OBSERVATIONS & EVALUATIONS
The City of Mississauga is densely populated with urbanized areas. With this in mind, residents of the city need nurturing public spaces to support their health and well-being. The neighbourhood of Port Credit located on the lakeshore of the city is linked with "moments of delight and behavioural opportunities" [1] that enhances the occupants’ experience. What is now seen as the busy waterfront with recreational activities such as boating, was once Mississauga’s major marine transportation centre. [2] The activities that took place back as far as the 1960s have integrated themselves into the current lifestyle that Port Credit has to offer. The “Village on the Lake” [3] continues to offer a large variety of activities for its users to experience on its stimulating waterfront.
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To further understand the success of the public integration into Port Credit, a site visit was conducted on September 26th, 2020 from as early as 1:30pm until 7pm. Observations were conducted on this warm and sunny day for three different sections of Port Credit with the use of maps, tracing, photos and conversations with users. The sections individually provided different behavioural activities based on their physical features and proximity to other buildings and public spaces. The first site selected is Port Credit Memorial Park. This park is located off of Lakeshore Road East and is situated almost directly across from the Port Credit Lighthouse. This site welcomes library users and visitors while also attracting members of the community to use the large park behind it, for daily uses or for festivals and events that are held periodically. This site is an extension to the street life on Lakeshore Road and the vibrant downtown core that comes to life in the summer and throughout various occasions in the year. The second site, St. Lawrence Park, is located in the Neighbourhood of Port Credit on the south-central side of the City of Mississauga. Situated off of the main intersection of Lakeshore Road and St.Lawrence Drive, the park is directly available to the residents of the townhouses and condominiums in the vicinity. The final site selected is JC Saddington Park. With two different entrances, off of Front Street and Lake Street, the public space is accessible to the immediate residential area. The park provides a view to the waterfront and the Port Credit boardwalk. With free parking and clear pedestrian sidewalks to access the park, it is welcoming to the public. The individual sites were within walking distance from each other, and all had a bridging water feature implemented within or around them. Each site is chosen after considering if it is accessible and well connected, comfortable enough for users to occupy the space, provide users with the opportunity to engage in a variety of activities, and create moments of sociability for the community at large.
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The following sections of the report will uncover and present the conclusions drawn from the observations of the selected public parks within Port Credit. The evaluation charts will discuss the overall success of the public spaces based on how the users occupy the elements designed within the parks.
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From analyzing the three sites in Port Credit, the observations prove these spaces to be accessible and well connected, comfortable for occupants to use the space, provide the opportunity to engage in numerous activities, and create moments of sociability for the community. With their own unique features and characteristics, the three sites exemplified successful public spaces, but they also showcase features that are underdeveloped or are not efficiently designed with the users in mind. Memorial Park being the hub of Port Credit’s high traffic environment, works to allow for a diverse amount of activities to occur ranging from recreational sports, to leisure activities. The public space is overall well populated and engaging but still has areas that are not used as much as others. St. Lawrence Park being on the outskirts of the main street in Port Credit, is a small park that is mostly available to the residents of the area, but still welcomes people from elsewhere coming to admire the site. It is a well designed place that has constant activity stemming from the physical environment influencing human interaction. Within the site, there are spaces that can improve, but the space generally captures people's attention from the waterfront to the gazebo. JC Saddington Park is also an effective public area for outdoor greenspace accommodating occupants living in residential complexes nearby. As a general observation, the whole park is highly populated with large family gatherings accumulated in various sections of the park. Whether the users are just watching the views or going on a run, people are rarely ever alone and almost always engaged. This park’s effectiveness from its configuration is a very successful public space as nothing dictates certain activities, but encourages users to enjoy their visit within its boundaries. As all three sites are located within Port Credit and are walking distance from one another, they are examples of how to design a series of successful public spaces within an interconnected community. Although each individual site may have underused areas, the constant flow of people and occupancy is consistent and interactive. Memorial Park, St. Lawrence Park and JC Saddington Park all have strong relationships amongst each other which are formed from the built infrastructure. The parks have become popular public spaces that have expanded and grown based on the needs of the community overtime, while still maintaining and incorporating the integral aspects that make Port Credit the “Village on the Lake”. [4] Locals have continuously loved to inhabit this space for a number of decades, and will proceed to do so knowing that these series of spaces have been designed keeping its users in mind.
[1] Emilie Pinard, “Healthy: Happiness and WellBeing” (Class Lecture, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, October 2, 2020).
[2] “Port Credit – Heritage Mississauga,” accessed October 7, 2020, https://heritagemississauga.com/ port-credit/.
[3] Ibid
[4] “Port Credit – Heritage Mississauga,” accessed October 7, 2020, https://heritagemississauga.com/ port-credit/.
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