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This City Life: Citymaker

I was honoured to be profiled in Jillian Glover’s Nueve’s “This City Life” blog as part of a new series entitled ‘Citymakers.’

According to Jillian:

Citymakers is a new This City Life column featuring people who do great things for Vancouver or other cities – whether it is through their love of art, music, photography, public space, nature or any form of creative expression or city issue.

They don’t get  a lot of recognition for what they do. And, they often do it in their spare time, for free or little money, off the side of their desk, mostly while working full-time, 9-5 jobs. But, that is not an issue to them. They pursue their art or passion because they love and care about what they are doing.

Here’s my profile:

Citymaker: Yuri Artibise

Yuri is one of the first urbanists who I met in person after starting my blog. He had moved back to Vancouver after spending several years living in Phoenix, Arizona. Since returning, he has led the way in bringing urbanists and citymakers together for beer and conversation through his initiative to start a Vancouver Urbanist Meetup and more recently, CivicMeet Vancouver.

tumblr inline mi2juymB4k1qz4rgp This City Life: Citymaker

Who are you?

I’m a public policy analyst, urbanist, and social media geek who is interested in making our cities more livable, community-oriented places. During the day, I’m the Director of Community Engagement of PlaceSpeak, an online location-based community consultation platform. I’m also Director of the Co-operative Housing Federation of BC, an associate editor of Spacing Vancouver, co founder of CivicMeet Vancouver and coordinator of Jane’s Walk Vancouver.

In my ‘free’ time, I can be found running along the seawall, sharing my perspectives on Facebook on Twitter, or engaged in esoteric urbanism debates over beer at a local pub,

 

What motivates you to get involved in city life?

Honestly?  Self-interest. I want to be part of shaping the city that I want to live in.  I learned long ago that if you think you can do a better job, than you better get up and do it.  Instead of simply criticizing from the sidelines, get involved and share your insights.  In simple terms: be a leader, not a hater.

 

Why Vancouver?

When my wife and decided to return to Canada from Phoenix, we spent a lot of time discussing where we wanted to live, and were considering other cities like Toronto and Calgary.  At the end of each discussion, we kept on bringing up Vancouver and ultimately decided that we were meant to return here (we both studied here earlier in our lives).

We have not regretted that decision. Vancouver offers a combination of temperate climate, urban fabric and engaged residents that few other cities offer.

 

Vancouver would be better if____(fill in the blanks)

People would stop to a smell the rain drops every now and then—or asFrances Bula recently posted: “Can everyone stop being so shriekingly pissed off all the time?”

There is a reason the Vancouver keeps being named one of the best places in the world to live.  Maybe it’s because I’ve lived in other cities with far greater civic challenges, but I feel incredibly lucky to live here.

Yes, there is lots of room for improvement; most notably ensuring everybody benefits from the opportunities our city offers. But if we approach our civic challenges from a position of strength and confidence, we will be in a much better position to solve them than if we keep flying off the handle at every decision—or indecision—made at City Hall.

 

Favourite public space?

Granville Island. for now…  but the plaza at Olympic Village is quickly maturing into a great community gathering place.

 

Must have Vancouver souvenir?

For locals, a Vancouver Sun Run t-shirt.  The Sun Run should be on every Vancouverites bucket list. Sun Run has become one of Vancouver’s rites of spring and it blends the best of our health and community conscious urban lifestyle.

For visitors, probably a picture of themselves on along the Seawall. It is truly a special place  that is iconically Vancouver

 

Favourite local hangout?

As a beer fan, I’m really enjoying Tap and Barrel. A great selection of local beers, great staff, owners that care about the community, and some of the best patio views in the city! Other nearby favourites include Narrow Lounge and the Whip. Each had a different vibe that satisfies different moods.

 

Local inspiration (person, place or thing)?

What about an experience?  Running along the seawall at night  - with the city lights reflecting False Creek – is a defining Vancouver image for me.  No matter what struggles I’m facing, having this view of city meeting nature always reminds me why I love living here.

 

Worst thing about Vancouver?

Our inferiority complex.  (See response to “Vancouver would be better if______.”)

