The Importance of the Neighbourhood Park

I recently read a report called "The 2024 Canadian City Parks Report." One of the sections of the report contained data on what kind of parks people visit regularly. About three-quarters of Canadians visit local or neighbourhood parks regularly. The next most popular outdoor public space people use is trails at around 40%. It got me thinking about Langley Prarie Park, which is tucked away behind the Varsity Condos on Fraser Highway.

Iris Mooney Park

I was on the Parks, Environment, Recreation and Culture Advisory Committee (over a decade ago) when we discussed this park. I remember that the City wanted to put a lot of stuff into the park, but residents in the area just wanted a simple park with some benches and a walking loop. The City went with the simple design.

Having access to high-quality, if even simple, public parks is critical for people's health, happiness, and social cohesion. I live in the Brydon Neighbourhood, and I see how Brydon Park is a hub where kids play with other kids in the neighbourhood, and people get to talk to their neighbours.

Langley City's goal is to ensure everyone is within a five-minute walk of a park or green space.

There are some gaps. In my neighbourhood, people on Brydon Crescent need better access to park space. The City plans to build a pedestrian bridge to connect the southwestern section of Brydon Crescent to the trail between 53rd and 200th Street, enabling better park access.

Map showing sections of community within a 5-minute walk of a park. Areas without colour overlays are outside of the 5-minute walk zone. Select the map to enlarge.

More broadly, there is a lack of parks or greenspace in our Downtown/Northwestern part of the community. The City has identified the need for this space in our Park, Recreation, and Culture Plan.

While having destination parks, such as City Park or Sendall Gardens, is good, it is our neighbourhood parks that people visit the most and what builds community. As more people live Downtown and near Willowbrook Mall, we must build (and the City does plan to build) neighbourhood parks in these areas to ensure that everyone in our community is within a 5-minute walk of a park.