Enjoy!

Winteraction – Saturday, January 27 – Various locations

Our pals at Frida + Frank have teamed up with local placemakers in Vancouver and North Vancouver (and beyond) to convene a day of “winteraction” aimed to showcase what they call “seasonal effective design.” There’s lots of fun things to choose from!

Community Science Day 

10 AM – 4 PM, Britannia Community Centre

The Open Science Network will be part of the Community Science Day at Britannia Community Centre on Saturday January 27. We will have a number of science activities both inside and outside.

:: More Info – Community Science Day Facebook Event Page

Giant Raincoats in North Van

10AM – 5PM, Outside North Vancouver City Hall (141 14th St W, North Vancouver

This Saturday, come have some fun in the rain with GIANT RAINCOATS hung up outside North Vancouver City Hall! This wacky interactive art project celebrates the fun of winter fashion and invites people to gather together to escape the rain!

:: More info – Giant Raincoats Facebook Event Page

The Alternative Route 

11:30AM – 6PM, Cambie Bridge South

The Alternative Route is a wayfinding project inspired by spontaneity, public engagement and fun! Anyone is welcome to participate by writing on the chalkboard arrows or by following the directions already written on one. This is your opportunity to help others discover great things happening in the city and how to get there.

:: More info – Alternative Route Facebook Event Page

POP! A Rainy Day Refuge 

11:30 – 6pm, under the Cambie Bridge – South

A day of free activities taking place in a G I A N T B U B B L E that will blow you away! POP! is a one-day public event brought to life through a partnership between the CityHive Youth Hubs, frida&frank, Vancouver Design Nerds, and Viva Vancouver as a part of winteraction.

• 11:30-1:45 | Bubble Platform Design Jam by Vancouver Design Nerds
• 2:00-4:00 | Public Spaces Storytelling by the Civic Engagement Youth Hub
• 4:30-6:30 | Live performance by Soft Fit and Big Zen

:: More info – POP! Facebook Event Page

Hot+Noisy Chinatown Mahjong Social 

3-6pm Keefer Plaza, 180 Keefer Street

An afternoon of events featuring Fai Chun writing 手寫揮春, Paper-cutting 剪紙, Make your own lion heads for procession to Keefer Triangle… and of course the opportunity to play, teach, or learn Mahjong and other Chinese games 齊來參與麻雀耍樂及各種遊戲.

:: More info – Hot + Noisy Mahjong Social Facebook Event Page

LuminoCITY 

4-7pm – Adanac Vernon Plaza

LuminoCITY is an art installation that aims to combat winter blues and brighten people’s day by creating an immersive environment filled with warm light. Each of the 179 tealights represents a day of Autumn or Winter. This piece is inspired by candles and the Danish concept of “hygge” which means wellbeing.

:: More info – LuminoCITY Facebook Event Page

Short Winter, Never-ending Picnic 

6PM-10PM, Dude Chilling Park, 2390 Brunswick Street

A group-initiated, collaborative, inclusive and free picnic! Please bring shelter, things to sit on, food, non-alcoholic drinks, anything you think would be nice to share. Everyone is invited! Please bring your friends, we’d like to meet them. Free hot chocolate and other hot drinks will be provided. Please bring your own cup if you’d like some! There’s also a pre-picnic pancake dinner (reservations required)!

:: More info – Short Winter Facebook Event Page

Dance Through Downtown

800-Robson, 8-10pm

Join the Party4Health team in creating a spontaneous dance party throughout Vancouver’s central core. The music and dancing start at 8pm… but who knows where it will end!

:: More info – Dance Through Downtown Facebook Event Page

Tatlow and Volunteer Park stream restoration open house

Saturday, January 27 at 11AM – 2PM

City of Vancouver Park Board staff are planning to restore a historic stream that ran through Tatlow and Volunteer Park. They’re holding the final public open house to share a refined concept plan, discuss the challenges and goals related to this stream restoration, and outline the next steps for the project.

