Summer’s here and the weekend is only a few hours away. Weather aside, things are lining up nicely for some seasonal fun in the city’s public realm. Ready, set, go!

A few quick updates about some upcoming activities that you may be interested in:

• Robson Square Summer Plaza – Update on the 800-block!
• Starting July 5 – Lunch Meet! Long Table Action on Abbot Street
• Transportation Plan – Public Space Ideas
• Grandview-Woodland Community Plan
• St. George Street Rainway – Street Mural Painting

Robson Square Summer Plaza – Jazzing up the 800-block is just the beginning!

For the second year in a row, the 800-block of Robson Street, between Hornby and Howe, will be closed to through traffic. Like the Granville Street pedestrian mall around the corner, the expanded Robson Square will play host to a variety of street level activities through to Labour Day.

The closure begins tomorrow, June 23, and coincides with the Jazz Fest (check out their schedule for an awesome selection of free shows at this site and elsewhere). A few weeks hence the installation of Pop Rocks – a very cool outdoor seating installation – will take place. And if that wasn’t enough, look for other fun activities – including VPSN-led laser graffiti, speakers’ corner and public karaoke installations – to animate the space over the coming months.

As many of you know, the VPSN is quite supportive of the expansion of Robson Square. Our survey last summer saw an overwhelming number of people support the creation of a larger public gathering area in this space… and the current closure gives us yet another opportunity to see how the space supports public life in the city.

That being said, we know that there are a lot of different opinions on the space… and we want to hear your side of things too. To this end, we’ll be doing some evaluation work throughout the summer.

Please take a moment to let us know what you think of the expanded space. Send your photos, ideas, thoughts, concerns and ideas our way – we want to hear from you!

:: Feedback – robsonsquare [at] vancouverpublicspace.ca

Starting July 5 – Lunch Meet! Long Table Action on Abbott Street

And speaking of street closures… can we invite you to lunch in July? LUNCH MEET is a new City-sponsored initiative that we’re running every Thursday of the month. The 300-block of Abbott Street will be transformed into a place for people, with a long table and music provided by local artists. Grab a bite to eat from a local business, food cart or bring your own lunch and meet a neighbour, friend or work colleague.

The event kicks off on July 5th and we’re looking for a team of volunteers to help with event-related activities. Most volunteer tasks are 1 hour in duration, and would take place from 10:30 am to 2pm.

:: Lend a hand – contact adam [at] vancouverpublicspace [dot] ca

Transportation 2040 Plan – Public Space Ideas

The City is in the process of updating their Transportation Plan. The new policy document, called Transportation 2040, will provide a vision for the next 30 years and guide transportation decision-making for the next 15 years.

The draft document has been released, and the City is looking for feedback on a range of ideas – everything from improvements to pedestrian areas, bike lanes, public transport and more. This is a great opportunity to weigh on a number of important ideas.

Among other things, there’s a chance to have your say on a few aspects specifically focused on public space. Including a series of strategies and actions around

• Enabling and encouraging creative uses of the street; and
• Creating public plazas and gathering spaces throughout the city.

You can read more on these and other ideas on the City’s webpage (see below). There’s also a survey you can complete in order to share your feedback.

Stay tuned for a VPSN event on these items as well. We’ve got a small event in the works right now and will be announcing details shortly.

:: City of Vancouver Transportation 2040 webpage

:: VPSN Transportation 2040 Activities – Info – quinn [at] vancouverpublicspace [dot] ca

Grandview-Woodland Community Plan

Are you a resident of the Grandview-Woodland neighbourhood? Like to hang out on the Drive? Work in the hood?

Anyone interested in the future of G-W is invited to lend their voice to the Community Plan work that’s going on in the neighbourhood right now. There’s a Community Questionnaire and photo contest that is running through to the end of next week. Among the themes of planning work – public space (including parks, streetscapes and more).

:: City of Vancouver Grandview-Woodland Community Plan webpage

St. George Street Rainway – Street Mural Painting

The St. George Street Rainway Committee, the False Creek Watershed Society, the City of Vancouver Viva program and the Mount Pleasant Elementary School have partnered to create a street mural painting party and you are invited!