 

Favourite Vancouver memory?

Last summer’s Main Street Mosey with the Vancouver Public Space Network when we trekked across the city, from Crab Park on Burrard Inlet all the way down to the Fraser River.  It was pretty cool to share in the communal experience of a group walk, down the entirety of Vancouver’s north-south spine, sharing stories and trivia along the way.

 

Citymakers is a column to profile people who positively contribute to the city (socially, artistically, environmentally, etc.) in their free time. Who else should be profiled here?

Amanda Gibbs, community advocate, engagement facilitator, and my co-conspirator in CivicMeet Vancouver.

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The Village, A Co-op Housing Documentary [Weekend Watch]

The Village is one of many short films created by a group of young media-makers discussing the housing crisis in Vancouver, BC, Canada, as part of the Housing Matters Media Project in partnership with the Housing Justice Project at UBC.

There are a few clips of an interview with me in the second half of the video.

 

Produced by Lawrence Le Lam & Malcom Maclean
Music by Jeremy Lim
Title Design by Mary Castellanes

Next Screening of HOUSING MATTERS MEDIA PROJECT:
February 20, 2013 7-9:30pm (Next WEDNESDAY)
World Art Centre – 2nd floor, SFU Woodward’s Campus (149 W Hastings St.)

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Urbanism Speakeasy: Urbanism for the non-urbanist

USpagetitle alt Urbanism Speakeasy: Urbanism for the non urbanist
Earlier this month, I was honoured to be asked to be the first interviewee for ‘Urbanism Speakeasy” a great new urbanism podcast by Andy Boenau, an urbanist and transportation engineer from Richmond Virgina.

The audio podcast can be found on Chirb.it.

 

Here is an overview of what we talked about:

The influence of an unqualified urban planner

The Yurbanism brand is about 3 years old. In short, it is Yuri’s views on urbanism. What’s particularly interesting about Yuri’s views is that they are not bound to traditional schools of thought. His background is in public policy and administration, not urban planning or city planning.

Yuri’s strong online influence is probably rooted in his curation of articles and stories he picks up from around the globe. He has over 5,000 Twitter followers, and estimates he’s personally met 20% of those people at tweetups and conferences.

 

Turning community ideas into action

What inspiration or optimism can be shared with people who want to improve their hometown but don’t have any idea where to begin? Yuri talks about answering the question of who was responsible for urban decay, and who was now doing work to revitalize Phoenix? He also talks about encouraging people to get involved in the planning and development of projects early on – before bulldozers start moving dirt or demolishing buildings.

One way to get people more familiar with their community’s character and physical traits is organizing walking tours. To get to know a city, you have to get out and walk it. Yuri describes the Jane’s Walk initiative, how it was introduced in Phoenix, and the momentum that followed. Rather than simply having participants follow around an “expert” tour guide, Yuri describes the events as walking conversations. Politicians and professional planners have an opportunity to hear firsthand what the community observes and what they’d like to see change in their community. See things you might not normally see and hear stories you might not otherwise hear.

 

The Jane Jacobs factor

Jane Jacobs famously said design is people. Yuri agrees, and adds his own spin: design is dialogue. He talks about ways to defuse tensions from opposing parties. The first step can be as simple as inviting people over for a coffee or beer. Writing boisterous or nasty letters and emails grabs headlines, but sitting down and listening to all points of view can help build relationships that might otherwise not have existed. (Editor’s note: the Urbanism Speakeasy vouches for the neighborly empowerment of hops and barley.)

The one constant about urban planning is that nothing stays the same. Even when the physical structure and character of a neighborhood stays in place, the dynamics still change. People age, children move out of the house, new people move in, etc. This is both an exciting part of community evolution as well as a significant challenge for planners.

Social media in community planning

With the explosion of social media tools like Twitter and Facebook, the public involvement process is far different from just a decade ago. Yuri describes traditional, face-to-face engagement strategies and modern, high-tech strategies as part of the same continuum. Not only can both forms of engagement coexist—they need to coexist. He observes that the average age of people in a formal public hearing is about 60. Young people are often not interested in an evening meeting about a road project, for example. And parents with school-aged children often can’t get away from home for a 7 PM public meeting. Social media allows for information sharing without every person filling a physical meeting hall.

