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Beyond Downtown: Community Planning Symposium on February 8, 2013

The Planning Students Association at the University of British Columbia’s School of Community and Regional Planning (SCARP) announce the 5th annual SCARP Student Symposium, which will take place on the UBC Vancouver campus Friday, February 8, 2013.

The 2013 Symposium, which aims to bring together planning practitioners, students, business owners, developers, and engaged citizens, will be focused on topics around ‘Beyond Downtown & Outside the Box‘.

With the overwhelming majority of population growth taking place in suburban areas the need for a modern take on suburban design has become critical. Innovative planning and design ideas are needed to move towards sustainability across British Columbia and beyond. At the UBC SCARP Student Symposium, we will explore fresh new ideas to guide and revitalize our urban, rural, and first nations communities in the years to come.

We’re excited to welcome our keynote speakers Ellen Dunham-Jones, co-author of Retrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs, and Patrick Stewart, the first Aboriginal architect to become President of the Architectural Institute of BC. They’ll be joined by a panel of local leaders in the community planning sector including Vancouver’s Brian Jackson, Surrey’s Jean Lamontagne, Coquitlam’s Jim McIntyre, and New Westminster’s Lisa Spitale.

This year we’ve partnered with the Planning Institute of British Columbia to offer 6.25 Organized/Structured CPD Learning Units to PIBC members. Everyone is welcome but space is limited so register today!

How to Register

To register and find more information including a schedule of panel sessions, visit the Symposium website at http://www.scarpsymposium.ca

About SCARP Planning Students Association

The SCARP Planning Students Association is dedicated to serving the planning students of UBC. We advocate on behalf of student issues and initiate projects, learning opportunities, and represent SCARP students in professional planning organizations.

Contact

To learn more about the 2013 SCARP Student Symposium, please contact:

Robert White, Media Relations
778-895-5564 | rwhite@alumni.ubc.ca

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Weekend Watch: Paint, Planters, People

As seen on Spacing Vancouver:

Note: if the “HD” button hasn’t defaulted to blue, you’ll need to click to turn it on. It’s worth it.

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In 2010, Vancouver took a leap forward in cycling by constructing the now-permanent Dunsmuir and Hornby separated bike lanes, riding out media bias and a few disgruntled business owners. After a first effort in 2011, Spacing Vancouver has taken the opportunity to hit the lanes once again, this time picking up on some differences that time has brought us.

At the beginning, the lanes and their vegetated traffic buffers served the existing ridership – those decked-out in “cycling” gear, the middle-aged commuters, the road racers. But as the months passed, Vancouverites have discovered downtown has become more friendly and the ridership has diversified remarkably. The slow and steady are taking to the streets as more and more riders use the lanes and wear whatever clothing they please during their outings.

As the ridership has evolved, so too have the lanes: 2012′s freshly laid green paint at intersections and areas of conflict is in turn helping attract those women (and children) riders. The bright green extends beyond downtown, showing up by Stanley Park and along the Central Valley Greenway. It re-appears on the other side of the Burrard Bridge at Cornwall, but the lanes drop quickly at Cypress. People travelling by bike to Kits Beach and beyond are left to fend for themselves among fast moving traffic; however, in time riders hope for more green paint to guide them to the next protected refuge.

The success can be largely attributed to three simple ingredients to designing for an all ages bicycle route: once you lay down the paint and planters, the people will come. It starts with the bright greens of the grasses, thermoplast, and goretex – but builds quickly into a rainbow of colours.

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Kathleen Corey likes tiny apartments over shops, hikes with panoramic city views, and flowing urban landscapes. While in the San Francisco Bay Area, she led design processes for the India Basin community farm and Wilkie Creek outdoor classroom. Kathleen completed the Urban Design certificate at SFU’s City Program and is working toward her Master of Landscape Architecture at the University of Guelph.

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Kiwi Urbanism in Vancouver this Thursday, August 16th

A last-minute special treat via Price Tags:

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Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand, needs approximately 30,000 new homes by 2030. New forms of higher density suburban development need to be developed if Auckland aspires to be both compact and the most livable city in the world. (Sound familiar, Vancouver?)

