REGROWING HERITAGE PARK
By Ryan Martin
I often find myself taking walks on my lunch break at work, to explore. My path often follows the long street my office is nested within, whose lone sidewalk wanders through the outskirts of a Sarnia suburb. This street embodies all of the standard traits of suburbia, with many identical single-family homes lining either side of the street. But the monotony of this walk is eventually broken up by a single stormwater pond that has been developed into a park. This spot has been lovingly called “Heritage Park: Water Settlement Pond #1.”
Heritage Park in Sarnia is an expansive green space, vaguely bisected by a rough asphalt path that runs through the middle. On one side of the path rests the large Settlement Pond, with a fountain that runs for most of the day, and a small man-made waterfall that brings water in from the local stormwater drains. Surrounding the pond is a non-uniform foot-long layer of tall natural grass, that abruptly transitions to a well-maintained lawn. Trees are haphazardly placed around the pond as small refuges from direct sunlight, with those closest to the water acting as shade for nesting geese and ducks. The other half of the park is highlighted by a single playground just off the asphalt path and a WWII monument composed of 101 individual trees planted in the shape of a cross. This half of the park also has a large hedge line, further dividing it, with one part containing the playground and the other an empty field. This side of the park is considered the “human side,” as the playground is the only spot built for people to interact. It is intensively maintained through excessive mowing and hedge trimming.
As is typical with most intensely maintained parks, it rarely sees any use. It is unwelcoming, boring and lacks intention. None of the seven separate benches are comfortable for the user, and there are no natural pathways around the site. The only thing worth looking at is a single fountain within the pond, but its comforting sound is overshadowed by the wall of noise coming from the nearby roadway. The small playground sees only sparse usage during the day, even during the summer when children are out of school. The park’s delineations between spaces, where people can or can't be, are far too deliberate, with the result that no one explores the park. In its current make-up, Heritage Park falls far below its potential and, more often than not, finds itself completely unused.
In examining successful North American parks like Central Park in New York City, Stanley Park in Vancouver, or a locally successful space like Canatara Park in Sarnia, those most used offer a prominent location in an urban centre, some naturally beautiful spaces or fun activities. The Heritage stormwater park is far from the prominent urban centres of Sarnia, and it has little to offer in the other categories. But that does not mean success is unattainable.
A simple solution to transforming this park into a local attraction would be to leave it alone. Allow areas of the park to develop naturally. Over time, the park will transition from its monoculture to a thriving ecosystem, just by allowing the natural environment to take over. A park that has effectively adopted this practice is the West 5 Stormwater Park in London. West 5’s park allows the softscape areas to grow, encouraging the development of various wild Canadian flowers and more diverse plant life. These allow the insects and semi-domestic animals that are indigenous to the area to repopulate. West 5’s park is a hosting ground for insects of all kinds, from ladybugs to dragonflies, as well as many larger animals, such as deer, raccoons, and various waterfowl. By simply allowing more areas of the park to grow naturally, Heritage Park could reasonably emulate West 5’s success.
Some areas of the park could continue to be maintained, to create spaces for children to play, but they might be further developed. Most of the human spaces in this park are unwelcoming because they are uncomfortable for the user. Incorporating a few simple, cheap and effective adjustments, such as trees or large hedges shading the benches, a barbecue space for public gatherings, a soccer field, or a small dog park on the northeast side, would create a significantly more welcoming environment inside the park. These adjustments to Heritage Park would require some funding increases, but their effect in transforming the park from a large unused lawn into a hub for the local community would signify a significant return on investment.
Heritage Park: Water Settlement Pond #1 has the potential to be so much more than it is today. Through these small improvements, it could become the model for future parks in Sarnia, seamlessly integrating the natural environment with human occupation.