St. Patrick's Island

Calgary, Alberta 

Photo Credit: Civitas

CASE STUDY

Initial Research by: Krista Renwick

Edited by: Samantha Miller & Nicole Brekelmans

Case study compiled in 2019

Project: St. Patrick's Island

Type of Urban Strategy: Industrial Landscapes, Ecological Infrastructure

Type of Project: Park Revitalization / Parks and Recreation / Naturalization 

Location: Calgary, Alberta 

Date Designed/Planned: 2010

Construction Completed: 2015

Designer: Civitas with W Architecture, IBI Group, and Matrix Solutions 

St. Patrick's Island Park in downtown Calgary is one of the city's oldest parks, but in 2010 when this revitalization project began, the park was in a state of disrepair, underused, unsafe, and a hub for criminal activity. Growth of the East Village neighbourhood provided an opportunity to fund the revitalization of the park as a placemaking feature for the growing community and greater population of the city. Ecological history was used to guide the restoration of the island, which then serves to connect the community to the park, and in a biophilic approach to nature, strengthens these connections, the community, and the biodiversity of the island.