The Praxis Group™ | Involving People.

Praxis partnered with O2 Planning and Design (O2) to assist the City of Calgary with the redevelopment of the River Park/Sandy Beach/Britannia Slopes park area. Praxis was responsible for the public consultation and stakeholder engagement components. Praxis analyzed the data gathered through these components and provided it to O2 to assist the Team with the preparation of the park management and design plans.

Praxis collected most of the data through an online survey that was open to all who were interested (hard copies were also made available). To create awareness about the survey, Praxis placed field teams in the park area to pass out cards with the online survey address encouraging park users to share their opinions. Additionally, local newspaper advertisements, posters, poster boards, a link on the City’s website, and an open house information session attracted individuals to the survey.

The survey consisted of two sections. Section one sought to determine the frequency of various types of recreational activities undertaken in the park. The second section assessed users’ impressions of the design and development concepts under consideration for the area. Section two not only allowed respondents to rate but also to provide feedback on and offer suggestions for the design and development concepts. Approximately 700 individuals responded. Praxis also collected information on the volume of use in the park by having field teams count the frequency of various activities in the park.

Following an open house session presenting the proposed changes to the park, Praxis collected feedback forms from all attendees, summarized the feedback, and provided the findings to O2 and the City of Calgary.