The community was consulted on the creation of this mural at various events and by door-to-door surveys (see a sample of this beautiful mural on the right!). Preliminary design work will happen on the 27th and on the 28th in the morning. Please join us on June 28 from 3:00 – 8:00 PM to paint the mural. The party will go from 6:00 – 8:00! Location: St.George Street, between E. 7^th and E 8^th Ave

:: More info – Shahirastgeorgerainway [at] gmail.com or City

Early concept for Pop Rocks by Matthew Soules Architecture &
AFJD Studios (final design not yet completed). Image from City of Vancouver powerpoint presentation.

Earlier today City Council approved a suite of temporary public space activations through its Viva Vancouver program. This is exciting stuff and we’re stoked to see the range of initiatives in play here.

First and foremost, we’re grateful for Council’s support for a series of projects that the VPSN is involved in. These include:

• Lunch Meet, a downtown long-table affair that celebrates the city’s culinary character while bringing people together to share in a communal outdoor meal;
• Laser Graffiti, our popular outdoor digital projection system – which will once again be lighting up building walls around the city with citizen-generated art;
• Outdoor Karaoke, a project that was initially conceived and launched by our friends at Urban Republic. We’re looking to lend a hand this year and roll out the ol’ karaoke machine for a few more rounds of urban space karaoke!

In addition to these projects… we’re also particularly excited to see the 800-block of Robson Street closed down for two whole months this summer.

Between July and August, the existing space of Robson Square will be expanded to take over the road between Hornby and Howe. Vancouver’s grand gathering place will be coming back to life with an zero waste installation called Pop Rocks – jointly created by Matthew Soules Architecture and AFJD Studios.

The project, as one City staffer described it, is “boulders meet beanbag chairs” – and will take shape as series of large scale seats stitched out of material repurposed from Canada Place sails. The early concept drawing (and the creators want to stress that the final design is still taking shape) even give it a bit of a Henry Moore feel. We look forward to seeing how people interact with the project.

Finally, on a related note… we’ll be having the next meeting for our Downtown Public Realm Project on Tuesday, May 22 @ 6:00pm. We’ve been documenting all the plazas and public space features in the downtown core. If you’d like to join in the fun please drop us a note! (Our walks last a couple of hours and involve some fairly straightforward inventorying and photo-documentation of spaces). Digital cameras are a plus, as are bikes. We also have walking routes available. Details and meeting locations can be had via robsonsquare [at] vancouverpublicspace [dot] ca.

A quick round-up of some public space related items appearing in front of City Council this week.

Viva Vancouver – Temporary Public Space for summertime fun

This week’s regular Council begins with a presentation on the Viva Vancouver program (formerly Open Streets/Summer Spaces). Last year, the program was responsible for supporting a range of interventions – including Parallel Park, Liveable laneways, Picnurbia (at the 800-block of Robson) and a number of other projects… including some of the VPSN’s work with Laser Graffiti and Robson Square.

A Call for Proposals for 2012 projects was rolled out earlier this year… and today we learn about the proposed projects that have been identified for 2012. Exciting!

There’s no report online at the moment, but you can read additional details on the meeting agenda! Go Viva! We love this program.

:: Meeting Agenda

Rezoning application for 1401 Comox

The West End has seen a number of development proposals in recent years, some more controversial than others. The proposed 22-storey tower at 1401 Comox Street is one of these.

Council will be considering a recommendation to refer the rezoning application associated with this project to a public hearing. You can read the overview of the project in the associated staff report.

For your interest, the public space component of the development proposal includes “an 8.7 m by 37 m (28.5 ft. by 121.4 ft.) landscaped public open space, which incorporates a children’s play area, a community garden, and an open lawn area with public seating. These areas are to be accessible to the public, providing a useful addition to the public realm.”

:: Read the 1401 Comox Street Report

Pedestrian Safety and Active Transportation

On Wednesday the Planning, Transportation and Environment Committee of Council will be presented with two transportation-related reports.

