by Christie Page
Community and Connection is the secret to happiness and belonging. Here is an idea to help foster that by inviting more people to use the public space the community of Crescent Heights already has.
There are at least 15 cul-de-sacs in Crescent Heights. Some of them are part of the original design to manage the steep slopes as the prairie spills into the river valley. Some of these roads with limited egress have been created to thwart drivers from using the neighbourhood as a shortcut, to fly through as quickly as possible, to reach their far-off destinations.
However these impasses came to be, the result is the same, a dead-end space. A circumference of give or take 15 meters of roadway sits empty just waiting for a car to drive in, spin around and drive out again. Could we better use all this asphalt?
One of the most cost effective and inclusive activities that could be implemented in these instances is the installation of a basketball net and if really keen, a little bit of road paint to mark out a half court. An intervention of this sort does not change the ability of the road to function as it was intended. All it offers is another way to use the space the other 99% of the time.
Just like street hockey, if a game is in session, when a car approaches one simply yells “car,” and everyone steps off the road while the car does its car thing and then the game resumes.
Basketball is one of the most accessible sports. If the infrastructure exists, all you need to be able to play is a ball. It’s a game that can be enjoyed by anyone. It is an activity you can do alone, or with a group. A basketball net is a place where people can come together, make new friends, and build community.
If you live near one of these cul-de-sacs and like the idea of building opportunity for connection, please talk to your neighbours and see if you can find a way to activate these void spaces. A basketball net is just one idea, other innovations that can bring people together would also be wins for everyone in Crecent Heights.
3 Ave and 2 Street NE comes to an abrupt dead end that could be activated
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