Zone 6
Another zone that was studied in the analysis of David Crombie Park was zone 6 on the block of the corner of the Esplanade and Hahn place. The block is adjacent to St. Lawrence Community Recreation Centre and Market Lane Public School, and a large block of co-operative housing off of Scadding Avenue. The block is also close to many small commercial spaces that line the ground floor of the Esplanade. This portion of the park is important to the community as a hub for residents to access public transit, and engage in recreational activity. Key infrastructure included in this portion of the park is a public basketball court with spectator seating, a covered transit stop, and a fountain area that is often used as seating. This eastern portion of David Crombie Park is used by all ages as it presents diverse opportunities for people to interact with it.
The findings of this specific portion of the park were that it was generally quite successful. The park was used in different ways during each day of study and was used by many. Although most simply passed through, its infrastructure gave residents the opportunity to use the space and stay there. Jan Gehl has said that when a place is of poor quality it will only be used when people must,6 and this statement is a testament to the quality of this public space as it is populated extensively on weekends and for recreational activities.
Although the public space was mostly successful, there were some faults to the park. While the park offered some activity or reason to stop, most passing by continued to their destination. The zone could include more pathways through that let passerby’s experience the park during their commute, instead of remaining completely outside of its boundary. This section of the park also included minimal lighting at night, and is therefore more unsafe to pass through. Those who walk by at night often remain close to the street’s edge, as ample lighting is available there. Finally, due to the heavy use of park infrastructure, the state of the seating in the park could be improved. The seating adjacent to the basketball court for example is used extensively, but is in a state of disrepair.
