Welcome to Round 2! We're now in the second round of public engagement for Big Marlborough Park concept and design. March 24 - April 21, 2025

As we step into the new year, we are excited to continue our journey towards creating a vibrant, inclusive, and culturally rich community at Big Marlborough Park.

Your voice matters! We encourage all residents to participate in our upcoming workshops and feedback sessions! Together, we can shape a park that meets the needs and aspirations of everyone.

Join us in making 2025 a year of unity, growth, and celebration at Big Marlborough Park. Let's work together to create a space where everyone feels at home

Cheers!

The Big Marlborough Park Master Plan Team


About the Project

Big Marlborough Park was created in the 1970s. Since then, it has remained largely untouched. It is a heavily used greenspace in the heart of the northeast community of Marlborough Park, bordered by four schools and the Marlborough Park Community Association. Demographics in northeast Calgary show a higher population of new Canadians and ethnic groups for which parks and open spaces are vital to building a sense of community and supporting newcomers.

As one of the fastest-growing quadrants in the city, the northeast has limited redeveloped regional park facilities to service the area’s high demands. Existing features within Big Marlborough Park, such as the tennis courts, soccer fields, baseball diamonds, playground, and toboggan hill, are nearing the end of their lifecycle or could use a refreshment and redevelopment to better serve the growing population.

The Big Marlborough Park Master Plan project aims to enhance this regional park and improve park amenities. Many existing features within the park are nearing the end of their lifecycle and require updates.

Big Marlborough Park was identified by the Legacy Park Program as a park that needs enhancement to better serve park users for generations to come. The Legacy Park Program invest funds in much needed upgrades and improvements to local Calgary parks.

We are eager to hear from Calgarians on how we can improve Big Marlborough Park.

We are in the second round of public engagement and want to hear from you. Join us at upcoming events or online to share your opinion and view the preliminary park designs. Your feedback will help inform the future park design.

Phase 1, round 1 of public engagement concluded in Summer 2024. It focused on understanding the community's values and priorities for Big Marlborough Park.

Phase 1, round 2 will seek public feedback on preliminary concept designs. This is scheduled for Spring 2025.

Phase 1, round 3 will occur in Summer 2025 with the presentation of the Big Marlborough Park Master Plan.

Google map image of Big Marlborough Park. It shows the green space, several ball diamonds, and surrounding buildings (schools and community centre).

Regional parks provide a special purpose or attraction which benefits users beyond an immediate community. They are designed to support longer durations of stay, accommodate a range of activities, serve multiple communities and include specialized amenities which would not be typically found in community parks, such as multi-sport surfaces, cultural landscapes or accommodation for large event spaces.

A master plan for a park serves as a roadmap. It guides how the park should be developed, used, and managed, considering its natural, cultural, and historical features. The plan is closely followed to ensure effective park management.

Download or read the Connect: Calgary's Parks Plan by clicking this link: Connect: Calgary's Parks Plan


Provide your feedback here.

From our first round of engagement, we learned how valued Big Marlborough Park is to the community (What We Heard Report Summer 2024).

For our second round of engagement, we are presenting two concepts for your consideration. These concepts represent the big ideas captured from what we heard in public engagement events that took place in the summer and fall of 2024.

The final design may incorporate features from Concepts 1 and 2, depending on what we hear from the public and from City of Calgary parks personnel. Decisions on the final design will also consider technical and environmental factors as well as what we can accomplish within the budget.


😎Concept 1: A Recreation Hub


Concept 1: A Recreation Hub


A place to gather, move, and play together.

Concept 1 is a recreation-forward park design that supports on a wide range of active, programmed recreation, while providing dedicated amenities for picnicking and play.

Big moves include:

  • Direct pathway network through the park.
  • Upgraded sports + active recreation amenities: cricket, soccer, baseball, basketball.
  • New playground and skills park (bike OR skate).
  • Dedicated picnic areas for group gatherings, located near park gateways / parking lots.
Image is of a map of Big Marlborough Park and includes the features noted in Concept 1 - a recreation hub.

😎Concept 2: A Community Hub


Concept 2: A Community Hub


A place to gather, celebrate, and learn together.

Concept 2 is a large, centralized community hub with a focus on highly flexible and adaptable spaces to support a wider range of uses and program opportunities, including picnicking and play.

Big Moves

  • Large, central community hub / activity zone.
  • Many opportunities for flexible recreation, casual use, and all kinds of programming.
  • Upgraded sports amenities - cricket, soccer, and basketball.
  • Celebrates the natural history of the park with a large, naturalized area.
  • Picnic sites and play features throughout the park

😎Help Us Prioritize


Help Us Prioritize


Help us prioritize what park amenities to improve at Big Marlborough Park. Your feedback will help inform the final recommended park design which may be a combination of elements from each concept. The final design will be dependent on feedback, budget, technical and environmental constraints.

😎Levels of Support



Timeline

  • Timeline item 1 - complete

    2024 Park Analysis (Phase 1)

    • Summer 2024 (June 17 - July 29)
    • Round 1 Public Engagement
      • During this phase, we will actively seek public participation to understand what the community’s values, concerns and priorities are for Big Marlborough Park.
    • A comprehensive What We Heard/What We Learned report will be generated based on the insights gathered. These learnings will be used to guide the next phase of concept and design.
  • Timeline item 2 - active

    2024 Preliminary Master Plan (Phase 1)

    • Spring 2025
    • Round 2 of Public Engagement
    • In this phase, our focus will shift to conceptualizing and designing the park enhancements. There will be a presentation of proposed concepts and creative ideas. Feedback used from Phase 1, Round 1 engagement will be presented in a What We Heard and What We Did Report.
  • Timeline item 3 - incomplete

    2025 Final Concept (Phase 1)

    • Summer 2025
    • Round 3 of Public Engagement (Inform)
    • This will consist of the final concept reveal and include a What We Heard Report and the What We Did Report from previous outreach and engagement.
  • Timeline item 4 - incomplete

    2025 Detailed Design (Phase 2)

    • Timeline item 5 - incomplete

      2026 Construction Begins (Phase 3)