The first report covers a Pedestrian Safety Action Plan that was commissioned as part of the City’sGreenestCityinitiative. The report notes:

“… that pedestrian safety in Vancouver has generally been improving and that Vancouver performs well compared to peer cities. However, pedestrians are still vulnerable. While pedestrians are involved in less than 2 percent of all traffic accidents, pedestrians account for 45 percent of all traffic fatalities in Vancouver. Of particular note, 75 percent of collisions involving pedestrians occurred at intersections, largely occurring when vehicles turned left or right. Collisions were also more frequent between 3 and 8 pm, and during hours of darkness in the winter months.”

The report looks at the ‘when, where, what and how’ of pedestrian/car collisions that were reported between 2005-2010 and identifies a dozen key issues (including night-time pedestrian safety, street-crossing supports, age-friendly design) that can be focused on as part of future work to improve pedestrian safety.

:: Read the Pedestrian Safety Report

The second report of interest concerns the 2012 Active Transportation Capital projects. Here, the City staff are looking for Council approval for five key projects: (1) the 45th Avenue Bikeway between Ontario and Nanaimo Streets; (2) the Dumfries Bikeway between 37^th and 59^th Avenue; (3) the Ridgeway Greenway revised plan between Nanaimo and Rupert Streets; (4) the North Arm Trail revised plan between Cambie and Ontario Streets; and (5) improvements to the Adanac Bikeway along Union Street (at Hawks Avenue).

The report also references other potential active transportation projects that might be considered as part of the updated Transportation 2040 plan.

:: Read the Active Transportation 2012 Capital Projects Report.

Editor’s note: the original version of this post indicated that the West End and Grandview-Woodland Community Stories events were scheduled for Thursday, May 11 and Friday, May 12 respectively. The correct dates are Thursday, May 10 (West End) and Friday, May 11 (Grandview-Woodland).

It’s been a little while since our last newsletter and we wanted to give you a quick update on some of our projects, as well as some other awesome things taking place around town.

First, a quick organizational note: the VPSN has recently being doing some retooling work that will better enable us to offer a mix of engaging public space projects (the fun stuff that everyone loves) and broader, issues-based advocacy. We’ll be rolling out details of these changes shortly.

The more immediate news is that we have a lot of cool things in the works, including: a summer time long-table event called Lunch Meet, a transit-related competition for graphic designers, some public space mapping work in the downtown (help needed!) and a storytelling project called P.S I love you. And back by popular demand… laser graffiti.

And while we’re at it, there’s a few other current initiatives that we wanted to alert you to:

Space98 – Transforming an Unused Transit Stop

Sometimes it’s the small interventions that really get people’s attention. Recently, our VPSN Transportation team – led by Cycling Coordinator Brandon Yan – installed a peel ‘n stick chalkboard on a disused bus shelter at Granville and Broadway. Along the board itself, they left a nice quote by Jane Jacobs and an invitation to the community to imagine what the space might be used for. People loved it!

Coast Mountain Bus Company – who ‘own’ the shelter – weren’t sure what to make of it at first… but the opportunity to engage the community directly on questions like this has caught their eye.

So here’s a question for you: What sorts of unused or underutilized spaces exist in your neighbourhood? And how have you dreamed about activating these spaces. Send us your ideas. We’ll gather them into a compilation, map them, and share them back with you over the next few months.

:: Underused public spaces and places? Email eliana [at] vancouverpublicspace [dot] ca

:: More on Space98 – Brandon [at] vancouverpublicspace [dot] ca

Mobile Speakers’ Corner

Lots of other cities have Speakers’ Corners – London, Sydney, Toronto, to name just three – but not Vancouver. Strange eh? Thankfully, all that’s about to change – as the VPSN Democratic Spaces team is working on a mobile Speakers’ Corner for use around Vancouver.

Interested in seeing some good ol’ fashioned public debate? Hankering for your own 5 minutes on the soap-box? The Speakers’ Corner is being built this week and will be ready for roll-out shortly thereafter. Look for it around town… and get in touch if you want more details.

