The Key to Happiness (An Update)
This post is sponsored by TD and the TD Common Ground Project.
One of the things I love to learn more about is the science of happiness. There are so many studies on the world’s happiest people, exploring where they live, how they live and who they are living with.
The things that make me the happiest are a hot cup of good coffee, people I love and lots of room to explore. It is pretty easy for me to rank my city as a pretty happy city and it ticks a lot of boxes that make someone happy: porch facing a street, tree-lined property, easily accessible bike paths, near places of community and close to a park.
Living in a city that capitalizes on transportation, especially as a pedestrian, is pretty high on my list of non-negotiables. Being able to have easily accessible pedestrian and cycle paths in a city encourage me to ditch my car more often which increases my chances of running into neighbours on my commute and also adds exercise to my day. In addition to all of this, it also means cleaner air, fewer accidents and a healthier population.
I am more proud than ever to be a part of the TD Common Ground Project this year. If you missed my first post on the project, TD is supporting 150+ grassroots initiatives as a part of their TD Common Ground Project, to revitalize green spaces to bring communities together. Basically, they are working towards a happier and healthier Canada.
Combining insights from experts in green space, as well as survey results from a poll of 1500 Canadians the TD GreenSights Report reinforces the need for easily accessible green spaces for Canadians. The vast majority of Canadians (95 percent) agree that access to community green space will be important to their quality of life in the future, but three-quarters feel that their local green space could be better.
Fortunately for Waterloo, TD has identified Waterloo Park as one of their projects that they are working to make better.
The last time that I spoke, they were finalizing the designs of the project and on my runs this summer, I have seen construction in the park (which fits right in with the rest of the city at the moment). The project is separating the entrances for vehicles and pedestrians to make it safer to ride, run or walk in the park. The second piece of the project is to separate the pathway for pedestrians and cyclists as the existing bridge is quite narrow to accommodate both.
The project will be completed in 2018 and I am so excited for the final unveiling. It is going to be a huge improvement for athletes as well as keeping the pedestrian path clear for families, kids and the thousands of residents that walk the park each year. Click here to stay up-to-date on the Waterloo project.
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This sounds like a fun project to be involved with. Being outside just makes me happier too
It has been an AWESOME project to be a part of, Deborah! And I agree – being outside is the best.
What an amazing beautiful project! Can’t wait to see the finished product
Sounds like a great project!
how exciting is this!
It’s so great they’re putting such an investment in the city. Building those areas should bring much happiness!
Looks like you live in a gorgeous area!! That project sounds exciting 🙂
This is awesome! I remember many, many afternoons and early mornings spent in Waterloo Park doing training with the rest of my team when I ran cross country for Laurier. So many amazing (and muddy!) memories, and it’s great to see that it’s going to be an even better spot for everyone in the community.
I love being outside. Love those pictures and what a great project!
This sounds like so much fun – it’s so important too!
What a wonderful project! Congrats on being involved. I love to explore too.
This is awesome. As a runner with a preference for running outdoors I wish we had a project like this locally.