Temporary urban parks sought for city streets
An alderman wants to convert city streets into temporary public spaces.
Ald. John Mar applied for a $90,000 grant from the city’s innovation fund to create spontaneous street parks known as s-PARKS.
“The idea is to increase street vibrancy. This is something that has been done in municipalities all over North America in an effort to create a greater atmosphere for citizens to enjoy their public realm, in a spontaneous and fun way,” Mar said.
An s-PARK pilot is being proposed for Downtown West, on 10th Street S.W. between 6th and 7th avenues, during the month of August.
The pilot would involve the closure of the street and the creation of a temporary community and pedestrian space, which would encourage residents and visitors to gather, every weekend.
Gordon Smith, director of the Downtown West Community Association, said the association is excited about the “innovative” idea.
“It would be nice to get people, particularly from the community, out of their highrise condos and maybe enjoying something on the street,” Smith said.
Mar said s-PARKS can take many different forms.
He was recently in New York and saw a side street in Little Italy that was closed for a carnival.
“In some cases, an s-PARK will actually just be a little children’s tot lot. In some cases, it will be things like an opportunity for viewing art,” Mar said.
Both Smith and Mar said turning the street into a park would be a good thing for businesses in the area.
“There’s actually an excellent likelihood that their business will improve during this time period because of the fact it will be generating more activity and public interest,” Mar said.
Mar said the concept has been successful in other cities, and he’s hopeful Calgarians will embrace it.
“We’re hoping this will be the first of many different types of s-PARKS to materialize in the City of Calgary.”