Trout Lake Park – Vancouver, B.C.

“When I think of quality in the built environment, I think of Trout Lake Park (John Hendry Park) in Vancouver British Columbia. Located in East Vancouver, Trout Lake is the only freshwater lake in the city and has expanded to around 67.5 acres over the past 40 years of its official existence as a Vancouver Park. The grand scale of this park exemplifies my ideas of quality by offering inclusive and accessible programming that is also able to amplify the meaningful reciprocal relationships between the land, water and people that coexist in the space.

This park is central to a highly diverse residential neighbourhood, rich of a variety of cultures and practices and age demographics. Growing up minutes away from this park as well as attending the preschool in the community center, I had known it as the best spot in Vancouver for a multitude of reasons:

• Local to diverse neighbourhood – allows for great picnic spaces for large groups
• Mix of picnic tables, benches, logs, and rocks for seating (formal and informal)
• Accessibly via bike, car, walking wheelcahirs etc
• Mix of paved ground and gravel – beside the water vs by cars
• Multitude of programming (flexible spaces for people to create their own experience)
• Access to washrooms, water and garbage
• Landscaping that allowed for local animals to flourish, fish, birds, insects etc
• Native plantings and former bog – still retaining its form
• Not as manicured as other parks – there is a balance of open space, tree canopy throughout, programming areas for all ages –
• There is opportunity for curiosity through this “unpolished” landscape
• Community center as well – accommodating for an audience who would want indoor programming in proximity.
• Also acknowledging the First Nation people in this space – commemorative areas for cultural practices.
• Multisensorial experience throughout the park and surrounding parks
• Festivals and gatherings for a multitude of different groups throughout Vancouver throughout the year.

While this park is not perfect, it allows for people of all demographics to share lived experiences with one another through the built environment. Every corner, nook and cranny of the park always has something completely different happening – at one end someone can be relaxing by the lake by themselves, and not too far away there is a kid’s 4th birthday under the picnic pavilion. I go to this park more than 5 times a year to either hangout with friends or family or to go to the community center. Quality is subjective to each person and this park allows for that freedom of how the spaces can and should be used. As designers, it is essential to listen to people in these communities and balancing the needs and wants of the space and how to adapt to such conditions. The design and circulation of the park subliminally aids in the success of this park, but it is the people who are actively paving their own paths throughout the site who create the true quality.” (Booklet Positive Lived Experiences of Quality in the Built Environment 2024, p.84).

Google Map link:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/John+Hendry+Park+(Trout+Lake+Park)/@49.2538532,-123.0608018,15z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x548676b347603735:0xc9d29043c2776cb0!8m2!3d49.2538532!4d-123.0608018!16s%2Fm%2F0bx_wvn?entry=ttu

Image:

Justin McElroy(Vancouver Park Guide https://vancouverparkguide.ca/2022/01/24/2-trout-lake/ )

This image showcases a flourishing and socially rich junction at Trout Lake Park. Addressing accessibility through different modes, moments of pause through music and social interaction creates a lively and welcoming environment. Large tree canopies are also distributed around the park, allowing for great shade for the spring and summer months.