educational and recreational activities from its four hectare (10 acre site) in the heart of Toronto’s central waterfront. In 2006, Waterfront Toronto and Harbourfront Centre completed a first phase of work on the site, widening the water's edge promenade, adding a five-metre wide wooden boardwalk and constructing two 60-metre finger piers.

Other phases of the project include replacing the surface parking lot next to York Quay Centre with an underground garage to make room for new waterfront public space. Plans are also underway  for a  future Cultural Village - a low scale development area with artist studios, architect offices, cafes, restaurants and shops.

The construction of a new underground garage, which opened in June 2012, unlocked this prime waterfront site for the creation of new public space. Built by Waterfront Toronto and Harbourfront Centre, the 300-stall York Quay garage replaced a 212-stall surface parking lot. Construction began in March 2011 and was completed in just over a year. The garage also includes a public art component called Light Cascade, a 3-storey reflective cutain wall of glass that will bring natural light into the structure.

The next phase of work, which is now underway, will result in the creation of new public space on the 1.4 hectare area site. The design by Michael Van Valkenburgh and Associates (MVVA) includes:

• Canada Square: an impressive plaza space framed by majestic redwoods trees at the south east end of the site overlooking Lake Ontario.

• Urban Square: a large plaza facing Queens Quay featuring “miniature forests” located directly above the parking garage along the north west end of the site.

MVVA’s design brings nature into the plazas in an unconventional way. Canada Square, described as a “vertical garden,” will feature 44 metasequoia trees —majestic redwoods with a light canopy — that are tolerant to urban stress. The Urban Square, with its “mini-forests” of Quaking Aspen, will serve numerous functions. It acts as an event space, school bus drop/off pick-up for camp programs and open plaza space. The plan also includes an Interim area with an info-centre, tents and eco-grass located north of Canada Square on the east side of the site. This area will eventually be home to Harbourfront Centre`s future Cultural Village.

Light Cascade, designed by award-winning architect and designer James Carpenter, is a distinctive art piece comprised of a mylar (polyester film) screen with a reflective pattern laminated in glass. This impressive glass sculpture will rise over 30 metres high from the base of the garage up through an aperture to the landscape above. In addition to being a beautiful piece of public art, Light Cascade was designed to bring daylight into the garage and acts as a natural way finding system. At night, the glass screen will add an artistic glow to the urban square and garage below.