The public transit plebiscite has started with many of us still undecided on whether we should vote yes or no to the Mayor’s council proposal for the major public transit overhaul. If you are still undecided or leaning on a no vote for any reason, think of the yes vote as an action that would actually improve your health. Here’s why:

1. Less driving means more walking: the new proposal will allow more people to use public transit to reach their destination. People who take public transit are more likely to walk for a longer period of time every day and are less likely to be overweight compared to those who drive. It might not sound like much, but walking is a actually an effective form of exercise, especially if practiced regularly.

2. Less cars means less congestion and a peace of mind: This one is a no brainer. Nobody likes to be stuck in traffic. The stress arising from wasting a significant part of your day sitting in a car instead of spending it with your friends and family (or watching TV if you may) is definitely not healthy, not mentioning the fact that you could be spending that time doing something healthier, like taking your dog out for a walk, or playing with your children. So even if you don’t ever use public transit, allowing others to do so, will help give you less congested roads, less stress and more leisure time.

3. Less cars means less air pollution: With all the people using the improved public transit, there would be less cars on the street. That translates to less greenhouse gas emissions, less impact on climate change and certainly less air pollution in our city. Think of this the next time you are walking on the side of a busy street.

4. Less cars means less chance of road injuries: Every road injury and traffic accident is one too many. Why not help reduce them by having less cars on the roads?

5. Easier access to medical and recreational facilities, friends and loved ones: Everyone deserves to be able to get around, visit their friends and access the city’s services. This is an important issue especially for seniors, people with disabilities or others with reduced mobility. A better public transit system will help everyone get around in the city more safely and comfortably.

6. Less driving can mean more cycling: The proposal promises more safe cycling routes across the Lower Mainland. The number of cyclers in the region is on the rise, and this proposal will help give it a major boost. If you are a current cycler or plan on getting on the bike more often, voting yes will give you more bike routes and longer tracks to cover. If you don’t cycle, voting yes will help take the cyclers off the roads and on cycling routes, making the roads safer for everyone.

Voting yes will benefit everyone: from drivers, to public transit users and cyclers, from young students to families and seniors. A yes vote is a vote for better health.

]]> https://vancouverpublicspace.ca/2015/03/20/six-reasons-why-voting-yes-is-good-for-your-health/feed/ 0 https://vancouverpublicspace.ca/2015/03/16/transit-referendum-vote-yes-on-the-congestion-improvement-sales-tax/ https://vancouverpublicspace.ca/2015/03/16/transit-referendum-vote-yes-on-the-congestion-improvement-sales-tax/#comments Mon, 16 Mar 2015 15:00:57 +0000 http://vancouverpublicspace.ca/?p=6178 photo by Anjana Pradhananga

Skate to where the puck is going to be — so that well-worn chestnut from a national hero goes. I’m not much of a hockey fan but I do know sound planning advice when I hear it.

So it goes for transit, too. At its heart, the referendum on a regional congestion-improvement sales tax is about making sure the region is there to get the puck to score our goals in the face of the coming challenges.

We know our population will grow — people already here will have children; people will seek opportunities that compel them to move here; some will choose to settle and feel secure enough to have their loved ones join them.

No more and no less than what we hear in the stories of our friends, co-workers and neighbours when we ask how they’ve come to be here.

Transit takes time to build; so do transit-friendly neighbourhoods. Hearing about the proposal for transit, walking and cycling improvements, it’s too easy to say: “Too much. What’s in it for me? When I could buy so much right now with the money ($135 or $258 per year, depending on who you ask) we’d pay to this tax?”

Two-hundred-and-fifty-eight dollars a year sounds like a lot of money when you compare it to the abstract idea of more bus service — especially if you never use the bus, feel like you can’t even if you did want to and don’t know anyone around you who does.

But it’s the wrong question. The question should be, “What will this tax buy us as a region that you won’t be able to for yourself in 10 or 20 years?”

More transit service throughout the region means more seniors (me, or my parents?) able to live in walkable neighbourhoods they are familiar with and have friends in, regardless of their driving or economic status.

It means young people gain independent movement to enrich their learning and civic engagement, freeing up their parents (a future me?) from time spent shuttling people around.

It means less space required for parking and more green spaces, public spaces and preserved or restored natural habitat (and cleaner air).

Imagine your household saves that $258 (just one guess) for the years until these projects are realized.

You could maybe buy one thing with equivalent benefits to those that I’ve listed. But not all of them, and not without moving.

