Stripped Back Hinge

A couple of days ago I jumped on my bike and cycled along the seawall to South East False Creek, to the site of the Olympic Athlete's Village, (which real estate developers have renamed Millenium Water). The buildings and site have recently been turned over to the City of Vancouver from the Olympic 2010 Committee. The day before there had been an open house (the individual units are being sold as condos at market rates) that had drawn protesters, angry that original plans for affordable and social housing weren't being adhered to by the city. The day I was there was quiet; all was locked up. Just to the west of the Athlete's Village buildings is a little park I'd never seen before: Hinge Park. The landscaping is all man-made, and one of its purposes is to filter rain water from the street drains and create a small wetland area for local bird life. It also has a children's play area, which includes a fountain. The fountain's water flow can be controlled by weirs the children can move. The day I was there kids were grabbing handfuls of rocks and pebbles and building dams across the fountain's metal waterways (which you can see in the foreground of this picture). In the background, on the other side of False Creek, are the residential highrises of Yaletown and Vancouver's downtown core.

Post title from this song by Scorn.