Earlier this year, Martens—who works as a writer and literary arts educator—facilitated a 20-week storytelling project with Punjabi women at the Moberly Arts & Culture Centre through Arts & Health. Muralist and visual artist Johal worked alongside to bring these women’s stories into the public realm through a new piece of public art at Ross Park. Community members participated in all aspects of the placemaking initiative.

The painting, and an upcoming literary publication, ਸਾਡੀਆਂ ਯਾਦਾਂ: Our Memories, unveil significant lived experiences these women have shared—from carefree childhood memories of village life in the Punjab to experiences of forming friendships and adapting to life on the West Coast of Canada.

Artists Sandeep Johal and Alyssa Martens at Ross Park.

Located at 57th and Khalsa Diwan Road in the Sunset neighbourhood, the painting at Ross Park is a short walk away from the Moberly Arts & Culture Centre and from many of the residences of the participating storytellers. In the South-West corner of the park, there is a small wading pool, surrounded by a bare concrete pad, now covered with a visual representation of the stories collected and developed in conversation with the participating women. Flanked by a playground and popular gathering pavilion, this location is an important and intergenerational community space, and the new vibrant painting reflects this atmosphere.

Be sure to stop by and check-out this vibrant new addition to Ross Park. For more information on the project, please contact Alyssa Martens at alyssa@vancouverpublicspacenetwork.ca.

The ਸਾਡੀਆਂ ਯਾਦਾਂ: Our Memories project was coordinated by Bryant Race with community assistance from Moberly Arts & Culture Centre and South Vancouver Neighbourhood House.

A big thank you to the project’s funders and partners: Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, Vancouver Coastal Health SMART Fund, Sunset Community Centre, Moberly Arts & Cultural Centre, South Vancouver Neighbourhood House, City of Vancouver Neighbourhood Matching Fund, University of British Columbia, and Neighbourhood Small Grants.

We’ll be sharing a longer write-up shortly, but in the meantime – mark your calendars. We’ll be hosting another laneway transformation project in Gastown on August 26.

Big thanks to the folks at the City’s Viva Vancouver program for supporting the event, and to the amazing staff at Miscellany on the ‘Drive, who went ‘above and beyond’ to help us make this happen.

East Van is the first neighbourhood up! Join us for Grandma’s House – a laneway activation taking place south of Venables between Parker Street and Napier Street (address is 1027 Commercial Drive) on Saturday, July 29th.

This activation will use some creatively upcycled materials to recreate Grandma’s House (yours? mine? somebody’s!) You can expect food, games, big band music, classic movies, and maybe even a spot of afternoon tea.

Event Details:

12pm – 9pm Saturday, July 29th, 2017

1027 Commercial Drive laneway (south of Venables St between Parker St and Napier St).

Here is our Facebook event page.

What’s the state of placemaking in Canada? How robust is advocacy around public space? What’s working in your local community? What’s not? How do you think things could be improved?

These are a few of the questions we’re hoping you might be able to help us answer. The VPSN is working with a number of partner organizations to gauge the “the state of the nation” in terms of the barriers and opportunities that exist for placemaking and public space advocacy in Canada. We want to identify ways to strengthen local, community-based placemaking, while also exploring ways to enable and enrich collaboration across Canada. Survey results will be shared back in mid-September and used to advance placemaking and public space advocacy more broadly.

We are hoping you could take a few moments to share your thoughts and experiences dealing with placemaking projects and public space advocacy. We’ve prepared a short questionnaire that should take no more than 5-10 minutes to complete. It will give you a chance to identify key barriers, opportunities and priorities for placemaking in your town or city, and cross-country.

COMPLETE THE PLACEMAKING IN CANADA QUESTIONNAIRE

You may be interested in a preparatory paper that was prepared on Placemaking in Canada in 2015. It’s based on interviews with several key practitioners across Canada. You can find it here.

Creative Commons flag image by Wikipedia PMX

These are a few of the questions we’re hoping you might be able to help us answer. The VPSN is working with a number of partner organizations to gauge the “the state of the nation” in terms of the barriers and opportunities that exist for placemaking and public space advocacy in Canada. We want to identify ways to strengthen local, community-based placemaking, while also exploring ways to enable and enrich collaboration across Canada. Some of this will inform the Made in Canada event we’re working on, but it will also be used to advance placemaking and public space advocacy more broadly.