A yes vote is a yes to all those things, and more, that transit enables. I was that teenager, I might be that parent and, with time, I’ll be that senior. And I’ll vote yes, because I will want to have those choices — and I think you should have them too.

—–

A version of this piece originally appeared in the Your Ride: Vancouver column for Metro News.

• Sunday, October 6 – Harbour Hop!
• HOLD THE DATE: Thursday, October 31 – Halloween SkyTrain Party

VPSN RECAP

• PARK(ing) Day 2013
• P.S. I Love You – A Public Space Photo Scavenger Hunt

ENGAGE

• Saturday, October 5 – Oakridge Centre Rezoning – Open House
• Saturday, October 5 – VAG North Plaza Redesign – Open House
• Tuesday, October 8 – Improving Citizens’ Access to Speak to City Council
• Coming Up: Downtown Bus Service Review
• Coming Up: Community and Neighbourhood Planning Work – Public Realm Items
• Talk Vancouver – New online space for you to share your ideas and opinions

OTHER EVENTS

• Monday October 15 – Sunday October 20 – Living the New Economy 2013
• October 22, 24, 28, 29 – Carbon Talks presents: Moving In Metro: A discussion on mobility pricing
• Tuesday November 5 – The Creek Forum
• Friday November 8 – Saturday November 9 – Media Democracy Days

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

• Campaigning, Outreach and Communication — Get On Board BC

VPSN UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

Sunday, October 6 – Harbour Hop!

The weather this Sunday is looking sunny and rain free! What better time than now to join the Vancouver Public Space Network for a unique autumn walking experience – an urban hike along all of Vancouver’s Burrard Inlet waterfront. Beginning at the Coal Harbour entrance to Stanley Park, this walk will travel east, along the Coal Harbour seawall, through the historic streets of Gastown and Railtown, past the industrial areas bordering our working port, and through the neighbourhoods of Grandview-Woodland and Hastings-Sunrise, terminating at New Brighton Park.

This is not a guided tour, but rather a communal stroll to enjoy the diversity of our harbour and its bordering neighbourhoods. Come see the many faces of Burrard Inlet – from its forest of glass towers to its historic cobblestone streets to the trucks and cranes of a busy port, to the quiet and leafy East Van neighbourhoods offering peek-a-boo views of the water.

Meet at the base of Aerodynamic Forms In Space, that funky airplane sculpture on the western end of Devonian Harbour Park, just east of where the pedestrian/cycling underpass under Georgia Street emerges. (Where the Stanley Park seawall ‘begins.’). The walk begins at 1pm sharp. Estimated walking time – about 3 hours. (And when the walk is over, transit is close by to get you home.)

This will be a fun, relaxed event. Invite your friends, bring your camera, and wear your most comfortable walking shoes!

IMPORTANT NOTE: This event is contingent on decent weather – so please our VPSN blog or Facebook event page on Sunday morning for updates.

:: Have questions? Give Scott a shout at: scott [at] vancouverpublicspace [dot] ca
:: Facebook Event Page

HOLD THE DATE: Thursday, October 31 – Halloween SkyTrain Party

Our VPSN signature event is back for the eighth year! Gather your friends, get your sassiest costumes together and get ready to celebrate public transit by jumping on the SkyTrain for a Halloween ride like no other.

We’re in the process of sorting out event details and will be releasing these over the next few weeks. We’ve got a spankingly awesome dj lined up, an after-party in the works and all sorts of other goodies in store. Mark your calendars!

VPSN RECAP

PARK(ing) Day 2013

PARK(ing) Day is a worldwide celebration of public space reclamation. The premise is simple: with a shortage of parks and an abundance of parking spaces, there’s an opportunity to rethink the way we allocate land within our urban environments.

On Friday, September 20 the VPSN – in collaboration with City Studio, Modo Car Co-op, Tradeworks and a team of great volunteers collaborated to transform two parking spots outside of Japadog on Robson Street into a vibrant, musical and ‘woody’ community space for the day.

Using recycled wood and pallets to create an intimate space for passersby’s and downtown residents, our upcycled parking space became a place for people to sit, read, eat, talk, rest, meet new people, play the piano, and engage in art. A base ‘woody’ surface was designed and built in an East Vancouver backyard supported the CityStudio’s ‘Long Table’ and Polka-Dot piano, along with Ken Lum’s mobile art cart and Robert Beckenwermert’s covered wagon.