The event takes place at the VPL Kitsilano Branch (2425 MacDonald Street).

:: Further information – City of Vancouver – Tatlow & Volunteer Park Restoration
:: Read more – Improving our urban watershed: Tatlow and Volunteer Park stream restoration (VPSN Blog, March 2017)

Hot Tea, Rain City 

Saturday, January 27, 2PM to 5PM at Jim Deva Plaza 

The City of Vancouver wants to talk to you about rain! Visit the Hot Tea, Rain City mobile tea and conversation cart at Jim Deva Plaza (Bute and Davie Street) to share your ideas on how we can better enjoy Vancouver’s public spaces during the cold and wet winter months… and how we can better embrace Vancouver’s rainwater as a valued resource for our communities and natural ecosystems.

Hot Tea, Rain City will feature some of Vancouver’s top tea masters serving up warm cups of tea in the Gong Fu Cha style. Gong Fu Cha (功夫茶) or “Tea with Skill” is a way of tea making that originated in the Fujian Province of China and is practiced all over the world by tea lovers.

:: More information – City of Vancouver Event Page

The solstice has arrived! The days, once darkened, will now be getting brighter again.

We’d for us to take this opportunity to wish you the very best of the season. With new parks and plazas coming online, and a renewed interest in animating and stewarding our urban spaces, it’s been an exciting year for public life in Vancouver. We’re looking forward to more good stuff in the year ahead.

In the meantime, we hope you have a chance to enjoy the brightly lit streets and exciting events taking place over the next few weeks, connect with friends and family, and enjoy the city during this special time of year.

Stay warm out there!

- The VPSN crew

Last Minute Gift Ideas for the Public Space Aficionado

For those of you who are still struggling to find a gift for that special someone, we present our annual effort to resolve late-in-the-game gift-giving anxiety. There are lots of quick things you can do for your urbanist friends and family, so be sure to check out the 20+ ideas contained in our blog post. Peace of mind is just a few clicks away!

:: Read More – Last Minute Gift Ideas

Winteraction – January 27, 2017 (Funding Available)

Our friends at Frida + Frank are pulling together an excellent event for late-January, which aims to animate public space at this colder, rainier time of the year. On Saturday, January 27 they are inviting local placemakers to create an intervention and get outside and embrace the rain. Interventions can be as simple as splashing in the puddles, or as wild as creating a rain activated art-piece. The intent of this day-long celebration is to spark discussion on how we can positively change the way we view winter.

You can join the Winteraction Facebook page to gather and share ideas. There’s also some funding available! Frida &frank is looking to provide selected projects with up to $250 to create winter activations in public space. Applications are due January 4 at noon.

:: Read the full Overview and Call for Proposals
:: For more information – email frida.and.frank@gmail.com
:: Apply for funding

Oakridge Centre – Initial Park Design Concepts (Deadline for Comments – January 2)

The Vancouver Park Board is planning a new park as part of the redevelopment at Oakridge Centre. It presents an interesting design challenge. The nine acre public park will be the first of its kind in Vancouver, located partially on the roof top of the mall and partially at ground level. One of the challenges that we and others noted back in 2014, is that the differentiation in levels may pose issues in terms of the overall access to, and utilization of the park. How might the design of the park account for these considerations? Some initial concepts have been developed and shared via open houses in early December. There’s also a survey online until January 2.

:: View the Design Concepts and Open House Boards (December 2017)
:: Share your thoughts via the Oakridge Centre Park Concepts – Survey

South False Creek Workshops (various dates)

The City of Vancouver is creating a new plan for the False Creek South area – a neighbourhood that stretches from the Burrard Bridge to Cambie Bridge. As part of this, they have created workshops devoted to different planning themes. Registration for the 2018 False Creek South workshop series is now open.

