The City of Burnaby is funnelling money from the federal Housing Accelerator Fund into a “quick wins” program for park improvements throughout the city.
The federal government awarded Burnaby a four-year, $43.4-million package late last year, subject to the city meeting certain housing targets.
The money can be used for a variety of housing-related projects including “community-related infrastructure that supports housing.”
Burnaby council has now approved using $7.15 million from that package ($1.78 million annually) for the new “Park Pulse” program for “free, fun and on-the-spot recreation enhancements.”
Andre Isakov, the city’s director of parks and recreation planning, said the quick upgrades will include basketball courts, playgrounds, park signage, accessibility upgrades and a fitness circuit.
The first phase of improvements will come to six parks starting this summer:
- Brentwood
- Kinnee
- Deer Lake
- Keswick
- Ron McLean
- Ernie Winch
Isakov said the Park Pulse program is intended to fund quick and affordable programs the city can install in areas that need park space.
“The intent of the program is to get people to use our parks and enjoy our parks and get more active,” Isakov told the city’s parks committee in April.
He said other improvements could include supplying boxes with play equipment such as basketballs, soccer balls or hockey sticks.
“If those balls grow legs, so to speak, and walk away, as long as they’re being put to good use and being enjoyed by the residents, we’ll make sure we’ll replenish those, but those are relatively inexpensive items.”
There are also activities planned for mature adults, including chess, checkers and ping pong tables, particularly if they encourage intergenerational activities that appeal to older and younger demographics.
“The more kind of legitimate uses and activities we introduce to our park spaces, hopefully, it’s also going to help with making our public spaces feel more safe and be more safe,” Isakov said.
In the longer term, the city will consider adding cooling features like shade structures and misting posts, which make parks more comfortable, Isakov said.
Staff expect to expand the Park Pulse program over two to three parks each year over the next three years and grow to about 12 to 15 parks, or until the funding capacity is reached, according to a staff report to council.
Why is the money coming from the Housing Accelerator Fund?
The city said the program “underscores the symbiotic relationship between housing and parks.”
The report said urban parks increase the desirability of neighbourhoods, which attracts residents and can lead to the development of more housing.
It’s a cycle in which “the presence of quality housing enhances the value of parks, and vice versa, creating a mutually reinforcing dynamic that strengthens communities,” stated the report.
The city said parks serve as community infrastructure by acting as “shared outdoor living rooms” and play a “crucial role” in enabling higher density housing.
Staff said the demand for parks is higher than ever, as Burnaby has experienced a seven per cent population growth in the last five census years.
The priority parks targeted for the Park Pulse program will be in areas where the most common form of housing is multi-family, where access to outdoor spaces can be limited, according to the report.
City staff have noted that as Burnaby residents increasingly live in highrise towers, they lack the backyards of single-family homes and increasingly use parks for their recreation needs.
More than 80 per cent of all new future housing in Burnaby is expected to be in multi-family form.
