Fancy an outdoor game of ping pong or bocce?
Pop up parks and street FUN-iture have arrived in Delta for the summer.
Last year as the community and businesses were hit hard by the pandemic, Delta's new Community Resilience and Economic Recovery Support Team (CRERST) initiated the installation of 18 “We Love Delta” Adirondack chairs at the Social Heart Plaza, Elliott Street Wharf and the Tsawwassen Library.
To build on that initiative this year, additional street furniture placemaking and other outdoor features have come to the city’s business districts, including seating/eating areas with draped lighting, as well as recreation activities such as ping pong and bocce.
In Ladner, for example, a We Love Delta Pop-Up Park was set up Bridge Street.
It involves a full street closure on Bridge Street from Delta Street to Harbour Stroll, but the portion of Bridge Street west of Harbour Stroll will be open to local traffic only.
The section of street was overlaid with recycled synthetic turf and activated with picnic tables with umbrellas, moveable tables and chairs, Adirondack chairs, bocce, a corn hole game and ping pong.
The fun corridor is also lit with draped patio lights.
“It has been really exciting to watch these temporary pop-up parks animate previously underutilized spaces. I walk by the pop-up park on Bridge Street every day and see the space full of young people, families, and seniors playing games and sharing food together,” said Coun. Dylan Kruger, who had a spirited game of outdoor ping pong with Mayor George Harvie.
“The response from community members and from business owners has been incredible. These parks are quite inexpensive to build and demonstrate what a small investment can do to animate our public spaces and create a greater sense of community. I am hopeful we can continue to expand on these temporary installations in future summers to provide more entertainment and recreation options for residents and to support our local business community. “
Delta late partnered with the University of Waterloo on a pandemic placemaking research project to identify fun projects, which was dubbed as "Street FUN-iture" by Delta staff.
Delta, in partnership with the university, conducted an online survey to engage with the community about placemaking, finding strong support for the initiative.
“Installing pop up parks in Delta's business districts also encourages residents to stay local and drives consumer traffic to ‘main street’ businesses that have been significantly impacted by the pandemic,” a civic report notes.
Other pop-up parks are located at the Elliott Street Wharf, Wade Park, McKitrick Park as well Brandrith Park. The city is also planning to open outdoor reading rooms at the three libraries.
