The community engagement component for Kiyam Park took place during the initial pandemic response in 2020. As such, much of the engagement had to be online to ensure social distance measures. Conducting a primarily online engagement phase was a new endeavor and a great learning experience for 818. We found that engagement participation was improved by using online methods, and participants felt more comfortable expressing opinions in an anonymous format. As the community includes a large number of residents working shift work or outside of regular 9-5 business hours, online formats made it easier for more people to attend at their convenience. The results of engagement were incorporated into the concept and final design for the park; creating a truly community built space.

Highlights

• 2 phases of engagement were undertaken. The first with the objective of assessing resident’s needs, priorities, and concerns as well as amenities and programming elements. The second introduced two concept designs based on the first round of engagement and collected feedback on community preference, which was developed into the final concept design.
• Indigenous culture was identified as a key aspect of the park design during engagement. As such the final park design includes Indigenous cultural components such as a medicine wheel rock garden.