Basketball courts in a Guelph neighbourhood are proving to be more than a place to play, bringing together strangers from different cultures, generations and backgrounds. The courts at Norm Jary Park have become a community gathering place, prompting the University of Guelph and the City of Guelph to study what makes the space work. There are no sign-up sheets or membership fees for the pickup games, and players don’t need to register through an app or know anyone before joining. There are just people willing to share the courts. “There is, you might call it an epidemic, in society today with social isolation,” said Jordan Zalis, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Guelph. Zalis is studying how public spaces can bring strangers together and is using the basketball courts as a case study. “It’s completely diverse. You can just tell by looking around” The courts were refurbished in 2021 after a local group approached the city about improving the basketball court and tennis courts, which had fallen into disrepair and were no longer being widely used. Since then, the basketball courts have drawn people from across the community. “It’s completely diverse. You can just tell by looking around,” said Tony Goy, who plays basketball at the courts. Adrian Hizo said the games have given him a chance to meet people he otherwise wouldn’t know. “I’ve played with different people. People I don’t know, just straight strangers,” he said. Ivon Acaban said one group of Filipino players makes a point of welcoming people who aren’t part of their group. “We get everybody in, even if they’re not part of the Filipino group,” Acaban said. Holding court Zalis spends time at the courts watching, listening and talking with players to better understand how those connections happen. He said basketball can act as a common language between people who may otherwise have little in common. “Regardless of your cultural background, your ethnic background, your religious background - when you’re on a court, people get it,” Zalis said. Sometimes, he said, a connection can begin with something as simple as a ball rolling onto another court. “There’s a little banter back and forth, and next thing you know, two strangers are talking about the game last night,” he said. For some players, the court has become an important part of their social lives. “Most of my friends I knew from here, from the basketball. So if there was no basketball court, I wouldn’t know anybody,” said Elison Jallorina. “Folks come together and just figure it out, make it work” The project is also giving city staff a different way of understanding how residents use public spaces. Adam Rutherford, the city’s community partnerships and strategic projects manager, said municipalities typically rely on numbers and conventional community engagement when evaluating spaces. “We usually count numbers, do some community engagement and get feedback in a very conventional city manner,” Rutherford said. The research is instead looking at what happens organically when people are given a space and allowed to organize themselves. “What’s interesting for us is the self-organization. Folks come together and just figure it out, make it work,” Zalis said. The project is part of a partnership between the university and the city looking at how public spaces can foster community connections. Zalis said the courts are an example of a space where people can gather without the need for formal programming or organized events. “And it’s that sort of environment that I wonder if it’s lacking in other places?” he said. The research will now look at what can be learned from the courts and whether those lessons could help inform future decisions about public spaces, infrastructure and programming. The broader goal is to understand how communities can create spaces where people feel welcome and where connections can happen naturally. For the players at Norm Jary Park, it starts with something relatively simple: showing up and playing.