:: Check out Eric Scott’s photographs of Park(ing) Day
:: Moving pictures – a short video of the event was put together by GP Mendoza

P.S. I Love You – A Public Space Photo Scavenger Hunt

At 12PM on game day, the VPSN Game Masters at PS I Love U HQ didn’t know what to expect, but then the pictures started to flood in. 30 teams of public space enthusiasts were on the streets of Vancouver, tackling a big list of 57 riddles.

We were totally blown away by the enthusiasm, creativity, and determination of all the participating teams from the moment we received the first photo. A big shout out to all the players who fearlessly combed the city on Saturday afternoon. We received a lot of great photos and can’t wait to share them with all of you.

A fierce game was played, but after the dust had settled there were three teams at the top – The Life Warriors (106 points), The Mole Hill Monsters (75 points) and Jessica’s Day (66 points). We’ll be posting all the answers to the clues in short order. Stay tuned!

:: Check out our blog post for more details and photos from the day’s event

ENGAGE

Saturday, October 5 – Oakridge Centre Rezoning – Open House

One of two City of Vancouver open houses taking place this weekend. A revised rezoning application for the Oakridge Centre development is now being considered by the City. In addition to the expansion of the mall itself, the proposed mixed-use development would introduce 11 buildings onto the site and a number of public space features. Features of the proposal include:

• Doubling the size of the mall to 1.4 million square feet
• 2,916 residential units
• 300,000 square feet of new office space
• A 70,000-square-foot civic centre (community centre, library, seniors centre and childcare space)
• Rooftop open space
• A range of building heights between six and 45 storeys

The Open House takes place 10:00am – 4:00pm at Oakridge Centre in the former Zellers location, 650 West 41st Avenue (41st and Cambie)

:: View the City’s Oakridge webpage and check out the “documents” tab for detailed boards and renderings
:: Provide a comment on the rezoning application here

Saturday, October 5 – VAG North Plaza Redesign – Open House

Earlier this week, the City unveiled three proposals for the redesign of the Art Gallery North Plaza (also known as Centennial Square or Courthouse Square). They’re part of a process of reviewing and redeveloping the plaza that began last year with the “Block 51” consultations that investigated the public space possibilities of both the North Plaza and the 800-block of Robson.

We’re excited to see the City move ahead with this process. The North Plaza is an important space in the City… and one whose historical significance and practical uses are currently undermined by a number of problematic design features (including circulation challenges, a fountain that many loathe and a bark mulch ground-cover that has recently turned into something resembling a mud pool).

If you’re keen on helping this plaza being something better than it is please lend your voice. We encourage you pop by Robson Square and visit the Open House. Check out the concepts and talk with the design team that put them together. (At this point they’re not trying to ‘pick a winner – just get feedback on the features that people like and don’t like).

The event takes place 12:30-3:30pm at the UBC Robson Square, Plaza Lounge (inside the main entrance opposite the skating rink).

:: Concept 1 – Wet 
:: Concept 2 – Active Edge 
:: Concept 3 – Plalo Ring
:: Main City of Vancouver “Block 51” webpage 
:: Feedback Questionnaire

Tuesday, October 8 – Improving Citizens’ Access to Speak to City Council

This will be of interest to VPSN members who are interested in the role of democratic spaces. A motion will be considered next Tuesday, October 8, at City Council that looks at the accessibility of Council deliberations to the average citizen. This is an issue that we identified in our Route Map of public space policy a few years back – and something that we continue to feel strongly about.

The motion – which has yet to be debated – asks that City staff “investigate best practices, consult with the Mayor’s Engaged City Task Force, the City’s advisory committees and others, and report back to Council within two months with suggestions on how to improve citizens’ access to speak to City Council, including the possibility of allowing citizens to sign up for daytime or evening time periods, and the use of technology to alert speakers as to which number on the speakers’ list is being heard.”

:: Read the full text of the motion
:: Have your say – follow this link to see how you can register a comment

Coming Up: Downtown Bus Service Review

The City of Vancouver and TransLink are in the midst of a joint study of downtown local bus service to take into account the many changes that have taken place downtown in the past few years. Recently, they released a summary of what they heard from the public during their consultations in late June and early July of this year.

We are following the City and TransLink’s work on this item closely, as it has the potential to benefit both transit mobility and the downtown public realm. Further information on this study will be released in Fall 2013 and we will provide an additional update at that time.

