Some parks in Vancouver scream out their era of glory more than others: consider the suburban paradise feel of Maple Grove Park, the Expo-style architecture of Cathedral Square, the world-class city of glass 90s energy of David Lam Park, the immaculate if overly precious design of Olympic-era Hinge Park. 

Meanwhile, Collinwood Park screams out the 1970s: a crunchier era of Vancouver, less grand but quickly growing. There’s an old-school field house with washrooms, a very simple basketball court, and a giant slide with multiple humps and minimal railings on the side, the type that very much would not get constructed today for perfectly reasonable safety reasons. 

The wading pool has seen better days, and giant slide aside, the playground could use an upgrade. And it seems one is on its way, as the city has added the park to its list of places that will get a renewal, at which point we will happily reassess.

But for now, it’s the type of big multi-use neighbourhood park that have anchored parks in this city for generations, and a fine example at that.