We are hoping you could take a few moments to share your thoughts and experiences dealing with placemaking projects and public space advocacy. We’ve prepared a short questionnaire that should take no more than 5-10 minutes to complete. It will give you a chance to identify key barriers, opportunities and priorities for placemaking in your town or city, and cross-country.

COMPLETE THE PLACEMAKING IN CANADA QUESTIONNAIRE

You may be interested in a preparatory paper that was prepared on Placemaking in Canada in 2015. It’s based on interviews with several key practitioners across Canada. You can find it here.

Creative Commons flag image by Wikipedia PMX.

If you decide to return to the bus, turn to page 32.

The thrill of the choice, and the cringe when you choose the wrong door and your adventure…ends! The “Choose Your Own Adventure” book series are a favourite, where the author leads the reader down a winding path as they choose options of what to do, or what not to do, next. The Active Fiction Project brings this experience to life in the streets around Riley Park. Readers are invited to discover hidden stories as they wander about following the different possible storylines.

The Active Fiction Project is a collaboration between the Vancouver Public Space Network, local writers and some residents of Riley Park. The project brings literature into public space so you can explore a neighbourhood while stepping into a fictional story.

This is just a sneak peak of what’s in store. Over the next couple weeks we’ll be revealing more about the Active Fiction Project and when it’s time to ‘choose your own adventure’ in a Vancouver neighbourhood. Connect with us on the Project’s website www.activefictionproject.com, follow us @activfic and on Facebook, and spread the word #activefic

If you like walking in neighbourhoods, go on an Active Fiction walk.

If you like treasure hunts, go on an Active Fiction walk.

If you like adventure, go on an Active Fiction walk.

If you like reading, go on an Active Fiction walk.

If you don’t have much spare time, go on an Active Fiction walk.

If you don’t want to spend any money, go on an Active Fiction walk.

If none of the above describe you, tell a friend to go on an Active Fiction walk.

Questions? Get in touch info@activefictionproject.com

DESIGN

• The sans serif of Berlin’s underground: a history of Berlin shown through U-Bahn typography. 
• Not your typical tea party, this art installation in New York City blurs the line between private and public life social interactions
• A look into the gentrification of LA’s Skid Row.

MEDIA & THE CITY

photo from Snap it Oga!

• Snap it Oga! Streetscape photos of Lagos – so smooth and vibrant you can almost feel the city hustling!
• From Bloomberg’s New York to booze fuelled cities to what public space looks like on the inside, The Urbanist is Monocle’s weekly look at the people and ideas shaping our urban lives.
• Explore the streets of Stockholm on film.
• A tumblr collage where urban meets über cool.
• Broadcast live from Cape Town, METROPOLIST is a radio show exploring the people and stories shaping the world’s cities from a South African perspective; covering topics from The Future of Townships, What Makes a Liveable City, to Youth Shaping Our Cities, and The Technology Generation.

Photo by Clarence Eckerson, from The City Lab

PLACEMAKING

• A great read on the concepts of “public space” and “place”, and how the placemaking movement and place-led urban development are emerging as a new paradigm for the world’s future cities.

Image from Sit On It Detroit

• In an effort to create more seating at Detroit’s bus stops—where many of the local riders are senior citizens and long waits for the next bus occur frequently— Sit On It Detroit builds benches with reclaimed wood from abandoned houses and businesses within the city, and equips the seats with a built-in book shelf, creating a network of public libraries around Detroit. How great would it be to grab a seat and a book while waiting for the long overdue 99? If you’re interested in more urban-regeneration initiatives in Detroit, here’s a nice short read on community views of place-led regeneration in Downtown Detroit over the last few years. Put your hands up for Detroit.

ENGAGED CITIES

• Seattle’s Chinatown International District is a historic area where you cannot only enjoy Dim Sum and marvel at early twentieth century brick buildings, but also empty your pockets-of-change at the Seattle Pinball Museum. The district also faces a resilience challenge of preserving the heritage character and cultural identity within Seattle’s urban fabric, while updating infrastructure and implementing new policies and housing standards to protect the buildings that may not stay standing when the next big ‘quake hits. The Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda) carried out a community engagement mandate to work with residents and property owners in the historic area.
• Smelling your way through the city – here are 5 tips for smellwalking. Go ahead, smell your city!

