Residents enjoy major boost in quality of life from tiny city havens: 'A good mental health break'
Residents of Canada's largest city are reaping the benefits of repurposing small parcels of underutilized land into vibrant green spaces.
A profile by Toronto Today examined the impact of the city's many parkettes in improving the quality of life for its citizens. A parkette is defined as a tiny green space of 0.5 hectares or less. Toronto now has almost 500 parkettes dotted throughout the city.
These little pockets of paradise are typically placed on the sites of old buildings or disused parking lots. They provide Torontians with much-needed spaces to escape the hustle and bustle of city life, to socialize, and exercise their pets.
One pet owner marvelled, "Being able to have a space where they can play and get enrichment is great, and it's also a good mental health break from working." For office workers downtown, those green spaces offer a quiet place to break up the day. "I'm big on grounding — putting your feet on grass. It's great." One office worker said.
The benefits of urban green spaces are well-documented and extend beyond providing a pleasant space for residents to unwind. Urban greenery serves as a crucial heat trap, helping to improve air quality and lower temperatures.
Research indicates that a park or parkette can reduce the surrounding area's temperature by 1 to 2°C. Additionally, green spaces can provide critical habitats for wildlife living in cities. Urban rewilding projects are proving effective in restoring badly needed biodiversity to cities.
Watch now: Giant snails invading New York City?
The city of Toronto is looking to add yet more parkettes through the Parkland Strategy, a long-term initiative to improve and revitalize the city's parks system. This will include a decade-long effort to connect the parkettes along the so-called Green Line.
The rise of the parkette exemplifies the impact of community-based efforts in enhancing the quality of life for residents. While the larger projects receive most of the attention and photo opportunities, making the most of the smaller parcels of land will ultimately have the most significant impact.
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Residents enjoy major boost in quality of life from tiny city havens: 'A good mental health break' first appeared on The Cool Down.
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