public engagement & the urban place
innovative strategies for change - catalyst projects, pop-up initiatives & creative processes
The first event of The Places Project took place on March 23rd under a sunny spring sky. Thank you to all who came out and made the event such a success. It was inspiring to see a mix of participants from the Greater Victoria community, Burnside-Gorge residents, planning professionals, and advocacy groups all coming out [...]
Walkability is the focus for the first event of The Places Project on Saturday, March 23, 2013 in the Greater Victoria neighbourhood of Burnside Gorge. What factors contribute to a walkable neighbourhood? The Places Project offers an opportunity to dive into walkability by exploring the Burnside-Gorge neighbourhood. You are invited to bring your perspectives and experiences [...]
Does your city need more weddings? I’m not talking social engineering here. But wouldn’t your town be livened up if more wedding parties took to the streets, literally? It’s a common experience here in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Walking near Parque Juarez recently, we noticed a police motorcycle had traffic stopped. It doesn’t take [...]
We are pleased with the growth of our urban ideas blog since it was launched about six months ago. The content is growing and we are attracting an engaging group of ‘urban explorers’ as both contributors and readers. For 2013, we have two new features that you might not have noticed. First, you can now [...]
Who is facing similar challenges to ours? What can we learn from their experience? In a global economy, the motivation to share ideas across continents continues to grow. Strategic planning consultant and Green Party of BC candidate Susan Low gave an interesting “Postcards from Iceland” presentation recently for a group of urban activists in [...]
Once a month, people in the Greater Victoria region (British Columbia, Canada) who have professional and personal interests in community resiliency and sustainability get together for breakfast. The Resilient Region Exchange is a pretty typical networking event – the intent is to meet people with similar interests. Yet more so than many such events, it [...]
We have had great fun helping a number of communities develop street piano projects. Street pianos are great not just for the music they bring to a city street or downtown neighborhood but for their intangibles. As a crime prevention specialist I am very keen on street pianos because they are just the sort of [...]
I rode my bicycle past your window last night, pop singer Melanie sang way back in 1971. It didn’t sound that scary back then did it? Is anyone threatened, now, if I want to roll my little blue bike safely along city streets? We know that bicycles use fewer resources than other wheeled transportation, reduce congestion [...]
We have been involved in a number of street piano projects and they all deliver great results for communities wanting to encourage positive human connections in public spaces. It’s great to see pianos springing up all over the place this summer, and impromptu tunes breaking out. As part of an art installation to celebrate the [...]
The act of covering blank walls with murals to deter graffiti isn’t new, but it continues to be a positive move. One such move took place recently in Edmonton (AB, Canada) on the side of a parking garage. The new mural depicts Alberta’s Famous Five – Irene Parlby, Nellie McClung, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Emily Murphy [...]
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