Designing Parks for Young People
January 30, 2025 - Hannah Ruuth
Greenspaces used by the public such as parks, school yards, and private properties help protect biodiversity, fight climate change, and keep our cities cool. Public green spaces are important spaces to promote physical exercise and social and Nature-based interactions, which help improve mood and [reduce stress](https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/21/11028) amongst people from all walks of life. Recognizing the positive impacts of Nature on public health, the World Health Organization recommends that everyone live within a 5-minute walk or 300 metres of green space to experience the health benefits of green spaces.
Urban Design at Ojibway Park: Access, Connectivity, and Equity
January 29, 2025 - Dorian Moore
The proposed designation of Ojibway Park as a National Urban Park is a transformative opportunity for Windsor's future. As a vital ecological asset, Ojibway Park can link Windsor's natural and urban spaces. Realizing this vision requires strategic urban design to overcome barriers and strengthen connections between the park, Sandwich Town, and key infrastructure like the Gordie Howe Bridge. Prioritizing pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, green corridors, and multimodal transport will create an inclusive, sustainable space that honors Windsor's cultural heritage. This integration will enhance Ojibway Park's access and set a national standard for equitable urban development.
Connecting Urban Windsorites to Nature Through Active Transportation
December 9, 2024 - Tamara Belley
This post explores the significance of active transportation infrastructure that could make the proposed NUP and other greenspace in Windsor accessible for more people, in line with NUPH's priority of “connecting Canadians to nature,” which “seeks to reduce barriers to ensure that more people can have meaningful experiences in urban green space.” Increasing active transportation is considered in the context of Windsor planning policy.
Newcomer Access to Green Spaces in Windsor
March 18, 2024 - Safa Youness
The National Urban Park (NUP) Program has three core objectives: conservation of nature, connecting people with nature, and advancing reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. Grasping what achieving the second objective will mean in relation to the proposed National Urban Park in Windsor requires an understanding of the demographics of the region.
Lessons from Parks Canada's History Inform New Paths through the National Urban Parks Program
March 14, 2024 - Asvini Kulanayagam
Parks Canada is a Canadian federal agency with the mandate to “protect and present” nationally significant areas of land, and to preserve their ecological and cultural integrity for present and future generations to discover and enjoy. The 2002 Parks Canada Charter provides a base for the agency's current expansion and reimagination.
We acknowledge with gratitude the land, air, water, fire and all the beings of creation that sustain us. We honour the longstanding relations of many First Peoples to this place since time immemorial (including the Anishnaabe, Haudenosaunee, Lunaapee, and Huron/Wendat Peoples). We acknowledge colonial harms. We commit to renewed and respectful relations to people, nature and this place.
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