David Irwin and Gavin Lister, two urban designers from Auckland, will explore key projects that their practise Isthmus Group are currently designing and building. Isthmus Group is one of the leading urban design and landscape architectural practices in New Zealand; with lots of national and international awards to its name.

The practice is currently designing New Zealand’s largest and most dense new greenfield residential subdivision. But right outside their office in the central city suburb of Freemans Bay, they have discovered what could be a true Kiwi urbanism—an inspiration they twist and apply to a new inner-city residential development—perhaps the only central city subdivision to be developed for a number of years.

Come hear and see what they’ve learned that might be an inspiration for Vancouver.

Details: KIWI URBANISM

Date: Thursday, August 16 @ 7 pm
Location: Room 1700, SFU Harbour Centre (515 West Hastings – map)

Thanks to support from TransLink.

Special Request

Given the short time to get the word out, please consider tweeting this announcement to your followers, placing it on your Facebook page, sending it to your email contacts, and spreading the word through whatever medium works for you. Shouting from rooftops can work in the appropriate neighbourhoods.

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Cross posted on Spacing Vancouver.

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6 TEDx Talks on Cities

It’s TEDx season. Between now and mid December, 100′s of independently organized TEDx events will be held throughout the world, including here in Vancouver as well as Phoenix. For those unfamiliar with TEDx events, here how the main TEDx site describes them:

Created in the spirit of TED’s mission, “ideas worth spreading,” the TEDx program is designed to give communities, organizations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TED-like experiences at the local level. TEDx events are fully planned and coordinated independently, on a community-by-community basis.

As a TEDx alumnus, I have a special place in my heart—and mind—for these local events. Sure, the main TED events boast an impressive array of the world’s top minds, but the diversity that is on display at TEDx is unparalleled. The is especially true when it comes to talks about urbanism and cities. While was challenging to simply find five TED talks on cities, I had the opposite problem with TEDx; my challenge here was narrowing it down to just 5. In the end I failed to narrow the list to simply 5 and had to throw in an extra one.

Here are 6 of my favourite TEDx talks on cities.

Dan Burden presents the case for creating communities that are centered on people and not cars. He identifies the benefits to the community in terms of both vitality and economic well-being. As a leading expert in his field of creating livable communities he talks about the processes he uses and the results of his many projects.

Christian Sottile is principal of an urban design firm based in Savannah. His work has received over 25 awards, including an international Charter Award from the Congress for New Urbanism, and awards from the American Planning Association and the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. As a professor of Urban Design and Architecture at SCAD, USA Today named Christian one of the Top 100 Academics in the Nation.

Sustainable urbanisation of cities can create space for engaging all community members aged from 8 years through to 80 years.

As Director of Design & Urban Environment for the City of Melbourne with nearly 40 years experience as a practising architect and urban designer, Rob has produced a large number of strategic urban design solutions and projects in addition to design-research based urban projects and strategies, and has attracted over 100 state and national awards for excellence. A champion of both the arts and environmental sustainability he has worked to ensure that good urban design is established as a platform for city development into the 21st Century.

Using insights drawn from his work in business, entrepreneurship and social change, as well as modern GIS data, Naheed Nenshi explores the challenges of how a modern city like Calgary grows, and what some of the implications are for creating inclusive communities.

A brief look at trends shaping the way we will live and how cities must adapt to be successful. Carol Coletta is president of Coletta & Company, a consulting firm leading the start-up of ArtPlace, a new initiative to spark a creative placemaking movement across America. For the past six years, she was president and CEO of CEOs for Cities. In 2008 she was named one of the world’s 50 most important urban experts by a leading European think tank and as one of the top 50 urban thinkers of all time by readers of PLANetizen.com.

Even with the extra video I included, I had to leave out several great talks. If i missed your favourites, please let me know in the comments

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Urbanized Trailer [Weekend Watch]

I can’t wait to see this film. I first blogged about here when they were raising funds to complete the film. If Hustwit’s previous two films, Helvetica and Objectified are any indication, Urbanized should be amazing!