:: Downtown Bus Service Review webpage
:: Summary of initial consultation

Coming Up: Community and Neighbourhood Planning Work – Public Realm Items

Also on the books for Fall 2013 are a number of neighbourhood-scale public realm items:

• The Mount Pleasant Community Plan Implementation Plan, which includes a separate neighbourhood Public Realm Plan will be presented to Council.
• The West End Community Plan, which includes a number of public realm components will also be considered by Council
• Additional work is on-going with the Downtown Eastside Local Area Plan, the Grandview-Woodland and Marpole Community Plans, and the Eastern Core Strategy.

Stay tuned for updates on these items as they emerge.

Talk Vancouver – New online space for you to share your ideas and opinions

From the City’s webpage:

“As part of our Engaged City initiative, we invite you to be part of Talk Vancouver, an online space for civic participation.

Help us build a better Vancouver by becoming a member of the City’s online community of trusted, local advisors. We’ll be inviting you to participate in studies and discussions to ask you about your needs and ideas, share information with you about new initiatives, and find out what’s most important to you.

Why join? When you sign up for Talk Vancouver, you can:

• Play your part in shaping Vancouver
• Ensure that your unique views and ideas are included in the conversation
• Stay informed and connected to the City’s latest initiatives
• Participate in public consultations online

:: To join visit the Talk Vancouver webpage

OTHER EVENTS

Monday October 15 – Sunday October 20 – Living the New Economy 2013

Check out the exciting line up of workshops, film and capacity-building events at the second annual Living the New Economy conference. The event takes place at Granville Island and features a number of events that will be of interest to public space aficionados, including the following:

• Workshops with place-maker extraordinaire Mark Lakeman (Portland City Repair)
• Indigenous Leadership and Perspectives on the New Economy
• Reclaiming the Commons: Why the future will be distributed and open source (with Michel Bauwens, P2P Foundation, Dallas Luther, MakerLabs, and Tiberius Brastaviceanu, Sensorica)
• Shared Spaces and Physical Incubators: how co-location fosters a collaborative culture, (with John Bromely, Benevoland and Tara Mahoney, Gen Why Media)

Each event is individually ticketed, or you can get full passes for the week-long event (at quite a reasonable rate, we might add!).

:: More information via the Living the New Economy webpage including and complete

October 22, 24, 28, 29 – Carbon Talks presents: Moving In Metro: A discussion on mobility pricing

Being able to move around our cities is critical for transporting goods, accommodating jobs and population growth, building strong and vibrant communities, and connecting with our partners in the region and elsewhere. But how do we pay for our transportation system in a way that is fair and transparent and provides for our current and future needs?

The SFU Centre for Dialogue is hosting a series of four regional dialogues with residents to explore one response to this question – mobility pricing. The goal of each session is to increase our understanding of mobility pricing as it applies to roads and to hear citizens’ perspectives on its potential role in Metro Vancouver’s transportation system.

:: More information or to register

Tuesday November 5 – The Creek Forum

Continuing the work of the St. George Rainway Project, The Creek Stewards (students from Mount Pleasant Elementary) will lead a day of activities designed to inform and inspire engagement with place-making, specifically around the “headwaters” of theRainway (Kingsway and St. George st). This event reflects and celebrates over a year of work the students have undertaken to meet their community enhancement goals.

:: More information – Creek Forum Website

Friday November 8 – Saturday November 9 – Media Democracy Days

Media Democracy Days is an annual media reform conference that promotes alternative, independent, and democratic media in Canada. MDD is organized in partnership with SFU’s School of Communication, The Vancouver Public Library, and OpenMedia.ca, and is held annually to engage the public in critical debates relating to media-related issues…This year’s event focal points include information control, access to information, personal privacy, and online spying.

:: Check out this year’s programming at the Media Democacy Days webpage

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Campaigning, Outreach and Communication — Get On Board BC

The Vancouver Public Space Network has endorsed the GetOnBoard BC coalition to advocate for sustainable funding for improved public transit service and infrastructure across Metro Vancouver. Get On Board BC is in need of a number of volunteers to assist with tasks such as writing, research, coordination, outreach and community engagement, campaigning, communication and coalition-building around the future of transportation throughout the region.

:: Contact Karen Quinn Fung (quinn@vancouverpublicspace.ca) to learn more.

UBC’s Alma Mater Society is hosting a Community Transit Forum to discuss the future of the Broadway corridor. The event will take place on Thursday, May 2nd, from 6:30pm to 9:30pm at the Hollywood Theatre on Broadway.

