Project overview and status

In 2006, Centre Venture Development Corporation identified Central Park as an opportunity for a collaborative revitalization partnership and began exploring options with government and community partners. The goal was to design a high-quality recreational venue, help address crime and safety issues, and meet the recreational needs of a changing community that includes many international newcomers. Many believe the community engagement and resulting design have had a transformative effect on this inner city public space.

Community engagements were held in the summer of 2008, in partnership with nearby Knox Centre. Project management was provided by CentreVenture; planning and landscape architecture was provided by Scatliff+Miller+Murray Inc; building architecture by David Penner Architect, and construction management by PCL Constructors. Preservation of the Waddell Fountain was undertaken by the City of Winnipeg. Work on the $5.6-million public + private redevelopment began in early 2009 and was completed by August 2010.

Zoning for the site – D – Downtown Living (Downtown Zoning By-Law 100/2004), remains unchanged.

What is innovative about this project?

Central Park was targeted to be the “world’s best neighbourhood playground” by its designers. The park integrates a variety of features that were identified through a collaborative planning process, using open houses and interviews with residents and service providers. The result was a plan that includes the reuse of some existing infrastructure and the addition of new amenities. The following are descriptions of some of the innovative features of this project:

Diverse Community Engagement
Throughout this project there was an acknowledgement that the Central Park area has a unique demographic makeup for Winnipeg; with high population density and a large population of international newcomers, particularly refugees. It was important to examine needs that area residents expressed in relation to their park.

A series of meetings and workshops were conducted, using a partnership approach with local community leaders. Approximately 100 individuals, representing 34 groups, were engaged individually between July and August 2008. This included many cultural groups and area social services. The results of these engagements were examined and a design proposal was generated based on the results. A public open house to review the proposal was held at held at Knox United Church on May 6, 2009 and attended by ~50 people.

Community Based Needs Delivery
Numerous ideas were generated through the engagement process, with a particular focus on an open-space recreation area, a stage, a pavilion/park building, winter activities, community gardening, senior-specific facilities, public art, and better security.

The park plan accommodated several of the suggested amenities, including:

• Recreation field: The field uses artificial turf to extend its seasonal use, and incorporates sports field lighting.
• Open-air Market: Temporary market tents are brought to the market area when needed, and the space can be used/ adapted for other uses. New sewer, water and power have been installed to accommodate the needs of the market into the future.
• Environmental Education Area: Water can be pumped into an accessible water table that users can control. The water is reused and discharged into a rain garden, feeding plants.
• Hill Slide: An accessible artificial hill with slides.
• Water Park: An accessible wading pool and spray park designed to meet the needs of users of all ages and abilities. Users can control the spray patterns.
• Public Art Area: A design competition was held by the Winnipeg Arts Council to select public art for the designated space – a light-based interactive sculpture.
• Heritage Element: The Waddell Fountain was restored.
• Mature Trees: The project was designed to accommodate the park’s existing mature trees.


Programming and Safety: Collaboration between two local business improvement districts (the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ and the West End BIZ) and a downtown revitalization agency (the Forks North Portage Partnership) will provide programming, entertainment, and park security. Bike patrols, organized by the BIZs, provide regular monitoring of the park. In addition to the market, programming activities for the summer include concerts, organized tournaments, and other supervised recreational activities.

Year-round activity
To be relevant and accessible in Winnipeg’s cold winter months, it is important to ensure the park has multi-season options. To address this, in winter the recreation field is flooded and converted to a skating rink, and the hill slides are converted to toboggan slides.

How does this project fit with the urban structure and City plans?

Central Park and the urban structure
Central Park is located Downtown, an area of prime strategic importance in the urban structure, and the city’s preeminent complete community.

The Central Park project aligns with goals of the urban structure by promoting extended hour activity and vibrancy in the Downtown and providing year-round programming and events Downtown (described in Section 03-1d); and by providing space that effectively accommodates all ages and abilities (described in Section 03-1e).