• Public Realm & Open Space, Wednesday, January 10 (5 – 8 pm)
• Transportation, Wednesday, January 24 (5 – 8 pm)
• Housing, Saturday, January 13 (9:30 am – 12:30 pm)
• Character & Urban Design, Saturday, February 3 (3:30 – 6:30 pm)

Sign up for public workshops and help the City and community create a renewed vision for False Creek South!

:: Register for a workshop – online here or by calling 604-829-2015.
:: Read more on the False Creek South Planning Program

Improving Democratic Space – Speaking at City Council (Deadline: January 31, 2018)

Good news! The City is looking for ways to improve the experience of speaking at council! The following is excerpted from their media release.

“Have you ever spoken at a City of Vancouver council meeting? Or did you want to but were put off by the process? If so, the City wants to hear from you.

As part of a comprehensive review of the Procedure By-law, City staff are engaging with the public, staff and Council to make it simpler and more efficient for everyone who speaks at City Council meetings.” In particular, they want to identify

• Challenges and barriers to accessing and speaking to Council
• Opportunities to improve public access and experience when speaking to Council
• The role of speakers in the decision making process
• Language and accessibility needs of the public
• Public and Council member conduct at meetings

The public survey is available until January 31, 2018 and focus group sessions will be held in early 2018 to further explore the challenges, barriers and opportunities to accessing and speaking at Council meetings.

:: Share your thoughts – Take the survey

Places for People – Wintertime Study (February 1 and February 3, 2018)

Interested in studying public life in the wintertime? The follow-up Downtown Public Space and Public Life Study has been scheduled for February 1 and 3, 2018. If you would like to volunteer, you can sign up for your shifts via Eventbrite.

The study is being conducted by Gehl Architects on behalf of the City of Vancouver to better understand how people use and spend time in Downtown Vancouver. The winter phase of the PSPL study will span forty different public spaces across the downtown.

Volunteer survey shifts are on February 1 and February 3, 2018. Shifts will be four hours long and will be anytime from 8:00 am – 8:00 pm. There is a required training session on Wednesday, January 31, 6:00-8:00 pm. (Location TBD).

:: Register to Volunteer via Eventbrite
:: Facebook Event Page

Volunteer Opportunities – Orientation

Put those resolutions into action! The VPSN is an all-volunteer, non-partisan organization that works to celebrated Vancouver’s public spaces. Our key activities include placemaking, research, and advocacy. If you’ve got some time to spare and want to lend a hand with the VPSN, why not drop by our next volunteer orientation meeting to learn more. It takes place January 15, 2018. Location TBD.

:: For more information, or to register – volunteer@vancouverpublicspace.ca

– The VPSN Team

Exploring Gastown Public Spaces – Monday, November 27

Recently, we had a chance to support the City of Vancouver’s efforts to “Reimagine Gastown Streets” by exploring a number of the neighbourhood’s key public spaces. For us, this is all part of a larger body of advocacy and placemaking work that we’ve done around Blood Alley, the Waterfront Hub, and Alexander Street (to name a few of our projects).

Coming up next Monday, November 27 at 6:00pm, we’ll be holding a small ideas jam with our team to look at developing a comprehensive set of recommendations that we can use in our advocacy work around Gastown.

If you’re interested in joining, please let us know. Email info@vancouverpublicspace.ca for more details.

“Public Space Day” at City Council – Wednesday, November 29

Speaking of advocacy… City staff will be presenting a number of updates to Council next week, including reports on Plaza Stewardship, Special Events, the Viva Vancouver (public space activation) program, Bute & Robson Plaza, and an update on the Places for People work involving the City’s downtown public spaces.

The VPSN will be reviewing all of these reports over the next few days, and we’d encourage you to do the same. And hey, you should let Council know your thoughts. More often than not, City Council only hears from people who don’t like a particular initiative… but we think there’s lots in these programs and initiatives that’s worthy of general comment and commendation! Consider informing the discussion by sharing your feedback!