The Broadway corridor (from Commercial Drive through to UBC) is a key economic, residential, institutional and cultural area for Vancouver and British Columbia. It boasts the highest concentration of jobs in B.C. outside of the downtown core. More than 100,000 public transit trips occur in this part of the city each day, making it one of the most heavily used diesel bus routes in North America.

Broadway’s current and potential demographic and economic development has driven recent discussion about the future of the corridor. Given the ongoing discussions regarding the future of the corridor, the AMS is inviting a number of speakers to lead a discussion, with community input, on the kind of future that is envisioned for Broadway. Informed debate will help the community shape and articulate its own future within a rapidly growing region.

Vancouver Public Space Network’s Karen Quinn Fung will be participating as a panelist to share her views on this issue through her experience as VPSN’s public transit project lead, and to bring forward VPSN’s interest in enhancing Vancouver’s public spaces to the dialogue. Other panelists include Yuri Artibise (Yurbanism), Claire Havens (SFU’s Carbon Talks), and Arno Schortinghuis (HUB – Your Cycling Connection).

Want to join us? Register online at the event’s Eventbrite site. Looking forward to see you there and hearing from everyone on this very important topic!

Racing to get on the 2011 SkyTrain Party – Photo by Lydia Yan

The day has arrived! Time for the 7th annual VPSN Halloween SkyTrain Party!

Don your finest costumes and head down to Waterfront Station for 7:45pm. We’ll be departing shortly thereafter (8pm) on the Canada Line – heading south to Brighouse Station in Richmond.

Our return trip takes us to City Centre Station in Downtown Vancouver, where we’ll disembark and head to a rain-proof after-party in our top-secret public space location. The whole thing will be wrapped up by 11:00pm – leaving you plenty of time to rock out at all the other good parties going on around town.

SOME IMPORTANT THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND:

• The Translink & Canada Line folks have been good to us over the years – let’s keep that fine relationship going! Remember to buy your fare or bring your U-Pass. And if you see a Translink/Canada Line official, be sure to say thanks. If you’re coming as a zombie, please do not bite them.

• Be kind to the nice train that will carry us on our ride. When we get to City Centre station we’ll need to exit the train fairly quickly – please remember to pack out whatever you bring with you. Help us to leave the trains as clean as possible

• Please give the DJ and VPSN crew some space! Our team needs a bit of room to deal with set up and operations. We all want to make sure the sound system can get dialed to 11 – and extra space is especially helpful if there are any unexpected lurches in the train.

• Do not exit the train at Brighouse Station… unless you want to be left in Richmond.

• When you depart at City Centre Station – please head towards the Georgia Street exit – wait for instructions. From there, we’ll take a short walk (3 min or so). It may be rainy, so if you want to pack an umbrella, please do so. (Note that the after-party location will be rain-free).

Finally, a word to the obvious… We’re asking everyone to pitch in to keep the good vibe going, because transit parties like this will only last as long as everyone behaves in a reasonable fashion. So, in other words, if you see someone doing something stupid, tell ‘em to save it for later.

OTHER THINGS TO THINK ABOUT…

If you bring a camera, please send any event related snaps our way – we love getting copies of people’s memories! You can also tag your photos and post them to our Vancouver Public Space Network VPSN Flickr group, or VPSN Facebook page.

You can also do the twitter via #skytrainparty and follow us at @vpsn

FOR MORE INFORMATION

EMAIL: Vancouver Public Space Network at info [at] vancouverpublicspace [dot] ca

FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE: http://www.facebook.com/events/104455739714030/

Translink points out that by January 2013, it will have been five years since fares were last increased. The proposed increases are as follows:

• a 1-zone ticket would rise by 25 cents, from $2.50 to $2.75
• a 2-zone ticket would rise by 50 cents, from $3.75 to $4.25 and
• a 3-zone ticket would also rise by 50 cents, from $5.00 to $5.50.