One of Yuri’s current ventures is PlaceSpeak, an online consultation platform. He talks about what makes it unique in today’s crowded technology world and why you should be interested in it. Find out how anonymity can breed contempt and how PlaceSpeak fosters productive dialogue among neighbors. Yuri talks in-depth about ways to convert a public process into an online process.

 

Translating technical jargon to regular people

Describing the technical process of a public works project is always challenging. Basic concepts are often lost amidst jargon like road deficiencies, design speeds, floor space ratios, density, and more. Yuri acknowledges that different people learn in different ways, and he describes how the average person can become better informed about public projects.

 

Connect with our guest

If you want to connect with Yuri or just watch him from a distance, check out his Yurbanism blog, his Facebook page, and follow him on Twitter. As far as we can tell, there is only one Yuri Artibise out there. So you can also track him down by just searching online for his name.

Urbanism Speakeasy: Urbanism for the non urbanist
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Urbanism done right in Vancouver’s Olympic Village [Weekend Watch]

Here is a video segment I did on what I love about living in Vancouver’s Olympic Village.for Sam Sullivan and  his campaign for the BC Liberal nomination in Vancouver-False Creek

While I’m a political junkie, I’ve never  been too active in partisan politics before. I’m also by no means a fan of the current BC provincial Liberal government  but I  think it is important to support intelligent and thoughtful people when they put their name forward for office.  Former Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan is one of those people.

Screen Shot 2013 01 27 at 3.15.37 PM Urbanism done right in Vancouvers Olympic Village [Weekend Watch]

No matter your politics, Sam has played a large part in reshaping how Vancouver thinks about our city, both as mayor—he was the deciding vote on the Canada Line, involved in planning and approving Vancouver’s Olympic Village (where I now call home), and spearheaded the city’s EcoDensity program; and more recently through his Global Civic Society  and Vancouver Urban Forum.

I believe the insights and experience he has gained in his political and community work in Vancouver are much-needed in provincial politics. Check out what he has to say, and if you feel comfortable doing so, support Sams’ campaign for the BC Liberal nomination in Vancouver-False Creek . Note the deadline for membership is January 29, 2012.

Here’s Sam’s full campaign video:

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Civic Engagement: The Next Generation

A couple of weeks ago, a few collegugue and I were profiled in the Vancouver Sun for our work with PlaceSpeak. Here is the article:

Tradition of civic engagement continues with PlaceSpeak start-up

Justen Harcourt, Yuri Artibise and Colleen Hardwick have famous names in urban planning circles.

Civic Engagement: The Next Generation

Photograph by: Ward Perrin/PNG , Vancouver Sun

METRO VANCOUVER — Their fathers helped shape Metro Vancouver as it is today, but Justen Harcourt, Yuri Artibise and Colleen Hardwick hope to have a hand in influencing the region of the future.

The trio are involved in PlaceSpeak, a new start-up that provides a virtual consultation forum — or, as Harcourt suggests, “civic engagement for the new generation.”

Through the click of a mouse, citizens can be connected online with local issues in their specific neighbourhoods.

“The bar is sitting pretty high to engage the public in planning,” Artibise said. “[With PlaceSpeak] you can learn a bit more in the privacy of your own home and voice your opinions without feeling intimidated.”

None of the three knew each other before the birth of PlaceSpeak, which arose out of a plan by Hardwick to replicate two regional surveys from 1973 and 1990 with an Urban Futures Opinion Survey 2012.

Hardwick maintains she was “indoctrinated at a young age” by her late father Walter, who had a hand in shaping the region and such iconic areas as False Creek, through his dinner table conversations and his work in civic and provincial politics.

As a youngster, she even helped him collate the results of that first survey in 1973. As a young adult, she studied urban planning.

She concedes she got sidetracked into a career in the film industry, but her passion for planning has since be reignited; her latest venture inspired as a “personal homage” to her father who died in 2005.

Hardwick started her quest by reaching out to former B.C. premier Mike Harcourt, who was involved with her father in the fight against allowing freeways through Chinatown.

