Hillcrest & Riley Parks
Vancouver BC
Before and after the 2010 Olympic Games, two connected and centrally located parks underwent substantial transformations. Hillcrest Recreation Centre was built specifically for the games and the older Percy Norman Pool and Riley Community Centre buildings were demolished. The leftover, lackadaisical space had undergone several architectural changes because of the games, with no real sense of space defined. This became a tremendous opportunity to create an enlivened masterplan and refreshed identity for Hillcrest and Riley Parks.
Because of the extensive breadth of surrounding communities, public engagement sessions were rigorous, meticulously organized, and exhaustive in their depth. The public determined Hillcrest Park would house a new soccer pitch and the Nat Bailey and Challengers baseball stadiums, while Riley Park would become a toddlers’ playground, community garden, and host a dedicated plaza for the beloved Farmer’s Market. Intentional placemaking would allow families eat unwind and share in joyful outdoor play together in a comfortable, safe public environment.
The crux was filling in empty pockets caused by demolition while retaining some existing topography to give the park an overall shape and structure. While still flexible around the edges, Riley Park draws the community toward its central elliptical lawn. Strong design intent creates a special, memorable feeling – one of being somewhere better than your average neighbourhood park.
The toddlers’ playground is interactive and inclusive, complete with a colourful custom fence for privacy and recognizability. The large eating table and benches are a popular surface for family picnics, snack breaks, and card games; the community garden program is flourishing thanks to dedicated enthusiasts who manage events and operations; and the Riley Park Farmer’s Market continues to thrive with a witting attention to how people move through the space.
A contagious spirit of engagement has caused a visceral sense of ownership to spill out over the parks. The success of Hillcrest and Riley Parks makes an exemplary case for why wholehearted listening is crucial to deliver thoughtful activation for diverse placemaking needs.
