Shelter from Sun and Rain
As a matter of community health and safety, and to support use of parks in all weather, adequate shelter needs to be provided in each park, either through the tree canopy or a built structure. This is particularly important in playgrounds, picnic areas, and sport fields where people often spend considerable time exposed to the sun, especially vulnerable populations such as children and seniors. Given the importance of providing shade in parks, shade structures and/or additional tree planting should be incorporated into all parks. Strategic tree planting should be a priority for the myriad benefits provided (e.g., shade, carbon sequestration, stormwater management, etc.). The New South Wales Health Department (of Australia) and Cancer Society of New Zealand Inc. developed a comprehensive and helpful guide to sun protection entitled “Under Cover: Guidelines for Shade Planning and Design.” It is a technical guide that describes how different structures (different built structures as well as different tree types) provide shade (Figure 4-1), how to conduct a shade audit of a park, site- specific considerations (e.g., for sports fields and for parks), and more. The National Program for Playground Safety at the University of Northern Iowa also prepared a study for the Standards Council of Canada on this subject, entitled “Thermally Comfortable Playgrounds: A Review of Literature and Survey of Experts” (2020). This study contains valuable background research and provides
Figure 4-1: Diagram of canopy shade from under cover: guidelines for shade planning and design 1
1 The New South Wales Health Department and Cancer Society of New Zealand Inc, 1998
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Town of Tillsonburg | DRAFT Parks and Recreation Master Plan
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