Harcourt, in turn, suggested she contact Justen, a planning consultant with Colliers. “He said you need to speak with my kid,” Justen Harcourt said.

Harcourt, who shares his father’s passion for urban planning but not for politics, met Hardwick for coffee. “We became the first two investors,” he said. Hardwick is the CEO of the start-up, while Mike Harcourt is chairman.

“This is a real game changer,” said Harcourt, who prefers to take a entrepreneurial, private sector approach. “You just have to look at how far the idea has come in the past year and a half.

“We’re getting a lot of traction on this. People immediately understand when we say we’re trying to improve civic engagement and the democratic process.”

The process is simple: Residents must register with PlaceSpeak, and link their identity to their address to ensure they can be verified. Once they do, they can participate in any municipal consultations, such as master transportation plans, that arise.

They can also participate in the 22-minute 2012 survey, at www.placespeak.com/urbanfuturessurvey.

Hardwick acknowledges this survey is different: it’s not being done by the regional district and it involves a generation that doesn’t bother with telephone landlines, and communicates through social media, email or mobile phones.

Artibise, director of community engagement for PlaceSpeak, argues it’s a much-needed platform for the new generation and also allows renters — and not just homeowners — a chance to have their say. It is appealing to residents aged 35 to 45, he said, when it’s hard to get people to public meetings or involved in consultation because they are busy with jobs and families. Plus, he said, three minutes behind a microphone at a public hearing isn’t really consultation.

“My friends are interested but they don’t have time to watch or read the news,” Artibise said, adding it also appeals to all residents, not just homeowners. “A lot of people rent and don’t get notices (on rezonings). Once you get involved in one issue you can be involved in others.

“For me what was interesting was blending social media with urban planning.”

Unlike Harcourt and Hardwick, Artibise, didn’t have a lifelong interest in urban planning despite the fact his father Alan wielded considerable influence in the city’s planning circles as a former professor and director of University of B.C.’s school of planning.

Artibise, who studied political science and public administration, said he initially “ran away from urban planning,” and only got involved after he moved to Phoenix, Arizona. “It was the first time I went into a city that hadn’t been planned well,” he said. “Growing up in Victoria and Vancouver, and living in Ottawa, I took (good planning) for granted.”

ksinoski@vancouversun.com

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun
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Weekend Watch: Reconnecting with UBC

As an UBC alumni (Poli Sci ’97) I was honoured to be asked part of this promotional video for UBC Alumni Affairs to talk about how I am reconnecting with my alma mater after 15 years.

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Demystifying Online-Offline Engagement at NCDD 2012

I’ll be co-hosting a session at the upcoming 2012 National Conference on Dialogue and Deliberation (NCDD2012) in Seattle on October 12, 2012, from 2-4pm.

front conf banner Demystifying Online Offline Engagement at NCDD 2012

Here is the session abstract:

Demystifying Online/Offline Engagement

This session is intended to explore the relationships, tensions and opportunities in the interplay between online and offline strategies for dialogue and civic engagement. Using exercises, case studies and best practices, this interactive workshop and its four experienced guides will seek to demystify online identity and engagement; draw deeper connections with all forms of dialogue and deliberation; and explore some of the high level considerations and trade-offs when assessing when to use online tools. Session participants will leave with not only a better understanding of how off- and online tools can work together, but also some tangible tools to help them begin integrating theses approaches in their deliberative practices.

Yuri Artibise
Director of Community Engagement, PlaceSpeak

Tim Bonnemann
Founder & CEO, Intellitics, Inc.

Amanda Gibbs
Principal, Public Assembly

Kaliya Hamlin
Facilitator, Identity Woman

Be sure to check out the full list of workshops that have been announced so far. There is a lot of great sessions. It will be difficult to select which ones to attend!  Equally impressive is the list of attendees who have registered so far; it’s a veritable ‘who’s who’ of leading practitioners, scholars, public leaders, trainers, artists, activists and students in the public engagement realm. If you haven’t done so already, you can register here.  If you will be there, be sure to let me know!

