TREAT WASCANA PARK LIKE AN URBAN JEWEL

Urban parks have been a feature of cities for over two centuries.

They were introduced in response to the loss of the sense of the natural world through the vast scale of urbanization. Parks also served the redistributive purpose of connecting those living in urban mean streets to the experiences of nature. More recently, urban parks have been supported under a wave of evidence connecting urban parks’ natural environment to improved physical and mental health.

Most cities understand the value of placing natural areas within their heart; there are many wonderful parks within cities — Hyde Park, Melbourne’s Royal Botanical Garden, Stanley Park, High Park and Central Park, all of them urban jewels.

Wascana Park is not a jewel. Its character is that of both park and land assembly for large-scale development — up to now, public development.

The result is that Wascana Park has been strangled by an encasing necklace of buildings and by a virtually unbroken inner circle of parking lots. It is true that the walkway around the edge of the lake has survived and in recent years has been improved; the idea of preserving a natural site within the city has never disappeared.

But now, the land assembly purpose is back in force; those who regulate Wascana Park have seen a benefit in further development and, indeed, there is a benefit — to the enterprises that plan to build office buildings in the park, and to the university, which is to receive a payment.

But most certainly these are not urban park benefits. It seems the time to try to rebuild a natural jewel for our city.

John D. Whyte, Regina