This neighbourhood tactical guide supports Canada’s physical activity strategy: A Common Vision for Increasing Physical Activity and Reducing Sedentary Living in Canada: Let’s Get Moving. The Canadian Parks and Recreation Association (CPRA) was selected by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to address Spaces and Places, one of the six areas of focus of this ambitious pan-Canadian strategy. The physical design of spaces and places helps Canadians be more active. Paths, parks, green spaces, trails, recreation centres, workplaces, schools, other community buildings, sidewalks, bike lanes, and more encourage people to be more active during their leisure, work, and school time. This work moves above and beyond dedicated recreation and sports facilities and sees the built environment and community as an asset for Canadians. By focusing on supportive and sustainable physical environments, individuals can involve themselves with fewer constraints to physical activity and greater connection with their neighbours.
ABOUT THE
Canadian Parks and Recreation Association
The Canadian Parks and Recreation Association (CPRA) is a national organization dedicated to realizing the full potential of parks and recreation as a major contributor to community health and vibrancy. CPRA is an alliance of provincial and territorial parks and recreation associations across Canada. Collectively we envision a Canada in which everyone is engaged in meaningful, accessible parks and recreation experiences that foster individual wellbeing, community wellbeing and the wellbeing of our natural and built environments. CPRA’s role is as a voice, a national network and a resource for the parks and recreation sector, focusing on recreation as a public good. CPRA serves as the steward of the Framework for Recreation in Canada.
ABOUT THE
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a leading research-intensive institution in Canada known for its innovation and creative exploration of solutions to pressing societal issues, including the promotion of physical activity and social connectedness in communities. Initiatives, such as this tactical guide, align with the university’s goal of making a positive impact on the world and improving quality of life.
This project was made even more possible through a collaboration with Dr. Troy Glover, Professor and Chair of the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies and Director of the Healthy Communities Research Network at the University of Waterloo. Professor Glover’s research explores the process of transformative placemaking that shapes the public realm to facilitate social connectedness and improve the quality of community life.
Acknowledgements
CPRA gratefully acknowledges the Public Health Agency of Canada for its financial support which made the creation of this neighbourhood tactical guide possible.
CPRA would like to thank:
Rebecca Mayers for her hard work on helping to shape and create the tactical guide and her never-ending enthusiasm for the project.
8 80 Cities, a non-profit organization with a mission to ignite action to create healthier, more equitable and sustainable cities for all people. As a global leader in creating equitable public spaces for people of all ages, 8 80 Cities has provided CPRA with tools and resources to evaluate and identify existing socio-spatial inequities and barriers to physical activity, social inclusion, and civic engagement in neighbourhoods. To learn more about the 8 80 Neighbourhood Diagnostic, visit www.880cities.org.
The great people in Bridgewater, New Ross, and surrounding areas in Nova Scotia, other great people from Lloydminster and Red Deer in Alberta, and Squamish and Richmond, British Columbia for their enthusiasm for the project and smart and creative input into the activities for communities big and small!
Housing for Health Project at the University of Alberta’s Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada. Working to improve housing developments and their neighbourhoods to better support active living, healthy food and beverage access, and social connections.
CPRA’s Common Vision Working /Advisory Group members and individual reviewers for their insight and guidance at different stages of the development of the tactical guide:
- Jane Arkell, Active Living Alliance for Canadians with a Disability
- Dr. Christine Cameron, Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute
- Melanie Davis, PHE Canada
- Peggy Edwards, Council on Aging of Ottawa (Age-Friendly Cities network)
- Susan Laurin, Town of Okotoks
- Caralynn Nault, Waterways Recreation Inc.
- Amanda O’Rourke, 8-80 Cities
- Kate Storey, University of Alberta
- Roberta Stout, National Collaborating Centre on Indigenous Health
- Terri Temelini, Canadian Women and Sport
- Pauline Thimm, Dialog Design
