More Skateparks Are Needed!
Skatparktour.ca strongly believes that more skateparks are needed in many large and small communities across Canada, to provide opportunities for citizens of all ages to stay healthy and active by participating in action sports that they enjoy. Skateparks play an important role in building strong, healthy communities and skateparktour.ca will be expanding this section to support the efforts of local skaptepark advocates to help build skateparks in their communities.
Tips from Shredz
Our friends at Shredz in Cochrane AB made this video to give you an overview and some valuable tips on how to get a skatepark built in your town!
Municipal Skateboarding Strategies
Some forward-looking municipal governments have developed formal strategies and policies about skateboarding and skateparks. These documents can be excellent sources of information to aid your local advocacy efforts. These documents can go to great lengths describing their city’s rationale for skateparks, and provide plenty of useful technical information for skateboarders and their supporters alike whose goal is to see more skateparks built. Check out the documents from these Canadian cities:
- Calgary AB: Strategy Document (PDF) (Incredibly thorough – award-winning strategy)
- London ON Webpage | Strategy Document (PDF)
- Pickering ON Strategy Document (PDF)
- Vancouver BC| 2005 Strategy document (PDF)
Other Resources:
Public Skatepark Development Guide:
A must-have resource if you are advocating for a skatepark in your community!
Who uses skateparks?
In 2012, Skateparktour.ca conducted an informal study to get some idea of who is using skateparks in Western Canada. Check out “But It’s a Skatepark” here.
How much of a problem are skateparks for the communities that have them?
The Rossland (BC) Skatepark Association talked to 40 communities in BC about the lessons they learned in siting, designing, building, and operating their skatepark. It’s an excellent resource available as a PDF here
Useful Websites
- Skaters For Public Skateparks:
- Parents for skateparks
- Tony Hawk Foundation – provides information but not funds for skateparks outside the USA
Skatepark Advocacy Videos
Check out these skatepark advocacy videos created by various advocacy groups. Each makes some excellent points about the value of skateparks for communities.
“I SKATE” From CASE in Calgary, In support of the Calgary Skateboard Amenity Strategy
From Columbia South Carolina:
A Push for Parks from Alexander Grosse on Vimeo.