The first park of its kind in western Canada, Calgary’s Flyover Park received the 2021 Alberta Recreation and Parks Association (ARPA) Parks Excellence Award.

The park reclaims the forgotten space under the 4th avenue overpass, creating a vibrant and accessible gathering place where residents, commuters, and visitors can enjoy an active lifestyle and environmental learning year-round.

Flyover Park combines the core elements of collaboration, creativity, innovative urban design and community engagement. Inspired by innovative urban parks that reclaim “forgotten” spaces in cities such as New York, Boston, Miami, and Toronto, Flyover Park has become a recreational hub on the edge of downtown Calgary. Once dark and sometimes dangerous, the park is forging a new way to re-imagine park spaces in urban locations.

“Innovative urban parks like Flyover Park are the way of the future. We were able to leverage the dedication of the community and the imaginative spirit of local school children to create something extraordinary,” said Sheila Taylor, CEO, Parks Foundation Calgary. “Flyover Park came at exactly the right time. The pandemic has forced us to isolate away from our communities and a space like this helps Calgarians reconnect in a safe, healthy and fun way.”

The original concept of the park was championed by grade 6 students at Riverside School and landscape architecture students at the University of Calgary. With support from partners including The City of Calgary, The Alberta Government and the Bridgeland Riverside Community Association, the project also engaged the broader community to provide additional design input, with the final design created by Stantec.

The park design includes tiered seating, unique play features and artistic features to beautify the space. Specific features include: Hill slides, Creative high-impact lighting, Accessibility features, Family fun games (shuffleboard, ping pong, ladder toss) and murals