Eden is a mobile application concept that helps citizens discover and use their local urban parks

The app opens with a map of Vancouver and it’s 21 neighbourhoods. Users can click on any neighbourhood to go to that neighbourhood’s page or click the search button to look up the neighbourhoods by name.

The neighbourhood map shows all the parks that are in that neighbourhood. Clicking on the search button will also show a list of parks. Users can click the activity button to search for activities to do.

When users click on the activity button, the activity list comes up. This is a predetermined list that would be augmented over time. It helps to inspire and activate park users.

Clicking on an activity from the activity list will show a data visualization of where that activity has been done in that neighbourhood. This is useful for citizens and City parks boards, as it shows areas of use and areas of neglect. Users can click on any park icon to go to that park’s page.

The tags on the park’s page are activities that other users have placed there. These are what create the neighbourhood data visualizations. Users can touch a tag to view it or can press the add button to add their own tag.

When users add a tag they pick an activity from the activity list and then have the option of writing a short text for their tag. Pressing the done button would go back to the park page. They would then click anywhere on the park to place the tag.

Conventionally, neighbourhood parks or parklike open spaces are considered boons conferred on the deprived populations of cities. Let us turn this thought around, and consider city parks deprived places that need the boon of life and appreciation conferred on them.

-Jane Jacobs