Based on the first reaction at the première at the Toronto Film Festival, the film lives up to the hype. Indeed, the only empty seat in the house was one reserved for Tor0nto Mayor Rob Ford.

About Urbanized

From the website:

Urbanized is a feature-length documentary about the design of cities. [It] looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design and features some of the world’s foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers. Over half the world’s population now lives in an urban area. 75% will call a city home by 2050. But while some cities are experiencing explosive growth, others are shrinking. The challenges of balancing housing, mobility, public space, civic engagement, economic development, and environmental policy are fast becoming universal concerns. Yet much of the dialogue on these issues is disconnected from the public domain.

Who is allowed to shape our cities, and how do they do it? Unlike many other fields of design, cities aren’t created by any one specialist or expert. There are many contributors to urban change; including ordinary citizens who can have a great impact improving the cities in which they live. By exploring a diverse range of urban design projects around the world, Urbanized frames a global discussion on the future of cities.

Screenings

There will be a special screening in Phoenix on October 2nd as part of Phoenix Design Week. It will take palce at the Valley Art Theatre with director Gary Hustwit. So far no Vancouver dates have been set. When they are, I’ll let you know.

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Learn How Melbourne Beat Vancouver in Livability

Melbourne is considered one of the most livable cities in the world and has garnered much recognition for its success in implementing Jan Gehl’s Places for People plan. Over the last 25 years the centre of Melbourne has been transformed from a car-oriented office core to a mixed-use community with a vibrant public realm.

Come hear Rob Adams, the Director of City Design for Melbourne, share his experiences and insights.

2749622638 c0d89612db z Learn How Melbourne Beat Vancouver in Livability

Flickr | Linh_rOm

Details

Creating Places for People – The Melbourne Experience
Speaker: Rob Adams, architect and urban designer, Director of City Design at the City of Melbourne

Dates

October 3, 7 pm, SFU Surrey, Suite 250, 13450 102 Avenue, Surrey

October 4, 7 pm, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver

Admission is free, but reservations are required. Reserve seats at www.sfu.ca/reserve

Note: The same presentation will be delivered each evening.

Sponsored by Metro Vancouver. Co-sponsored by Simon Fraser University City Program.

The Metro Vancouver region has been noted for its ability to accommodate growth while maintaining good quality of life for residents. Still, Metro Vancouver faces challenges in advancing the goals of the recently approved Regional Growth Strategy to ensure regional land use patterns help create vibrant, accessible communities and support transit, walking and cycling throughout the region.

I will be attending the Vancouver lecture on October 4th.

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Friday 5: Articles for Urbanists [July 16th-22nd]

Here is this week’s collection of articles for urbanists:

Drawing from The Great Bicycle Protest of 1896” by Hank Chapot

Roads Weren’t Built For Cars: We have all heard the tall tale that roads were built for cars, so bicycles and pedestrians have no place on our streets. It simply isn’t true. (The Urban Country)

The City and the State—American Urban Planning and the Role of Government: Recent books by Witold Rybczynski and Edward Glaeser celebrate the ever-changing American urban experience but underplay the critical role of the government. (Foreign Affair)

There’s More to Public Art than Sculptures and Statues: Residents speak up for the need to beautify cities through color, light, and other non-traditional (read: not-a-sculpture-in-a-plaza) public art. (Urban Design Week)

Swapping the Suburbs for the City: People choosing to return to city life are looking for a better life balance that doesn’t include spending time commuting two to three hours daily. (National Post)

REBAR makes simple yet powerful statements about the how and why of city design: Thought the movement to reclaim city streets was over? Think again. (Next American City)

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The Just City [Weekend Watch]

A welcome video for attendees of the Ford Foundation’s 75th anniversary event, The Just City. On July 14, 2011, he Ford Foundation brought together some of the most creative minds in metropolitan development.

Civic leaders and policymakers, urban designers and entrepreneurs gathered to explore how fairness, opportunity and equity can serve as the defining features of the new era of urbanization.