:: Check out the Council Agenda (contains links to individual reports)
:: Share your thoughts – email mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca

Community Dialogue – Downtown Parks & Recreation – Wednesday, November 29

How would you like the Park Board to provide recreation, such as arts, culture, spaces and facilities, in the downtown core of Vancouver? The Vancouver Park Board is developing Vancouver’s Playbook, a new master plan to guide the delivery of vibrant parks and recreation over the next 25 years. This coming Wednesday, they’ll be holding a dialogue on the future of downtown parks and recreation facilities. The event takes place 6:30 – 9:00pm, at the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre. It’s free, but registration is encouraged.

:: Register for Park Board – VanPlay Community Dialogue: Downtown
:: More Info: www.vancouver.ca/vanplay

Places for People Downtown – Public Space Makers – Wednesday, December 6

As part of the Lumiere Festival, the City of Vancouver is hosting a Pecha Kucha-style discussion that looks at how our public spaces function. In particular, the event asks What kind of public spaces do we need in Downtown Vancouver? How can we better support the idea of creating public life in a rainy city?

The event takes place at Jim Deva Plaza (Bute and Davie), 6:00-8:30pm. The VPSN’s Paola Qualizza will be one of a number of presenters – so be sure to check out this exciting event!

Five More Public-Space Related Projects that Need Your Input

The City of Vancouver is in the midst of a number of public-space related initiatives that you may be interested in. Though described in a recent media release as “transportation” projects, the initiatives in question will all have the potential to enhance city streets and neighbourhoods in a number of different ways. Projects include upgrades to the Georgia Gateway, improvements to the Cambie Bridge, the North East False Creek Area Plan, the Alexander Bikeway, and Mobility Pricing.
There are various consultation opportunities under way, and while some of the open house opportunities have passed, there are other ways to share your feedback.

:: Read More – Get Involved: New and ongoing public space initiatives need your input

Recap: Arbutus Greenway Design Jam

October 27–29, 2017 saw the Arbutus Greenway Design Jam, an all-weekend event where 100 Vancouverites met to generate ideas for the permanent greenway. Residents discussed how to enhance biodiversity and access to nature in the city, provide spaces for play and learning at all ages, increase opportunities for public art, and honour the layered history and culture of the area.

Naomi Wittes Reichstein, Arbutus Greenway Project Lead for the VPSN, was there. You can read her write-up on our blog.

:: Read More – Building our city at the Arbutus Greenway Design Jam

Gift Ideas for the Public Space Aficionado. Your ideas?

Every few years we public a list of cool gift ideas for lovers of public space. There’s always an exciting mix of things to be found – and some of the best ideas come from readers like yourself.

If you’ve got something you think we should add to this year’s list, please email us at info@vancouverpublicspace.ca.

Volunteer Opportunities?

Interested in lending a hand with our public space work? Our next volunteer orientation session takes place on Tuesday, December 5 at 6pm. Location details are being finalized, but if you’d like to attend please email volunteer@vancouverpublicspace.ca.

Photo credit: Rain Urbanism, by Matthew Soules

This is a project near and dear to our hearts, so if you have some spare time this week for:

• Mandatory training session on Wednesday evening, Roundhouse Community Centre, 6-8pm; and
• A 4-8pm shift on Saturday, September 16

please register with the planning team through their Eventbrite page.

Details on the event (via the City’s webpage)

Volunteer for the public space and public life study

Have you ever wondered why you enjoy walking down certain streets more than others? Or why some areas of cities are brimming with people while others feel abandoned? Help us find out!

Gehl is conducting a Public Life Survey in partnership with the City of Vancouver to collect ‘people data’ and better understand how people get around and spend time in the city.

The survey will inform a Downtown Public Space Strategy and potential test projects to bring the strategy from vision to action.

This is a great way to learn about Gehl’s approach to urban planning and design and play an active role in future changes to the public realm in Vancouver.

Most shifts will be four hours and take place between 8:00am and 8:00pm. Some shifts involve less of a time commitment.

Where?

• Multiple locations across downtown Vancouver.
• Be prepared to be outside and on your feet for the duration of your shift.