The price of 10-ticket FareSaver packs would increase as follows:

• 1-zone FareSaver books would increase from $21.00 to $23.50
• 2-zone FareSaver books would increase from $31.50 to $35.50
• 3-zone FareSaver books would increase from $42.00 to $47.00

In the course of providing feedback for this process (such as proposed road space arrangement, mode alignments, station placements, and the comprehensiveness of the evaluation process), there are three key factors that apply across the board as TransLink and stakeholders move forward on a decision:

• The status quo is not working. With the desired growth in employment density along the central Broadway corridor as desired by the City of Vancouver, the over-crowding on transit on Broadway can only get worse. While the precise trajectory of other factors affecting travel, such as the nature of growing demand for trips to UBC, is uncertain, it is more than clear that we have passed the need for incremental increases capacity and require more than buses.
• We want the most people able to access transit. Our ideal is that the chosen solution moves the most people possible while maintaining high safety, convenience, accessibility and affordability for today’s and tomorrow’s population. We urge respondents to keep in mind that Broadway has the potential to be a “great street” and currently serves as Vancouver’s second downtown. This is an important factor while weighing the options for the transit alignment. The transit option selected will have an impact on public realm development and how roadspace will be allocated on Broadway for the future.
• How we fund what we decide to build matters. Many aspects of public-private partnerships deserve closer scrutiny, not least because they alter the balance of whether transit operators are able to take profits from some parts of the system to help fund transit operations in other places, such as buses serving seniors, low-income individuals and others who depend on transit. While funding is a primary consideration in later stages of the study, we should ensure we get the system that meets our needs on a wider spectrum of factors, not simply in moving us around.

TransLink will be reporting back on feedback it has received near the end of 2011, when decision-makers at TransLink and the Province will settle on a preferred alternative.

Want to keep in touch with the Vancouver Public Space Network’s work on this issue? Send an e-mail to Karen Fung (quinn AT vancouverpublicspace DOT ca) and we will be sure to keep you in the loop.

From Wednesday, March 30, to Wednesday, April 6, TransLink will be holding a series of community consultation workshops in different areas along Broadway to share where they are at with Phase 2 of the UBC Rapid Transit study. Since Phase 1, a new crop of considerations have appeared, so now is a great time to get caught up on the status of the study!

The Vancouver Public Space Network did a lot of thinking about the Broadway Corridor last year, when we held a series of open workshops exploring the concept of Broadway as a ‘Great Street’ called Transforming Broadway.

These workshops, as well as TransLink’s UBC Line Rapid Transit Study website, are a great way to learn more about what’s possible and what both TransLink and people in the area think, whether they work, live or play in or around the area. Transit — both in terms of getting around and the ‘fixed infrastructure’ which supports it — is a huge defining factor of both public space and life in Vancouver generally.

We highly encourage you to attend the workshop, attend TransLink’s online webinar on the topic, or weigh in online. If you participated in their workshops last year, or if you need to get caught up, I recommend checking out TransLink’s summary of what they heard in their Phase 1 Consultations.

The Vancouver Public Space Network’s Public Transit and Surveillance and Security working groups will be meeting on Thursday, March 3rd, to consider projects to highlight and explore the impact of both smart cards and turnstiles on the current experience of the public transit system.

To get myself in the mood, I pulled together a short gallery of 18 photos from Flickr of turnstiles in public transit stations around the world for a taste of what’s on the horizon for Vancouver as TransLink moves ahead with planning for and implementing similar systems for SkyTrain. (Unfortunately I’m not able to embed all these pictures in this blog post; however, if you click through you’ll be able to see my comments on what strikes me as interesting or applicable to Vancouver, about each photo!)

Having lived in places like Toronto and Hong Kong, as well as being a visitor in cities with their own versions of these systems, I’m sensitive to the fact that both turnstiles and smart cards provide conveniences and benefits to both transportation authorities and people using public transit.

But I think it’s also sensible to ask some questions about what the experience of transitioning from the honour system to one that will involve both turnstiles and smart cards will be like. For example:

• How tenable are the cost/benefit considerations associated with turnstiles?
• What was the process by which turnstiles were determined to be a priority for TransLink? Is the political push from the Transportation Minister to pursue them appropriate?
• Beyond estimates, what do we know about “fare cheats” anyway? Why exactly do some people avoid buying a ticket?
• Will turnstiles and smart cards be used as advertising surfaces as they are in other cities? (Well, smart cards have been since late last year … so we have an answer to that question already!)

The addition of turnstiles and smart cards will represent a change in the way that we engage with transit. The honour system (at least in this case) will be set aside for gate-keeping technology. Depending on your perspective, this could be a minor thing, or representative of a philosophical shift in the way TransLink does business.

If these questions sound like things you want to explore with us, come join us at Vancouver Public Library — Central Library at Library Square on Thursday, March 3 at 6:30, or if you aren’t able to make it, please send an e-mail to say you are interested — quinn [at] vancouverpublicspace.ca — and we’ll be sure to keep you up to date on the status of the project!

