Project Update
Communications and engagement with external stakeholders is occurring through July 2022. Feedback gathered from community partners will help inform the framework.
Main page content begins here
The Community Parks Framework is a proposed new approach the City is considering to support the development and renewal of Community park amenities.
Communications and engagement with external stakeholders is occurring through July 2022. Feedback gathered from community partners will help inform the framework.
The Community Parks Framework is a proposed new approach the City is considering to support the development and renewal of Community park amenities. The framework intends to replace the Neighbourhood Park Development Program (NPDP) which started in 1983.
The Community Parks Framework will ensure equitable access to community park amenities for all Edmontonians. The framework aims to ensure the City's investment in development and renewal of amenities is providing the optimum long-term value through planning, operations and life cycle management.
The proposed framework will align with the City policies such as The City Plan, ConnectEdmonton, Breathe, GBA+ and the Infrastructure Asset Management Policy to guide strategic development and renewal in a consistent, equitable and responsible manner.
Community Parks are one of 6 types of parks defined in BREATHE: Edmonton’s Green Network Strategy and an important part of the City’s green network. These parks are located within almost every neighbourhood and are designed to meet the social and recreation needs of the people in the neighbourhood.
Often these parks are named for the neighbourhood and they may include Community Leagues or schools. They may be managed under a Joint Use Agreement.
Community Parks Amenities include a variety of physical amenities such as playgrounds, walking paths, shade shelters, seating, trash bins, skateboard elements, bike racks, signage, plantings, natural assets and splash pads.
NPDP requires partnership with the community. Community groups are active participants working with a team of City staff through all phases of a park development project and are financial partners. This places significant demands on communities requiring a lot of time, effort and fundraising ability.
This has resulted in inequity as park amenities are developed and renewed based on community fundraising capacity and resources, rather than the need for new amenities or the condition of existing amenities. Funding allocated to the renewal of community parks and amenities has been underspent over the previous two budget cycles given a lack of community capacity.
Communities with more capacity may have renewed assets prior to the end of their life cycle which increases overall costs. Alternatively, If a community group does not have capacity to undertake an NPDP project, or if the condition deteriorates prior to the project advancing, City Operations maintains the current equipment to a safe standard if possible, or removes pieces. This leaves some playgrounds or parks with reduced amenities. No other City assets are delivered or renewed in this manner.
City staff involved in community park development have been working together and examining how municipalities across North America build and renew their park amenities. Now, we are seeking input from external partners and stakeholders.
Engagement for this project is at the ADVISE level. Communications with the public and engagement with external stakeholders is happening through September 2022. This stakeholder feedback will help to refine the framework. Stakeholders being consulted include Community Leagues, School Boards, the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues and Development Industry partners.
The Community Parks Framework is in a draft and the Neighbourhood Park Development Program is still in place. The proposed framework is planned to be put into effect with the next budget cycle in 2023-2026. We are currently working on the implementation details and anticipate this will be a phased approach.
There are currently a number of NPDP projects in progress. The proposed framework, if advanced, will identify a plan for projects currently underway and we will work directly with our community partners on this transition for their projects. More information about the transition will be provided to community partners in Q4 2022.
NPDP will be replaced by the Community Parks Framework. In the Community Parks Framework, the provision of core, secondary and some speciality amenities will be the responsibility of the City.
Based on the initial review, it is anticipated that the same number of projects can be advanced as compared to the previous budget cycles.
The funding allocated over the last two budget cycles to the renewal of community parks has been underspent as this was predicated on partnership dollars. The CPF aims to redistribute park amenities City wide such that all Edmontonians have similar access to open space.
Currently this framework applies to amenities on City owned land. Discussions are ongoing between the City and School Boards about the joint use agreement that guides the planning, assembly, design, development and maintenance of joint use sites for school and park purposes. While there are a number of existing playgrounds on school board land, current practice is that playgrounds adjacent to new schools are now on City owned land.