:: Email democraticspaces [at] vancouverpublicspace.ca

ENGAGE

New Community Plans in development for Marpole, Grandview-Woodland and the West End. Get involved!

Neighbourhood planning work is getting underway in Marpole, Grandview-Woodland and the West End. The City will be working with community members in each of the three areas to develop a long-range plan to manage growth and change. Community plans develop directions for a number of areas – including housing, land-use and transportation. Work will also engage the community on key aspects of public space – streetscapes, parks and public areas, public art and more.

This is a great opportunity for public space aficionados in these neighbourhoods, and the City is proposing a number of engagement opportunities along the way. The very first event – a storytelling evening hosted by local funny man Steve Burgess – takes place tomorrow night (Tuesday, May 1) in Marpole. The other two neighbourhoods have similar events taking place in just over a week. There’s also walking tours, open houses and bunches of other items in the hopper.

Check out the details on the various neighbourhood webpages and sign-up for the individual list-servs to stay involved! While you’re there be sure to register for the following events:

• Tuesday, May 1 – Marpole Stories @ Metro Theatre – vancouver.ca/marpoleplan
• Thursday, May 10 – West End Stories @ Denman Theatre – vancouver.ca/westendplan
• Friday, May 11 – Grandview-Woodland Stories @ the WISE Hall – vancouver.ca/grandviewplan
  

FEATURED EVENT

Saturday, May 5 – Sunday May 6 – Jane’s Walk

There are lots of ways that you can explore Vancouver’s great public spaces, but one of the best involves a leisurely stroll with a local expert. That’s what Jane’s Walk is all about.

Started in 2007 to honour the memory of Jane Jacobs, it’s now grown to a world-wide event. Vancouver alone has over 20 walks scheduled, spread throughout the city. Best of all, they’re free! Sign up and see your city in a whole new way.

:: Jane’s Walk – List of Vancouver Walking Tours

Picnurbia, at the 800-block of Robson Street, Summer 2011.

UPDATE (Jan 23/12): The City has extended the deadline for the first of its two Request for Expressions of Interest processes pertaining to the creation of temporary summertime public spaces. Seasonal and Recurring/Roaming/On-street applications are now due at the same time – on February 14, 2012. 

Parallel Park, Picnurbia, Laser Graffiti… these were three of a number of temporary public space initiatives funded last summer as part of the City’s Viva Vancouver program.

Maybe you have an idea for something equally cool for the public realm? If so, sharpen your pencils and get planning. The City is now gearing up for a new series of summertime space endeavors and has issued a pair of Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEOI) documents.

The first, due at the end of the month, (now, February 14, 2012) is for the creation of seasonal public spaces, which are defined as “pedestrian oriented temporary public spaces that are created through the closure of select roadway on a 24-hour basis for an extended duration, ranging from weeks to months.”

The second, due on February 14, is for recurring public spaces, roaming public spaces and on-street murals (in some ways a bit less “fixed” or large-scale than with the first application, but still intended to be mostly site specific). The City’s RFEOI defines these three types of space as:

Roaming public spaces use select roadway to create pedestrian-oriented temporary public spaces that may last from a few hours to a day. [T]hese creative spaces are intended to be experienced by the public as ‘unexpected’ or as ‘spontaneous’…

Recurring public spaces are pedestrian-oriented temporary public spaces that are created through the closure of select roadway for one or two days on a regular weekly basis over a period of three consecutive weeks or more…

An on-street mural is artwork that is painted directly on to the road surface. The mural would provide the neighbourhood with unique art that has distinguished characteristics and/or wayfinding opportunities…[Portland’s CityRepair ‘Intersection Repair‘ initiative is a great example of this sort of thing – ed.]

To apply to create one of these spaces start by reviewing the relevant RFEOI document(s). The application utilizes the City’s standardized procurement form, which is longer and a bit more daunting than the 2011 documents. Take your time to read the questions through carefully.