• Friday, September 17 – Park(ing) Day
• Friday, October 1 – Greenest City Idea Slam (w/Image Contest & Design Jam)

VPSN MEETINGS & PROJECTS

• Wednesday, October 6 – Volunteer Orientation Meeting
• Monday, September 27 – Billboards & Corporatization Brainstorm
• Monday, September 27 – Halloween Transit Party Planning Meeting

ENGAGE: PUBLIC CONSULTATION OPPORTUNITIES

• Hornby Bike Lane Consultation

PUBLIC SPACE EVENTS

• Saturday, September 25 – Liveable Laneways Festival
• Wednesday, September 29 – Showcasing Urban Environmental Health Inequity
• October 4-7 – Gaining Ground Summit

VPSN PUBLIC SPACE FEATURE EVENTS

Friday, September 17 – PARK(ing) Day

It’s almost here! Join us for PARK(ing) Day this Friday as we transform two parking spots into temporary parks for the public good. Drop by and say hi or stick around and be part of the action!

For the third year running, the Vancouver Public Space Network will be participating in PARK(ing) Day – a global adventure that sees parking spaces transformed into public space playgrounds for young and old. Sound awesome? It is! This year, weather permitting, we will have locations active in the West End and at City Hall:

1. West End – 1218 Davie Street (SW Corner @ Bute). 9:30am – 5:00pm;
2. City Hall Councillors Parking (N side), 454 West 12th Ave. 11:30am – 2:00pm

:: More information – Simon Wong simon [at] vancouverpublicspace.ca
:: Join the Facebook Event Page to stay up-to-date

Friday, October 1 – Greenest City Idea Slam

We’re very pleased to announce our latest collaboration with the City of Vancouver and Simon Fraser University. The following is an excerpt from the official press release.

Green Ideas Sought for Vancouver’s Future; Top ideas chosen for panel review with CBC Radio’s Bill Richardson and Mayor Robertson

Building on the success of the “Talk Green to Us” campaign, the public is invited to participate in the on-line forum www.talkgreentous.ca to share ideas they want to put into action to help Vancouver become the greenest city. The public can also visit the forum to vote on their favourite ideas.

The most innovative and creative ideas with the most votes will be selected to be pitched to, and receive feedback from, a prestigious panel of experts facilitated by Mayor Gregor Robertson and Bill Richardson, host of CBC Radio’s Saturday Afternoon at the Opera and In Concert programs….

Hosted by the City of Vancouver, the Vancouver Public Space Network and the Simon Fraser University (SFU) City Program, the panel event will take place at the SFU Woodward’s Fei and Milton Wong Experimental Theatre. Poet laureate Brad Cran and musician Veda Hille will be providing entertainment while Jaime Kowal and Ryan Tomkinson will share art and photography… The public are encouraged to attend but must register for the event as space is limited: http://websurvey.sfu.ca/survey/64166248.

:: To see the complete press release check out the VPSN blog

Call for Artists and Creatives – Illustrate Our Transformation Into the Greenest City

Are you an aspiring artist, designer or photographer? The good folks at Green the City will be presenting a variety slide show of “Green City” themes as part of the aforementioned Oct 1 Greenest City event. They’ve got a call out for some artistic expertise and are looking for images that riff off of the theme “Where have we come from and where are we going?” Share your images and visual creations (archival mash-ups, conceptual renderings, photoshop madness… documenting Vancouver’s green past, present and future).

It’s easy to participate. Check out this month’s assignment below, and submit your images and artwork to www.greenthecityvancouver.com. The top-notch work that you submit will be broadcast live as part of the event!

:: To send in your work – submit [at] greenthecityvancouver.com

Design Nerds – Greenest City Jam

One final Greenest City gig that you ought to know about. Our good friends at the Vancouver Design Nerds will be hosting one of their ever popular Design Jam sessions this Friday (Sept 17). The goal of the evening will be to capture 20 Greenest City ideas, either new ones or improvements on existing ones on the talkgreentous.ca website. All ideas will be posted to the website by end of night. We’ll then ask you all to use your social networking powers to vote on your favourite ideas. Takes place 630-10pm at Recollective, 5 West Pender (Buzz 109)

:: More info – Design Nerds Facebook Event Page

VPSN PUBLIC SPACE PROJECTS

Monday, September 27 – Billboards & Public Space Corporatization

Our Corporatization Working Group is convening a meeting to brainstorm issues around the corporatization of public space – that is, the presence of billboards and outdoor signage, corporate branding and forms of privatization affecting Vancouver’s public realm. We’ll be preparing a discussion paper on the subject and we invite you to help us to think through the issues. The meeting takes place Monday the 27th of September at 6:30 pm. Location TBD.

