Calgary’s playgrounds are great places for Calgarians of all ages to relax and play. The City maintains more than 1,100 playgrounds.

As playgrounds require lifecycle work, The City looks at maximizing use of the space to ensure it continues to meet community needs. We assess the need by looking at demographics and working with the community to determine whether the space is best suited as a playground, or should be transformed into another type of community gathering green space.

Safety for park visitors is our first priority, and each playground is inspected seven times a year to ensure Canada Safety Association guidelines are met. Parks works with residents, community associations and other interested parties to discuss options prior to the lifecycle replacement.

If you have any questions or safety concerns, please contact 311.

When we’re thinking about how to best improve a playground that needs updating, we look at several things:

Space and Budget: We need to know how much room we have for new or replacement play structures, and how much money we can spend.

Suitable Equipment: We usually aim for equipment that kids aged 5-12 can use, because it’s the most versatile. However, this kind of equipment does require more space to work well.

Nearby Playgrounds: In Calgary, we try to have 5 playgrounds for every 1,000 kids under 12. So, we look at the location of all playgrounds and consider how many kids under 12 are in the neighbourhood.

Other Options: We also consider things like play areas for adults, extra features like benches, and natural play spaces.

Community Needs: We look at who lives in the community to make sure the spaces work for everyone.

When we add new equipment and options to a space, it can make it more inviting for more people in the community. Everyone in Calgary values green spaces, so we want to make them enjoyable for all.

Once input is received on a specific project, we will post a "What We Heard" report within the specific community project tab below. These reports are meant to be reflective of the comments and input received and are used to assist in decision making, and ongoing communication, in alignment with the Playspace Optimization process outlined on this page.