You can find them here:

• Seasonal Public Spaces (Due January 31, 2012 - extended to February 14, 2012)
  http://vancouver.ca/fs/bid/bidopp/EOI/RFEOI-PS20110710A.htm
• Recurring, Roaming Public Spaces and On-street Murals (Due February 14, 2012) – http://vancouver.ca/fs/bid/bidopp/EOI/RFEOI-PS20120041.htm

Note that the process for applying is different – and a bit more complicated – than with the 2011 round. The RFEOIs are just as they say – an expression of interest. This means that if your idea passes muster (i.e. is well thought out, financially sound and has community support) then you’ll be invited to flesh out the concept as part of a more robust application process.

(If you get stuck, don’t worry. You can contact the ever-helpful Viva team of Jen Sheel or Krisztina Kassay via the City’s Viva website)

Okay public space brainiacs – time to design some awesome summertime interventions. Go to it!

As part of Viva Vancouver, VPSN is hosting a few evenings of laser graffiti! Want to know more? Come on out and try your hand at tagging up building walls with digital paint and lasers. Check out the location map to see where we’ll be projecting next:  Laser Locations…

It’s a good time not to be driving a car downtown. Critical Mass has just started rolling down Howe Street and a few scant blocks away a march for trans-rights is making it’s way east towards Seymour.

The weather has turned friendly again. A good time for some public space fun. Saturday sees the first Celebration of Lights take place. A few hours after the last fireworks fade another explosion of colour will unfold with the pageantry of the Pride Parade (vancouverpride.ca).

Add to that some nice opportunities to scribble laser graffiti on a cop shop (see elsewhere in the blog or check out our location map), some fancy Viva Vancouver events (vancouver.ca/viva), farmers markets (eatlocal.ca) and fun at Robson Square (robsonsquare.ca)… and you’re set for good times in public space.

Bon appetit!

A quick reminder… as part of Viva Vancouver, VPSN is hosting a few evenings of laser graffiti! Want to know more? Come on out and try your hand at tagging up building walls with digital paint and lasers.

We’ll be in the Mt. Pleasant area this weekend and next, both fri & sat evenings from 9:30pm – 11pm. We’ll be in the alley behind the Lee Building right at Main & Broadway, hope you can join us!

Be sure to check out the graffiti map (or follow us on twitter @vpsn) to see where we’ll be projecting (ie. there are several potential locations we’ll be visiting in the neighborhood). We’ll update the map with times and locations in real time, so you’ll be able to find us pretty easily.

• Friday July 15 & Saturday July 16 (and beyond) – VPSN Viva – Laser Graffiti
• Monday July 25 – Robson Square / Downtown Public Realm – Project Meeting – 6:00pm
• Wednesday, July 27 – VPSN Evening Picnic at Kensington Park – 6:00-10:00pm

OTHER EVENTS

• Friday July 15 – Sunday July 17 (and beyond)- Viva Vancouver – Public Space Events
• Friday July 15 – Vancouver Design Nerds – Viva Collingwood Jam – 6:30pm-9:30pm
• Friday July 15, Saturday July 16 – August 20 – CO-LAB: A Workshop + Exhibition Project
• Saturday July 16 – eatART: Power the VAG – 10am to 6pm.
• Saturday July 16 – Grand Opening – Vancouver Tool Library – 11:00am – 4:00pm
• Saturday July 16 – Robson Square Art Market – 12:00-5:00pm
• Saturday July 16 – Parks Day 2011 – 12:00-8:30pm
• Saturday July 16 – Vancouver Waterfight – 1:00-4:00pm
• Sunday July 17 – Salsa at Robson Square – 3:00-7:00pm
• Sunday July 17 – Remixology 6 – 6:00-9:00pm

Fasten your bike helmets and say a few prayers for nice weather… because this weekend is packed full of public space goodness.