:: For more information – stephanie [at] vancouverpublicspace.ca

Monday, September 27 – Halloween Transit Party Planning

The Public Transit Working Group will be meeting on Sep 27 and are looking for volunteers interested in helping us with our annual Halloween transit party. You remember that, don’t you? Crazy costumes, awesome tunes, lively transformation the region’s transit infrastructure? It’s coming again. Oh yeah. Meeting location TBD.

:: For further details – quinn [at] vancouverpublicspace.ca

Wednesday, October 6 – Volunteer Orientation Meeting

Join us for our monthly volunteer orientation and learn about opportunities to make Vancouver great! Session takes place at 630pm in Room 3047, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings. Please RSVP.

:: More information or to RSVP – erin at vancouverpublicspace.ca

ENGAGE – PUBLIC CONSULTATION OPPORTUNITIES

Hornby Bike Lane Consultation

We believe that Hornby street is a crucial link in creating a substantive and comprehensive bicycle lane network that will increase ridership and safety and will provide benefits for residents and businesses alike. Not everyone agrees. Either way, this is a good chance for you to sound off on your feelings about the City’s transportation directions.

:: Have something to add? Email mayorandcouncil (at) vancouver.ca
:: City of Vancouver – Bike Vancouver webpage

PUBLIC SPACE EVENTS

Saturday, September 25 – Liveable Laneways Festival

Celebrate the transformation of a neighbourhood laneway into a cool space. This event showcases some excellent placemaking work being done in Mt. Pleasant. Meet at 8th and the Lane (just west of Main Street). With music, markets, a BBQ and more. in the laneway between Main and Quebec, from Broadway north to 7th Ave.)

While you’re there – stop by and say hi! The VPSN’s mapping team will be there gathering information for our community Green Map.

:: More information – Liveable Laneways Facebook Page

Wednesday, September 29 – Showcasing Urban Environmental Health Inequity: Insights from Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Toronto

You are invited to attend an animated final reporting on the community-based research DTES residents have completed since 2008 when a team of researchers from UBC partnered with the DTES Neighbourhood House and other local organizations.

Research focuses on understanding environmental health inequities in the city – with work going to support efforts to create a more “just” city. Takes place 1:00-5:00pm at the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House, 573 East Hastings @ Princess.

:: More Info/RSVP – Email Rebecca Haber – rhaber [at] interchange.ubc.ca

October 4-7 – Gaining Ground Summit: The Power of Green Cities to Shape the Future

The Gaining Ground conference will have a whole range of interesting workshops and side programs connected with the future of urban spaces. Check out the program here.

We’d also like to draw your attention to a couple of interesting looking sessions
:

“Walking the Talk-the Footprint for Active Transportation” – Workshop and Learning Lab (October 4 8:00am-3:30)

As part of the preconference offerings of the Gaining Grounds conference, Walk21 in association with Green Communities Canada is presenting a one day workshop at Simon Fraser University. Join local leaders, decision makers and leading global experts on walking environments and walkability in a full- day workshop exploring this foundation of Active Transportation. This exciting day consists of a working breakfast session with professional training on walking environments, followed by an on street hands-on walking audit, analysis, and in- depth discussion. Learn innovative best practices that can be used by you to make communities more walkable.
This session will be led by Dr. Rodney Tolley from Walk21, Jacky Kennedy from Green Communities Canada, and Paul Young, with Public Space Workshop. This workshop and learning lab is $75.00 for the full day, inclusive of breakfast and bagged lunch.

To register – http://www.gaininggroundsummit.com/shoulder_program.htm

Public Lecture on Walkability (October 4)

There will be a free public lecture at 6:00 to 8:00 at SFU on walking and walkability led by Paul Young.

Healing Cities (October 7)

Healing Cities is a part of the larger “Gaining Ground” summit. Register now for an opportunity to explore how cities can be healed, and also be healing places for all of us to inhabit. This exciting and integrative conference will bring together planners, developers, architects, engineers, transportation professionals, massage therapists, physicians, counsellors, energy healers, spiritual leaders, and you! This day of conference will help us learn and explore new ways to approach the task of healing cities. We certainly don’t have all the answers or even all the questions, and we need your input.

:: For more information: Gaining Ground Website