When it comes to urban sprawl, a little grassy resistance is good.

I’m talking about new parks. Parks promise fun, so they matter. You won’t find donations to roads or tunnels, but park philanthropy thrives.

Consider two parks to the west. One was donated by Richard Haskayne, via the University of Calgary, and the other by the Harvie family, who ranched near Cochrane for decades.

The Harvie land is now called the Glenbow Ranch Park. It has rolling grasslands, abandoned quarries, CP rail tracks and lovely views.

The donation was a modern sprawl showdown.

“Development cannot encroach any further as houses are already over our fences at every turn,” Tim Harvie said in a speech posted online. “While parting ownership is difficult for our family, the knowledge that it could one day be lost to bulldozers is far more unsettling.”

Glenbow Ranch Park isn’t open yet, but when it is (I hope soon), it will be the provincial park closest to Calgary. Fundraising is underway for park infrastructure. Ironically, though, we’re back to roads; it needs road development for safe access.

The land donated by oilman Haskayne, too, needs help. It isn’t far from the GRP, just north of the Bow River Reservoir – and the city is starting to plan for it. The city is waiting to see what happens with adjacent subdivisions and bike paths. I have to think the process is moving too slowly for the donor.

Speeding along, however, are two parks opening soon. You can thank the last city council for naming the Ralph Klein Park, opening June 18 in the city’s southeast. It’s financed by the Enmax dividend to the city. I love the contemporary park building overlooking the water.

Then, on July 14, the Parks Foundation Greenway project opens. The big idea is a pathway that completely encircles the city. The first phase runs from Airport Trail to 17th Avenue in the southeast. Cycling around the city sounds like fun. No doubt Greenway’s many donors feel the same way.

But let’s keep dreaming big. Let’s close the loop, literally. Maybe find a way to connect Greenway to Haskayne Park. Or plan for light rail between Calgary and Cochrane with a stop near Glenbow Ranch Park, making it easy to get to.

Parks cause us to dream big. Let’s credit donors and city planners who resist the bulldozer.