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Learning from Phoenix and Vancouver: An Interview

Recently, my good friend Taz Loomans contacted me and asked if I’d be willing to do an interview on my time in Phoenix and my thoughts after leaving.  Here’s what I had to say:

 

Life After Phoenix, a Retrospective

Firefly Living is happy to present a retrospective interview discussing Yuri’s thoughts about his time here in Phoenix.
photo 167 Learning from Phoenix and Vancouver: An Interview
Uptown Phoenix. Photo by Taz Loomans.
Taz Loomans: What do you miss most about Phoenix?

Yuri Artibise: I miss the weather, especially this time of year, but even in the summer, there is a quality to the sun light that you just don’t have in northern cities. I also miss the close-knit community of urbanists working together. While there is a great and very accomplished urban community in Vancouver, we are busy doing our own things and I haven’t been able to connect with others as closely as I did in Phoenix. It seems the adage that adversity brings people together is true, especially in an ‘urban desert’ like Phoenix.

Taz Loomans: What did Phoenix have the Vancouver doesn’t?

Yuri Artibise: Beside climate (and great tamales!), Phoenix has an affordability that Vancouver simply doesn’t; even before the economic downturn, Phoenix was an affordable place to follow your dream. This led to a more entrepreneurial culture that I miss. Vancouver has a lot of great things going on, but the high cost of living means that security comes first for a lot of people. Despite it’s often inward looking perspective the region has great potential as an incubator for social entrepreneurship.

Taz Loomans: What do you miss least about Phoenix?

Yuri Artibise: The lack of urban form in the city, even downtown.  I still pinch myself when I walk outside and see almost everything I strove for during my time in Phoenix, realized in Vancouver, from walkable streets, to mixed used developments to bike lanes, even dog parks! If anything Vancouver may be a bit TOO livable icon wink Learning from Phoenix and Vancouver: An Interview  as it’s desirability have driven prices sky-high.  (As a result, real estate is the number one topic of most discussions, as it was in Phoenix, just for opposite reasons).

Taz Loomans: From the perspective of someone who lived here and now has left, what do you think Phoenix’s biggest pitfalls are?

Yuri Artibise: First and foremost the extreme political climate. It is the question I am asked about here. Second is sustainability.  I know many Phoenix residents don’t want to hear it, but Andrew Ross got a lot right in his book, Bird on Fire.  I mean there isn’t even recycling pickup in apartments!  But seriously, while things like xeriscaping and shade are important, until the region drops the growth industry mantra and starts thinking seriously about things like residential water restrictions, limiting suburban expansion and significant investing in social infrastructure, especially K-12, the future of the Valley doesn’t look great.
In this regard, the sustained economic downtown may be a blessing in disguise, as you will be forced to do more with less. Hopefully politicians will stop looking to external investment as a way to disguise the great harms that that region’s (sub)urban form has done, not only to it’s long term environmental sustainability, but also it’s social and economic sustainability as well. I know that people there don’t want to hear it, but there is a reason that these issues keep being raised by outside commentators like Ross and expats like Jon Talton.

Taz Loomans: From the perspective of someone who lived here and now has left, what do you think Phoenix’s biggest opportunities are?

Yuri Artibise: Phoenix’s biggest opportunities are frankly the great expanses of vacant lots and empty storefronts. Combined with the entrepreneurial spirit and low-cost of living mentioned above, the city could become a great laboratory for sustainable desert living, in a manner like Detroit has become a beacon for rust belt revitalization. But to do so, the region needs to seriously consider ways to reconsider its relationship to its climate—not simply push for solar panels and rain barrels. I’m not sure that Paolo Soleri had all the right answers, but his radical rethinking of desert living are closer to what the region needs. Frankly, I didn’t see that thinking in the most of the current crop of so-called sustainable architects who pushed xeriscaping large lots and shade sails over private pools as sustainable solutions.

Taz Loomans: Would you ever come back to live Phoenix, given the opportunity? Why or why not?

Yuri Artibise: One thing that I have learned after returning to Vancouver is that this is ‘home’ and where my heart is. However, Phoenix will always be a special place for me, and I’d love to opportunity to return, at least part-time.  I think that there is a lot both cities can learn from each other, and I’d love to help help this process.

