Hinge Park

Hinge Park covers 2.3 acres and also connects to Habitat Island which covers around 1.5 acres. The park includes a trail in Habitat Island, a walking/biking trail along the shoreline of False Creek, public art installations, picnic tables, benches, docks, a children's play area, a bridge constructed from sewer pipe, a water pump with metal runnels at the top of a small hill, and the Olympic Village dog park The park site (sometimes refered to as Hinge Park, but not yet officially named) includes a rainwater wetland, play park for children, benches, grass and picnic areas. A dog off-leash area is located within a fenced area in the northwest corner of the park. The park includes a rainwater wetland with native plants that will slowly naturalize. Picnic tables, benches and docks dot the landscape. A large children's play area has state-of-the-art play equipment, a story circle, a big rusty bridge constructed from sewer pipe and a water pump with metal runnels at the top of a small hill. It is a park for children to explore and for adults to quietly enjoy. A dog off-leash area is located within a fenced area in the northwest corner of the park. History The name of this park is based on the bend in Vancouver's street grid, where Cambie St. intersects with West 2nd Ave. This park was created as one of the amenities for the 2010 Winter Olympics athletes. It was designed to give historical reference to its former use as an industrial land, hence the bridge constructed from sewer pipe. The industrial land was named as a City Works Yard that was built in the 1920s which included an incinerator that assisted residents with waste disposal. The unsorted waste was burned and left highly contaminated the soil. This led to a reform of the land, and some suggested that the City Works Yard be made into an infrastructure theme park to educate people about the environmental effects of infrastructure. The park was designed to clean storm water runoff before it reached the ocean. The park is a naturalized wetland, meaning this area of Vancouver was not originally a wetland environment prior to its construction. However, the wetland park has seemingly incorporated itself into the ecosystem and has become an important habitat to preserve wildlife.