Quote:
Originally Posted by edale
What's your point? I truly don't get the question or what you're trying to discuss here.
55F and sunny in March is about as good as it gets in Ontario, and those early spring-ish days always bring out tons of people-- especially when there's nothing else to do thanks to covid.
I get the sense this thread is more self-congratulatory BS about Canadian suburbs being denser than American suburbs, where people are more inclined to ride the bus and play at neighborhood playgrounds. As if the US is totally lacking in these things, and if only we were smart enough to look north for guidance. Frankly, it's trite at this point. Of course American kids go to playgrounds. Denser environments, where private play space is more limited, will have greater usage of parks and playgrounds. Duh. What is there to discuss?
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I didn't mean to make it so much of a Canada vs US thing, more of a low density vs high density suburbia. Canada tends to have more of the latter while the US has more of the former but they both have some of each.
In my case, I grew up in a low density suburban neighbourhood in Canada (SE Oakville), with average lot sizes of around 1/3 acre (and I'm back to living there for now). And each time I go to denser suburban areas around here in Ontario, it's like night and day.
Yeah, covid helps a bit, and the fact that it's nicer than average for March helps a bit, but back here in SE Oakville, the parks are nowhere near as busy.
I just came back from a walk in SE Oakville, exact same weather and time of day as when I was in North Oakville, and passed through 5 parks. The park with a baseball field, playground and tennis courts only had one girl playing tennis with her dad. The playground next to a wooded creek valley had two siblings with their parents and dogs. The schoolyard with a field, basketball courts and playground was completely empty. The park with an outdoor pool, playground, baseball field and wooded area was completely empty. The other schoolyard with a field and basketball courts was also completely empty.
A similar set of parks in North Oakville would've had about 100 people, so it's a whole different vibe. If you show up to a playground in SE Oakville, you better bring your dog or sibling because otherwise you'll probably be stuck playing with yourself. Meanwhile in North Oakville you can just show up and there will be plenty of other neighbourhood kids there you can befriend.