Urban park St. Patrick’s Island – Calgary
“I live and spend much of my time in the urban core of Calgary. For me that means being surrounded by buildings, people and continuous movement. I appreciate and thrive in this urban setting but do find a need for balance with nature and open spaces is needed for balance. In response, a space I often return and feel provides a strong example of quality space is the urban park St. Patrick’s Island. It blends naturalized space that allow local species to thrive with bespoke urban interventions. It is accessible and vibrant in all seasons which is no small feat. The park has been built out for a decade and the support buildings, pathways, artwork, play structures, etc. all continue to feel relevant and distinctive. While many components feel special there are a few extraordinary design gestures that stand out to me.
The first is dubbed “the rise.” In the heart of the island there is a hill that is passively and actively programmed. The simple gesture of creating a mound in part to deal with excess fill material from the islands broader design has resulted in one of the most spontaneous and joyful spaces. It is a rare day that you do not see someone rolling, sitting, sledding down this simple intervention – the rise.
The second place on the island that has personally resonated, is a natural water park which consists of access to a shallow diversion of the Bow river. As a landlocked city, the rivers make up much of the public water space. As the Bow river is fed from the Rocky mountains, it is a cold, fast and dynamic river. This little intervention dynamically diverts a small portion of a mighty river by carving small urban space to an accessible, calm, safe playground for citizens of all ages to wade safely into the waters.”(Booklet Positive Lived Experiences of Quality in the Built Environment 2024, p.65).
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