VPSN TURNS V, and you turned V with us!
We liked this photo so much, we decided to run it again!
Revellers of all sorts turn out to wish VPSN a Happy Birthday – Photo by Christopher Turzak
The Vancouver Public Space Network has been five years old for exactly a week now, and we’re continuing to power forward with new and exciting public space projects. However, we wouldn’t be doing this without all the people along the way who have guided, supported, and shepherded our organization. We took a moment last week to celebrate these people alongside five great years of advocacy and educated absurdity.
On Wednesday May 4th, a crowd of VPSN coordinators, special guests, volunteers, and friends gathered together at the Bayside Lounge on Denman and Davie to celebrate our birthday in grand fashion at our “Turn V with Us” Party. As with any proper birthday party, there was cake, party hats, nametags, snacks, and loot bags to be had by all. We were delighted to be joined by friends from groups across the city, who enlivened the party with their stories and then stayed for the family videos of our childhood exploits. There were toasts by ‘family’ (Director Andrew Pask, and Board Secretary Josh Paterson), and a special address by City of Vancouver Councillor Heather Deal, who spoke about the importance of the “spaces between” and encouraged the public spacers in attendance to keep Council engaged with ideas and explorations connected with Vancouver’s urban environment.
There were even a few fancy dresses and tight pants. A magical night was had by all, and a perfect way to ring in five years worth of public space projects. (And what a list it is: advocating for a central gathering space in downtown Vancouver, putting on skytrain and seabus parties to celebrate transit use, drumming on fixtures and benches along Granville Street to encourage play in public spaces, helping communities set up community gardens and greenspaces and reclaiming abandoned dirt lots, bringing together the public and the city in consultation sessions for Broadway or False Creek, counting security cameras through downtown, collecting a map of the city’s favourite trees, and…wow, enough to make us feel kinda… old!).
Hey – a BIG thank you to you all for the kind words and warm thoughts. We’re as bashful as any five year old could be from all the love. Here’s to V more years lived to the fullest amongst all of the city’s Public Spaces!
- By Vincent Wong