But before we get to planning your social calendar for you, the first few items to pass along are quick updates on some key VPSN activities:

VPSN EVENTS & PROJECTS

Friday July 15 & Saturday July 16 (and beyond) – VPSN Viva – Laser Graffiti

As we noted yesterday, starting tonight, the VPSN is hosting the first of several evenings of laser graffiti! Want to know more? Come on out and try your hand at tagging building walls with digital paint and lasers. It’s all part of some work that we’re doing as part of the Viva Vancouver program – and undertaken in collaboration with the Liveable Laneways crew.

We’ll be in the Mt. Pleasant area this weekend and next, both Friday & Saturday evenings between 9:30pm – 11pm. Find us in the alley behind the Lee Building (NW corner of Main & Broadway).

Be sure to check out our location map to see where we’ll be projecting as there are several potential locations we’ll be visiting in the neighborhood. We’ll update the map with times and locations in real time, so you’ll be able to find us pretty easily.

:: More information – jaspal [at] vancouverpublicspace.ca
:: VPSN Laser Graffiti Map

Monday July 25 – VPSN Expanding Robson Square / Downtown Public Realm – Project Meeting – 6:00pm

The VPSN is continuing its work to secure the 800-block of Robson Street as part of an expanded Robson Square. At the same time, we’ve got a some research and advocacy work underway to support the creation of a downtown public realm plan. We need lots of help with this and will be holding an information and planning meeting to look at these initiatives in more detail.

Weather permitting we’ll be meeting outside on the north steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery. (Rain location TBD). Please RSVP so that we can get a sense of numbers.

:: RSVP to info [at] vancouverpublicspace.ca

Wednesday, July 27 – VPSN Evening Picnic at Kensington Park – 6:00-10:00pm

Kensington Park is a gem among the city’s parks and gardens. Located at Knight and 33rd, it affords visitors one of the nicest panoramic views to be had – a vast sweep that allows the eye to take in quiet residential neighbourhoods, the modern architecture of downtown, and the North Shore mountains… all in one go. 

Join us for a mid-week picnic in the park and check out this stunning spot. We’ll have some BBQs, hotdogs and burgers, and games to play. Come out and meet other public space enthusiasts, participate in a friendly round of bocce, and learn about a few of the exciting projects we have lined up for the fall. The event is FREE but please register so we can get a sense of numbers. BYO drinks.

:: RSVP – info [at] vancouverpublicspace.ca
OTHER COOL PUBLIC SPACE EVENTS

Friday July 15 – Sunday July 17 (and beyond)- Viva Vancouver – Various Public Space Events

This week sees more Viva Vancouver excitement roll out. The City’s Summer Spaces program has sponsored the creation of a number of temporary public space transformations, many of which are launching this weekend. Among the various interventions planned are art markets, laneway transformations and pop-up cafes in Mt. Pleasant, an artist’s plaza in Cambie Village, an upcoming community plaza in Joyce Collingwood (see next item) and the Granville Street activation in Downtown. All this and as well as mobile theatre, art installations and a few other surprises as well… including some cool VPSN lasers (see above)!

:: For more information – Viva Vancouver Website

Friday July 15 – Vancouver Design Nerds – Viva Collingwood Jam – 6:30pm-9:30pm

On Friday July 15th, please join the Vancouver Design Nerds for a focused jam to generate ideas and plans for a three week festival to be held around the under utilized spaces around Joyce-Collingwood Skytrain Station. The festival is built around the concept of a temporary plaza that will engage and inspire neighbours and commuters alike.

The Jam will take place at Collingwood Neighbourhood House (5288 Joyce Street). The easy walk from Joyce Skytrain Station will give you a chance to observe the site! Potluck / BYOB / + selection of brews will be available a la cash bar.

:: More information – Vancouver Design Nerds Facebook Page

Friday July 15, Saturday July 16 – August 20 – CO-LAB: A Workshop + Exhibition Project

CO-LAB is a cross-disciplinary workshop and exhibition project that focuses on sound, collaboration and the gallery’s physical location. City-related themes and a format strong on public participation. The exhibition features the three new works based on the workshop: Noise/De-noise by Julie Gendron and Emma Hendrix, Map Sense by Germaine Koh and Gillian Jerome, and Vertical City by Andrew Lee and Jennifer Schine. Opens Friday, July 15, 8pm. Co-presented by Centre A and Vancouver New Music. The exhibition runs from July 16 through to August 20. Centre A Gallery (Hastings and Carrall).

