Oppenheimer Park
Vancouver, British Columbia
Photo Credit: Space2Place Design
CASE STUDY
Initial Research by: Desiree Theriault
Edited by: Samantha Miller & Nicole Brekelmans
Case study compiled in 2017
Project: Oppenheimer Park
Type of Urban Strategy: Green Cities
Type of Project: Playscape
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Date Designed/Planned: 2006
Construction Completed: 2010
Designer: Space2Place Design Inc, McFarlane Biggar Architecture
The Oppenheimer Park, designed by Space2Place Design and McFarlane Biggar Architects, has played a vital role in the revitalization of Vancouver’s historic Japantown. The park has become a powerful example of how landscape architecture and architecture can spark positive social change and bring justice to marginalized neighbourhoods.
The project aims to improve the status of Vancouver’s economic and social change, reducing criminal activity, drug abuse, and social stigmatism. The Oppenheimer Park re-design has become a platform for re-shaping the social, cultural, and neighbourhoods. The project is in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, which is known as one of the poorest urban areas across the city. The park addresses the needs of all its visitors from the marginalized communities to the homeless and provides a safe space with a multitude of programming and recreational features. The park has been a vital part of the neighbourhoods.
(CSLA, 2017)


