toronto loves installing a big ass open field with the idea that it'll be a venue for big outdoor events (which are infrequent & summer only) instead of facilitating personal use (barbecue/fire pits, picnic tables, seating, shade trees) which there is actual bottomless demand for

every time I see a big ass field or open outdoor space where there's a small smattering of people around the shaded perimeter / using the 2 sparse picnic tables I'm so annoyed

we have a shortage of public outdoor spaces, our climate is only getting hotter/sunnier, few people have backyards and you've decided to...... create a huge shadeless plain where 85% of its square footage is functionally useless unless you hire an event rental company??

anyway basic amenities like picnic tables, shade trees etc are incredibly effective at attracting all ages and backgrounds of people to public spaces. you don't have to promote the space; people will just discover it and start using it. it's very 'if you build it they will come'

in fact the speed with which people discover and start using a newly installed picnic table reminds me of ants