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Phoenix’s Search for AuthentiCity

In a rational world, real estate development follows economic development follows organic regeneration; not the other way around.

—Roberta Brandes Gratz, The Living City, p. 229

The above quotation is something that Phoenix still does not understand.

Our current economic situation is not the result of some unavoidable perfect storm of national and global forces, but rather the predictable outcome of local decisions that placed most of our economic eggs in one basket—the real estate industrial complex. The region’s growth for much of the past fifty years has been a false economy based on speculation and greed, not fundamental economic principles.

Rather than acknowledge this and look to start regenerating our economy based on our innate assets and local talent, the city and state are trying to revive the economy by returning to real estate development and speculation as a proxy for sustainable economic development. This is seen in such projects as CityScape and even downtown ASU’s continued expansion.

4182902199 642536cd1b z Phoenixs Search for AuthentiCity

Flickr Photgraph by patricklanigan (Patrick Lanigan)

While a lack of permanent residents and a paucity of day time office workers remains a challenge in and around downtown, it isn’t the biggest obstacle to success. The true challenge is a lack of authenticity. CityScape, like the Arizona and Collier Centers, before it, fail to offer a unique experience to visitors residents alike. These developments do not reflect either the history of the city or what remains of the surrounding areas urban fabric. To extend the metaphor, these developments are not only an obvious patch applied to downtown’s existing fabric, but made of synthetic fabric that are found in countless other locations throughout the Valley and country.

We need to start building on our past and history; and yes Phoenix does has a long and fascinating history. This way we’ll not only attract businesses and resident who want to be here to add to the evolving story that is Phoenix, rather than those who are only here for the incentives, and will move on when the incentives dry up or another place offers then a better deal.

We only need to look a short distance east to see the faults with this synthetic approach. On the surface, Mill Ave would seem to posses they type of fabric that urbanites would drool over: a densely woven combination of retail, restaurants, cafés, cinemas, workplaces, and housing. With 60,000 students, staff and faculty a within a short walk of Mill Ave and dozens of condo and office complexes with in a short walk, Tempe has both the requisite residential and office population for a successful urban hub. Yet the district has struggled to thrive since evicting the small-scale businesses and night clubs almost 20 years ago. In an article for Shade Magazine a few years back, Dr. Nan Ellin explained why:

…the businesses are predominantly large corporate enterprises with exact clones around the country, if not the globe. Their headquarters are elsewhere, like the urban design, not from this place. Partly resulting from the lack of retail diversity is a lack of social diversity on the street, preponderantly representing a narrow demographic of the white middle class from the teens through 30s.

Authenticity is not about trying to be like the cool kids—the “world-class” cities like New York, or the exceptional cases like Portland, Oregon. It’s about building on our cities’ history and their essential nature. To renew our cities, we have to build on what they are, not what they aren’t.

Instead of tearing down our past and building new boxes to contain what we WANT to be, we should be doing the opposite.

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Let’s Get Urbanized

Filmmaker Gary Hustwit, director of the amazing documentaries Helvetica and Objectified is working on the third film in the design trilogy, Urbanized about the design of cities:

Urbanized looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design, featuring some of the world’s foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers. I’ve teamed up once again with cinematographer Luke Geissbuhler, and we’ve been traveling around the world interviewing people and filming specific urban design projects that represent the issues facing cities today. The world’s population is in the midst of a massive migration to urban areas, and the design solutions our cities implement in the next 20 years will be critical.

To keep the film independent Mr. Hustwit has turned to Kickstarter to raise the $85,000 needed to finish the project (he has already used the profits from the first two films). The great thing about Kickstarter is that it only actually cost you if the funding goal is reached, and you actually get something for your donation (in addition to the good feeling of helping out a fellow creative).

Some of the rewards we’re offering to backers of Urbanized include downloads and DVDs of the finished film, a new Urbanized T-shirt designed by Build, the limited-edition Design Trilogy box set (featuring the “Neue” director’s cut of Helvetica), and even private screenings of Urbanized for your group or company, hosted by director Gary Hustwit.

Here’s their promo video featuring a taste of footage from the film:

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