:: More information – Centre A Website

Saturday July 16 – eatART: Power the VAG – 10am to 6pm

The Annual Energy Awareness Art Party takes place in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery and includes a pedal powered sound system and an unforgettable outdoor dance party! The event will showcase giant zero emissions kinetic sculptures: Daisy the solar-powered tricycle, Gramorail, the Mondo Spider, Prosthesis, and Titanoboa.

:: eatART Facebook Event Page 

Saturday July 16 – Grand Opening – Vancouver Tool Library – 11:00am – 4:00pm

Libraries make the coolest public spaces, which is why we’re especially pleased to pass on news of this new initiative:

The Vancouver Tool Library will be officially opening on July 16th, 2011! A fun celebration is planned for the big day – free mini workshops on planter gardening and box building (11am-1pm) and bike maintenance (11:30 & 1:30), as well as shop tours, member sign-ups and and collecting tool donations. Enjoy live music and a $5 BBQ lunch, all proceeds support the VTL. You can find the Vancouver Tool Library at 3448 Commercial Street. 

:: Vancouver Tool Library Facebook Page

Saturday July 16 – Robson Square Art Market – 12:00-5:00pm

Held in the underground plaza at Robson and Howe (where the skating rink is situated). A unique outdoor shopping experience showcasing local artisans. Held every weekend.

:: More information – www.robsonsquaremarket.com

Saturday July 16 – Parks Day 2011 – 12:00-8:30pm

Head over to Brockton Point in Stanley Park to celebrate Parks Canada’s and BC Parks joint 100th Anniversary. The free family event features lots of stuff related to our amazing parks and protected areas, workshops in camping, hiking, surfing and fishing, appearances by Olympian Maelle Ricker, and a special Kids Zone. And between 5:00-8:30 you can enjoy a free concerns with K’Naan.

:: More information – Parks Canada – Parks Day Vancouver Webpage

Saturday July 16 – Vancouver Waterfight – 1:00-4:00pm

Who wants to have a waterfight this summer? Raise your hands, and pull your trigger finger, cause we’re going to get soaked. Totally saturated! And no one is going to stop, ’til this town runs dry! The annual super-soaker showdown takes place at Lumberman’s Arch in Stanley Park. Before you load up, be sure to check out the Code of Conduct on their Facebook page

:: Check out last years photos for additional incentive – Vancouver Waterfight WebPage

Sunday July 17 – Salsa at Robson Square – 3:00-7:00pm

One-two-three one-two-three… Help infuse Robson with some Latin flare and learn a few seet moves in the process. Take in a free salsa lesson at 3:00pm and check out the salsa show at 5:00. Every Sunday in July and August. Beginners welcome. Lots of fun!

:: More information – www.SalsaVancouver.net

Sunday July 17 – Remixology 6 – 6:00-9:00pm

Join the FreshMedia crew and come on out for a fantastic panel of arts and social change makers set to talk about all the things they’re doing to refresh our public space. ReMixology 6 is breaking in a brand new space – the Vinegar Factory (1009 East Cordova)! (Note that the venue is smaller than past Remixology events. If you haven’t signed up on Eventbrite yet, make sure you get your ticket!)

:: Register to attend – http://remixology6.eventbrite.com/

We’ll be in the Mt. Pleasant area Friday, July 15 and Saturday, July 16 from 9:30pm – 11pm. Look for us in the alley behind the Lee Building right at Main and Broadway. We’ll also be there the following weekend (July 22 and 23).

Check out the map to see where we’ll be projecting, as there are several potential locations we’ll be visiting in the neighbourhood. We’ll update the map with times and locations in real time, so you’ll be able to find us pretty easily.

Also, be sure to check out the Liveable Laneways project (@LiveableLanesVan), with whom we are partnering with for Viva Vancouver. We’ll be sharing the same alleyway for part of our projections.