When Public Spaces Don’t Feel Public

Last weekend while out for a bike ride through Kensington Park, I noticed something that stuck with me.

A father and his two young boys were walking around a baseball field with gloves, a bat, and a ball — clearly just looking to spend some time together playing catch.

But instead of walking onto the field, they were circling it.

Looking for a way in.

Eventually, the kids crawled through a hole cut into the fence near the dugout just to access the field.

That moment raises a simple question:

Why does a family have to crawl through a fence to use a public baseball field?

I understand that fields are often booked for organized sports, and that maintenance and scheduling matter. But when a field is sitting empty — especially on a weekend — there should be a reasonable way for residents to access it.

Public space should feel public.

This isn’t about blame — it’s about balance. Between organized use and everyday community access. Between protecting facilities and making sure they serve the people they were built for.

Because at the end of the day, a father playing catch with his kids shouldn’t feel like he’s breaking the rules.

It should feel like exactly what our parks are for.