Creating Coventry
A Community-Driven Plan to Improve & Connect Our Neighbourhood’s Parks
When a representative from the City of Calgary alerted the Northern Hills Community Association (NHCA) that six of their playgrounds would need to be replaced, Moraig McCabe saw a bigger opportunity. All of Coventry Hills’ 14 playgrounds were built in just over a decade – surely, they’d all need to be replaced in a similar period. An opportunity was born to refresh and revitalize Coventry’s parks with spaces and equipment that the community truly wanted.
Why We Did It
For the community, we were engaged by the community to be a part of this initiative, and well, we couldn’t say no! Led by community member Moraig McCabe, the goal was to engage the community and develop a plan to replace all 14 parks as they age-out with revitalized spaces that would increase community use, connection, and engagement. Members from the community had to be consulted from day one in order to develop a playground master plan that would reflect the needs of each neighbourhood.
What We Did
Six Big Ideas emerged during conversations with Coventry Hills residents. These are broader than the needs of individual parks, and could be applied anytime there is an opportunity to improve green space. These six big ideas helped to establish a roadmap for the Creating Coventry initiative.
- Connect individual parks into a network, linking green spaces to each other and to regional park systems. Parks can be connected by physical elements like pathways and bike racks, and with symbolic elements like signage and maps.
- Enrich the natural environment of park spaces by including native vegetation and ‘wild’ spaces. Create habitat for urban wildlife, reduce maintenance, and provide beautiful and imaginative play spaces for all four seasons.
- Equip green spaces with fun and popular amenities that invite participation from ALL age groups. Inspire adventures, spark imagination, and promote physical and mental health by giving everyone a reason to go to the park.
- Activate park spaces by making them suited to social uses like gathering, relaxing, and spending time with friends and family. Consider food, games, and social seating elements in the redesign of spaces.
- Re-imagine spaces and explore innovative amenities. Go ‘beyond the tot-lot’ by introducing social elements like BBQs and banquet tables, and provide new activity uses like bicycle pump
- Provide seating to make park spaces better for families, seniors, and those with reduced mobility. Ensure frequent, well-shaded seating along common pedestrian routes to parks and throughout green spaces.
Reports & Toolkits
- Planning Phase Report – analysis of the data and themes shared in the 10 engagements and 4 months of systematic observation.
- Appendices and Data – detailed data sets and facilitator guides for engagements.
- Journey Document – outlines the journey and learnings from the planning phase.
