This new must-visit park in downtown Calgary has already won two awards
Calgary is already home to a wide variety of parks and greenspaces across the city, but we always appreciate a new addition.
Parks Foundation Calgary has finally completed the highly anticipated Flyover Park, located under the 4th Avenue Flyover in the heart of YYC. The park breathes new life into the area and provides a greenspace for commuters, visitors, downtown Calgary employees, and residents of the nearby Bridgeland-Riverside community to enjoy.
Flyover Park is the first of its kind in western Canada, taking a space that was once forgotten, dark, and sometimes dangerous to new heights as an accessible and sustainable urban space.
And who better to design a park than kids? The initial concept for the area came from Grade 6 students at Riverside school, becoming a massive collaboration between the City of Calgary, University of Calgary landscape architecture students, community members, and Santec Design to make sure the park fit the needs of Calgarians.
Courtesy of Santec
“Innovative urban parks like Flyover Park are the way of the future,” Sheila Taylor, CEO, Parks Foundation Calgary, explained in a press release. “We were able to leverage the dedication of the community and the imaginative spirit of local school children to create something extraordinary.”
The park is home to tiered seating, unique play features, and artistic elements, and it’s quickly become the place to be in Bridgeland-Riverside. Flyover Park highlights include hill slides, creative high-impact lighting, accessibility features, murals, and fun family games like shuffleboard, ping pong, and ladder toss.
The press release notes that Parks Foundation Calgary is already receiving buzz on the project, as this type of urban park reclamation has previously only been tried in cities like New York, Toronto, and Miami.
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The new park has even won two awards already: the National Urban Design Award in 2018 for the combined vision of the students, community, and partners; and the 2021 Alberta Recreation and Parks Association Parks Excellence Award.
“Flyover Park combines the core elements of collaboration, creativity, innovative urban design and community engagement,” reads the release. “It is a vital, vibrant and accessible gathering place that is quickly becoming a welcomed member of Calgaryās impressive roster of parks and public destinations.”
Flyover Park is conveniently located a 10-minute walk from Calgary’s downtown core or a five-minute walk from the Bridgeland CTrain station.
The park is now visited by Calgarians daily, proving that re-imagined spaces in urban areas have much to offer to locals and visitors, and offering a place to get some fresh air while partaking in one of Flyover Park’s many fun activities.