DESIGN

• On making room for the invisible micro-urban spaces in ecological urban design, and how the benefits of the small-scale urban can help create more liveable cities.
• Given the transit referendum on March 16^th and ongoing scepticism of new major cycleways in Vancouver, here’s an interesting look into the economics behind the planning for increasing bicycle infrastructure in Christchurch, New Zealand.
• Are ‘defensive architecture and design’ tactics in urban environments creating pervasive, unwelcoming public spaces that make the lives of city dwellers more hostile and ignorant? The article praises RainCity Housing’s shelter-bench initiative as a ‘ray of hope’ for creating more inclusive and equitable cities.

HERITAGE

• A photographic journey into Phnom Penh’s rapid urban development and the effect on the city’s landscape and society.
• The streetscapes of Shanghai’s old neighbourhoods give a glimpse into a Japanese war-time legacy remnant from the past.

PLACEMAKING

• The Guardian asked their network of ‘city bloggers’ from around the world what they would change if they were ‘mayor for a day’ in their city. The answer? More inclusive public space.
• Up, up and away! Submitted to the 2015 Folly Competition by Australian architect Jesse Lockhart-Krause, the playful Balloon Swing may send you soaring as you sit on a swing attached to a colourful hot-air balloon. Recommendations for best Balloon Swing location in Vancouver?
• 7, 500 miles (or 12,070 km) of LA’s underused city streets will transition into active, vibrant and accessible public space with the recently launched program, People St., designed to support community projects that enhance the quality of life in the city.
• A look into the public life of Cairo through 1001 street chairs.
• Birmingham Policy Commission’s recommendations for enhancing quality of life in future cities, which includes ‘a call for processes that engage citizens and create systems and policies for local empowerment.’

PLACEMAKING

• Finding a seat in Ireland’s public spaces­­—a photo story.
• Reflections on how Jan Gehl’s people-oriented approach to urban connectivity and design transformed Melbourne’s city centre – which historically lacked the vibrant public life evident today.

ART

• Lest we forget. The Tower of London Remembers the First World War with 888,246 ceramic poppies filling the Tower’s moat.
• Échale Coloris a community engagement program promoting community development and integration, using art in the public sphere as the medium. A project of Venezuelan NGO’s Somos Posible, Échale Color’s public art installations transform public spaces in the barrios of Caracas.

NATURE

• A glimpse into an almost century-long process of incorporating green space and green infrastructure into Los Angeles’ urban fabric.
• What is the interconnected role of art and the green (and blue) spaces that create the nature of cities? This roundtable forum discusses the nexus of art and urban nature.

DESIGN

• 900 vendors gather under the solar-panelled roof of Haiti’s Port-au-Prince Iron Market after its regeneration from the devastating destruction caused by the 2010 earthquake. The collective process of rebuilding the 123 year old market not only restores the marketplace as a centre of community, but is also an example of how markets can be a tool for disaster recovery.
• The world’s first solar-powered bike lane. If you haven’t heard, yes it’s true, it’s called SolaRoad, is in the Netherlands, and you can read about it right here.
• From swimming pools in the Thames, to urban swings in Mexico City, and support for informal waste pickers in Bogota, the 2014 Guardian World Cities Day Challenge gave cities their chance to tell the world their city’s best idea, and why other cities should adopt it.

ART

• Les Passages Insolites is an urban public space art festival that brings a vibrant kaleidoscope of contemporary art installations to Quebec City’s forgotten passages, making the invisible, visible.

DESIGN

• Forget the urban highway and restore walking as a way of life. Project for Public Spaces paves the road towards creating liveable streets for everyone by challenging the high-speed, auto-centric landscape of many urban centres.
• While street trading and vendors play a vital role in the informal economy of a city, and also add to the vitality and public experiences of cities, street traders are often left out of the urban design equation. Including informal vending in a city’s streetscape, especially where street vending is growing such as in Bangkok, also brings forth this question discussed on Informal City Dialogues—How Can We Reconcile Street Vending With Pedestrian-Friendly Sidewalks?
• As a commuter in Nigeria’s megacity Lagos you’ll spend over three hours in traffic on your daily grind. While mobility remains a challenge for the city’s commuters, Lagos is pursuing mass transit options, such as installing Africa’s first bus rapid transit. Find out more on what the future of sustainable transport looks like in Lagos.

PLACEMAKING

• How do you ask the people of Shoreditch, East London for their thoughts on how they imagine green spaces in their community? Drop four large cubes in public parks.
• NL Architects have restructured shipping containers into interactive public kiosks that aim to facilitate interaction in Seoul’s Dongdaemun Plaza.
• Using Caracas, London and Cape Town as examples, This Big City article focuses on the in-between spaces of our cities, and how these under-utilized parts of the urban landscape can benefit the community.