In this new framework, community engagement and involvement will be critical to project success. The City will continue to involve the community, however, partnership or funding from the community will no longer be required. The City and communities take pride in the unique character of each neighbourhood and the variety of playground themes and materials found in community parks. In order to ensure that parks continue to be diverse, the design process for projects initiated through the Community Park Framework will include public and stakeholder engagement. We will invite the community to support decision making and provide feedback on design solutions. As we further build out the process in this new framework we will identify with our partners, methods of how to best engage and involve them in projects.
The City will continue to build community partnerships as we look to add speciality amenities and to continue working with the development industry.
We envision meeting the community where they are at. For those neighbourhoods keen to come together and work with the City we welcome that. For neighbourhoods that don’t have as much capacity, the expectations for their involvement and engagement will be adjusted to their needs. We will continue to encourage community involvement through the project engagement and community-led processes.
To identify priority projects, a variety of data will be analysed that includes needs of the community. Once a project is underway in a neighbourhood, the community will be engaged to provide input on the design and development to ensure the unique needs are addressed.
The proposed Community Parks Framework aims to achieve equitable distribution of community park amenities. Consequently, projects will now be advanced based on addressing gaps rather than fundraising capacity or resources of a community partner.
The proposed Community Parks Framework aims to achieve equitable distribution of community park amenities. The community will work with the City to design and choose attributes of the core amenities within the target budget set. The target budget will be established based on average costs of construction from previous projects and will provide for a well rounded site that could include playground equipment, seating, walkways and landscaping.
Opportunities for enhancements and community contributions are related to speciality amenities. It is envisioned that if a community group wishes to add a speciality amenity and this is in alignment with target levels of service there would be the opportunity for the Community to contribute funding.
Tennis courts in a Community Park would be a Community Led Amenity.
As identified by Breathe, a Lighting Strategy for Open Space should be advanced. In the interim, the City will consider safety lighting along shared used pathways and at strategic locations within community parks.
Typical Sportsfield fixtures would be baseball and soccer and would be in accordance with the Sports Field Strategy.
Core playgrounds will each be allocated a target budget. Within that budget, and through engagement with the community, playground equipment and a theme will be chosen. In addition, other core amenities such as access walkways, site furniture, bike racks and landscaping will round out the site. Comparable projects were designed and constructed through provincial infrastructure funding, with new playgrounds completed in the neighbourhoods of Inglewood, Baturyn, Wellington, Caernarvon and Calder.
Each project will be unique and combine the talents of landscape architects, the creativity of community and consideration of new ideas that will foster innovation in community park amenities.
A district-level, as defined by the City Plan districts, approach will be taken to assess the opportunity for specialty amenities. We are currently working on the implementation details and anticipate this will be a data-driven and phased approach.
We will be reviewing provision levels in Community Parks at a District Plan level. At this time we cannot confirm if there will be a reduction in amenities, however, as community parks are renewed, different types of amenities may be provided to reflect changes in community demographics and expectations. Ultimately, the program is intended to provide more equitable distribution of amenities city-wide.
All new or redeveloped play areas on City parkland are required to be designed. constructed and maintained according to CAN/CSA-Z614 Children's Playspace and Equipment Standard – Annex H. Annex H spells out the base level requirements for an accessible play space.
The Children Playspace and Equipment Standard also defines accessibility for those persons with disabilities at both ground and above ground levels of the play area and spells out the specifications for how this is to be achieved.
In addition, the City is committed to improving accessibility for all. Future capital development, such as parks, will be guided by the Corporate Accessibility Plan, the Accessibility for People with Disabilities Policy (C602) and the City of Edmonton Access Design Guide.
The draft framework was shared in this phase of engagement, through the Advise level of engagement. We are planning to present the revised framework, that will include the feedback provided, in fall 2022 as part of the 2023-2026 budget development.
Project updates and more information can be found at the webpage. A summary of public engagement findings will be posted on the webpage in the summer.
14th Floor, Edmonton Tower
10111 - 104 Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB T5J 0J4
Telephone |
311 Outside Edmonton call: 780-442-5311 |
---|---|
Online | Contact 311 Online |
CPFengagement@edmonton.ca |