What would be Vanier’s greatest public space, or – perhaps more importantly – its public space with the greatest potential? By way of new development, local festivals, City planning initiatives and business and resident mobilization, Vanier’s community fabric continues to evolve. So, how might we, as people who live, work and play in this place, participate further in the creation of a community with public spaces that we can celebrate, that reflect our needs and aspirations, and that strengthen feelings of connection to one another?
More than urban planning, landscape design or architecture, “placemaking” offers one approach to doing so, helping “citizens transform public spaces into vital places.” The term might be understood as a holistic process or approach, driven by public participation and a recognition of local assets. As practiced by the Project for Public Spaces (PPS), placemaking puts an emphasis on tapping into the creativity of persons who live, work and play within a given space, always “looking at, listening to and asking questions of [them] to discover their needs and aspirations…” and always working towards the creation of places that promote sociability and community. Here in Vanier, where might these be?
Without prescribing a fixed number, the PPS -- a US-based non-profit planning, design and educational organization – refers to the Power of Ten, pointing to the importance of creating ten great places in any neighbourhood, each with at least ten things to do. In promoting the creation of these places, PPS outlines 11 principles, each oriented towards building places that also build social capital. Principles include prioritizing community expertise, emphasizing function over form (the idea that physical attributes of space become a means to an end), the importance of partnerships and the recognition that spaces will need to change as community changes. They also highlight the value of experimentation, or taking a “Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper” approach, starting with small-scale, doable interventions and improvements that may bring quick benefits, but that might also test ideas and inspire further, longer-term activities.
Next week in Detroit, PPS will convene a new body, the Placemaking Leadership Council, to enable peer learning and the development of an approach to further enable placemaking in cities everywhere. I am excited to have the opportunity to participate – bringing earlier experiences with place-based initiatives here in Ottawa, such as the Community Development Framework, and in neighbourhoods across Canada, through Action for Neighbourhood Change and Vibrant Communities. However, while you can take me out of Vanier for a few days, you can’t take Vanier out of me; I look forward to reflecting on ways we might widen participation in the creation of great places right here.
The gathering will be centred on case studies and demonstration projects, publications, films and social media, thinking holistically about place – and crucially, about ways to involve all in the creation and “governance” of place. How might we move further towards co-imagining, co-planning and co-creating the cities wherein we live? How might we broaden civic decision-making processes – ensuring processes with real impact – and deepen a citizen-centred model regarding the further creation and development of cities? As the meetings will be in Detroit, we’ll be inspired by businesses and residents working together to reshape that city. For questions related to urban renewal, Detroit is undoubtedly today’s laboratory, with a rich civic pride driving the city’s rebirth.
Placemaking: Creating Vanier's Vibrant Spaces
So, picking up on the Power of Ten and the placemaking approach, how might we draw on our energy, our local assets, and the untapped creativity found within Vanier towards creating even greater public spaces right here?
Over the past year, we’ve seen numerous initiatives – and experimentation – towards creating more vibrant places. December’s C’est Chill sought to repurpose St Charles Church and its property as a community gathering place. The Vanier BIA has organized a summer weekly Farmers’ Market in the Scotiabank parking lot for several years. We’re growing accustomed to working “lighter, quicker, cheaper,” with residents having appropriated Nault Park for the annual Viva Vanier festival each September, occurring on a weekend in 2012 that also saw developers organize pop-up block parties at the Kavanaugh and Sonia sites. In June 2012, the Beechwood Village Alliance organized Art in the Parking Lot, creating a temporary park just off Beechwood, while later in the year they encouraged residents to chalk their place dreams on boards surrounding the Beechwood fire site. Residents are working with City staff towards installation of new play structures, and we’ve been inputting to the City’s reworking of Montreal Road’s Site Specific Policy.
Placemaking is a process, not an outcome. I’d suggest that recent efforts outlined above – by citizens, businesses, the City and others – are tapping into new energies, potentially guiding efforts in the creation of Vanier's new vibrant places. Would any of these be in your list of “Vanier’s Ten”? What spaces would you identify – ones that are, or that hold the potential to be, great public spaces – spaces that are accessible, comfortable, activity-filled and social? Let us know. At the same time, VanierNow is assembling some ideas – to be identified later this week.
(Mike Bulthuis)
Image credit: VanierNow/123RF Stock Photo