Double Duty: Stormwater Management in an Urban Public Park

DTAH Associate Yvonne Battista will be presenting Double Duty: Stormwater Management in an Urban Public Park at the Grey to Green Conference in Washington, DC, on October 29, 2019. As cities grow and experience an increase in both urban density and environment issues related to climate change, it is essential that new parks are designed to be socially, environmentally, technically, and economically balanced. Two case studies, Edgeley Pond+Park and Gage Park, exemplify opportunities and challenges related to designing dual-purpose parks.

Edgeley Pond + Park is currently a forgotten stormwater (SWM) pond in the City of Vaughan that supports an urbanized Black Creek, over 54 ha of urban SWM and 767 ha of upstream drainage. It also protects adjacent development which will enable over 5,000 new residents while providing a signature amenity park with space to play, learn, relax, and explore. Led by landscape architects DTAH, the multi-disciplinary design team of civil engineers, geomorphologists, ecologists, and public facilitators took the client, stakeholders and public on a journey of design evolution that addresses a variety of park programmes and balances budgets, phasing, rigid engineering and ecological approvals. The proposed design strives to resolve stormwater quality, quantity, and control while celebrating Black Creek by returning it to a more natural existence in the park.

Over the last 100 years, downtown Hamilton Ontario has grown around the 71-acre Gage Park. Challenged with aging infrastructure, repeated surcharging and property damage, the City of Hamilton implemented an innovative solution to bring urban stormwater from adjacent streets into the park. DTAH worked with civil engineers to create a planted bioswale that followed the original 1920’s vision for the park, but with a sustainable and modern twist.

Learn more about the Grey to Green Conference here