Taz Loomans: What can we learn from Vancouver here in Phoenix?

Yuri Artibise: There is a lot, obviously, given my earlier comments, but first and foremost, Phoenix can demand more from it’s developers.  One of the things that has made Vancouver such a livable city is the high level of amenities that the City of Vancouver demands—and receives—from developers, especially when rezoning properties. This helps make sure that new developments are more complete communities, with access to daycare, transit, park space or cultural facilities.
Additionally, Vancouver has the greenest building standards in North America.  While Phoenix is applauding itself for adopting a voluntary green construction code,Vancouver requires all new buildings to be at least LEED Gold. Such requirements have been criticized by developers, and have been named a cause in driving our sky-high real estate prices, but I think they have been an important factor in making Vancouver such a livable and sustainable city.

Taz Loomans: What can Vancouver learn from Phoenix?

Yuri Artibise: One thing that it lacking in Vancouver is official neighbourhood input into planning decisions. While the city has an active and the speaking list at rezoning often tops 200 speakers, we have no equal to Phoenix’s Village Planning Committees.  As a result, many neighbourhoods feel that their perspective is overlooked in planning decisions.
Another idea that Vancouver could borrow from Phoenix is the percent-for-art program that funds public art throughout the city.  While Vancouver has a well-respected public art program, and public art is often included in the public amenity packages I mentioned earlier, it would be nice to have dedicated source of funding, and more integration of public art into civic utilities and infrastructure. While Vancouver has some great art in our parks and urban core, our highways overpasses are nowhere near as cool as Phoenix’s icon smile Learning from Phoenix and Vancouver: An Interview .

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Why I Remember

memorialhall 11 2011 Why I Remember

Memorial Hall at the National War Museum in Ottawa

Whether you call it Remembrance Day or Veterans Day, November 11th has always be a profound day for me. From the age of ten, as a Navy League cadet, through high school as a Air Cadet and into my university years at Royal Military College, I took part in ceremonies in cities across Canada. While it wasn’t always easy to get up and stand outside (particularly on a cold Ottawa day), I always felt honoured to take part.

But for me, the true power of the day didn’t occur during the two minutes of silence at 11 o’clock as we remembered the men and women who have served—and continue to serve—our country during times of war, conflict and peace. Rather it can afterwards at the Legion halls as I shared a hot chocolate—or a whiskey—with the men and women who have sacrificed for our country. Hearing their stories first-hand gave me appreciation of their experiences.

Their ‘war stories’ were not the stereotypical glorification of battles. They didn’t even talk much about what they endured, or about the brothers and sisters they lost. Often times their most interesting stories didn’t occur on the battlefield, but years afterwards as the returned home, raised families and followed their careers, and continued serving their communities.For these veterans, war wasn’t something to be either glorified or forgotten, but to be learned from and applied in other ares of their lives.

Thus, it wasn’t the details of their experiences that have stuck with me, but rather the power of the human will and spirit they reflected. When they returned home, these veterans would have had every right to walk away and say “I’ve served my country; time for somebody else to step up.”  The veterans I remember most didn’t use their service as an excuse. They use it as a launching pad to continue serving their community. They used their stories to create awareness; they used their leadership skills to coach sports, lead community groups, or run for office; they used their tenacity to start businesses to provide services and create jobs.

Whenever I have been defeated, or endured set back, I don’t dwell on what I have lost. Rather, I reflect on what I have learned from veterans and focus on how I can use the negative experience to strengthen my next endeavour. On the flip side, when I have enjoyed success, I  remember that we are never done serving our communities and begin looking for the next opportunity to engage.  This is why I remember.  Not to glorify war, or celebrate sacrifice, but to strengthen myself and my resolve to improve my community.

So today, after you spend time remembering  the men and women who have served, and continue to serve our country, why not head over to you local Legion? When you are they, buy a veteran a coffee or whiskey and chat for a while. You’ll not only learn more about them and their experiences, you will learn more about what humans—including yourself—are capable.

 

Why I Remember
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