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)