The project also meets the goal of providing public or private amenities in higher-density residential neighbourhoods – such as public spaces, pedestrian improvements, streetscaping and recreational options; and of providing amenities and services that support residential intensification and the fulfillment of ‘complete community’ goals (described in section 03–1b).

Downtown is one of the Transformative Areas in Winnipeg’s urban structure. Transformative Areas also include Major Redevelopment Sites, Centres & Corridors and New Communities.

Read about Downtown and Transformative Areas in the Complete Communities Direction Strategy.

Central Park and the Sustainable Water and Waste Direction Strategy
Central Park aligns with goals of the Sustainable Water and Waste Direction Strategy by reusing water to help maximize existing water supplies (Environmental Education Area). Described in Section 03–5c. See the Sustainable Water and Waste Direction Strategy for more information.

Central Park and the Sustainable Winnipeg Direction Strategy
Central Park aligns with goals of the Sustainable Winnipeg Direction Strategy by assisting in knowledge and awareness development regarding sustainability by linking citizens to accessible tools (Environmental Education Area), providing accessible recreation and wellness services for Winnipeggers, building neighbourhood vitality, and conserving Winnipeg’s heritage. See the Sustainable Winnipeg Direction Strategy for more information.

Where can I find more planning information

July 16, 2008
Council concurred in the recommendation of the Executive Policy Committee and provided a grant to CentreVenture Development Corporation for infrastructure costs for the re-development of Central Park. See PDF or click here.

Public process

Between July 18, 2008- August 1, 2008, Scatliff+Miller+Murray held one-on-one meetings and workshops with 34 local groups, in partnership with community leaders. The results of the engagements were then reviewed by Centre Venture and Scatliff+Miller+Murray and a design proposal was generated based on the results. A public open house to review the proposal was held at Knox United Church on May 6, 2009 and attended by ~50 people.

Developer’s website

Additional information can be found on Centre Venture’s website.

What is the history of this site?

Central Park is one of Winnipeg’s original parks, set aside in 1893, and was the City’s first urban green space. It has, over its history, experienced both popularity and neglect. The park was built at the beginning of Winnipeg’s most robust period of growth, located in the centre of a middle class neighbourhood. During that time, the park was lined with large, elegant houses, particularly along Edmonton Street. The park included a curved walking path along the edges, a bandstand at the south end and tennis courts. By 1914 the pathway was replaced by two straight paths intersecting the park diagonally, and the Waddell Fountain – which still stands today – was built (Click “Historic Gallery” for images). The park was used so heavily in this period that the City struggled to maintain the lawns and landscaping because of wear and tear.
As Winnipeg suburbs grew/expanded beginning in the 1920s, some of the wealthier homeowners around Central Park relocated, and housing in the area began to experience change. Many of the larger homes were divided into smaller suites while some were demolished. Lower-middle income families became more predominant in the area. In the 1930s, the park was the site of community singsongs.

As the century wore on, the quality and use of the park fluctuated due to changing park authority structures, funding, and factors like suburbanization. Urban renewal in the 1960s and 1970s saw more of the local historic buildings demolished to make way for an expanding downtown business district. New housing was constructed; with an emphasis on social housing and housing geared to older adults.

By 1980 the park had taken on a reputation for being unsafe, and many area residents avoided it and discouraged their children from playing there. The1980s Winnipeg Core Area Initiative attempted to address some of the concerns of the park through a revitalization effort that yielded mixed results. The south border of the park was extended to Ellice Avenue through the Initiative, more high rises and a school were built, and streetscaping was improved. The park however remained a focal point for public drinking, drug dealing and some violence; and for much of the 1990s and 2000s, Central Park endured as a symbol of danger and decay in Winnipeg. The historic Waddell fountain, originally built in 1914, had weathered and no longer functioned.

As a supplement to the recent physical redevelopment, the City installed surveillance cameras in 2009 to monitor area crime. Recent media reports about the park redevelopment and Central Market (a new, multicultural market in the park) suggest that the revitalization initiative is having a transformative effect on the quality, usefulness, and safety of the park (Click “Progress Galley” for more information).