After a day of odds and ends (translation: rendering some order to my seriously messy apartment), it’s nice to close things with a bit of liveliness and surprise.

I’d forgotten that Tom and Gary had one of their excellent Decentralized Dance Parties scheduled for today. As a consequence… I missed all of it, save for the part that showed up just down the street from where I live.

My loss! the 45 minutes I caught was a pretty good time – and featured everything from Neil Diamond to Meatloaf to some old euro club tracks that were popular when I lived overseas. For those that haven’t hit one of Tom and Gary’s events before, the DDPs are a roving take-over of different spaces. They dj a set and broadcast it on a transmitter, and the partyers that accompany them (on foot or on bike) tune in to the set on their boomboxes. Sometimes it’s a roving affair, while other times it’s contained to a specific (usually) public space. The whole thing has a great symbiotic feel, where the participants really do help to make the event happen. Call it the audience as amplifier, or participatory raving. Fun stuff.

Today’s event started in Robson Square hours ago. I’m not sure how many spots the revellers hit in the intervening hours (one cop I spoke to grumbled that the party had gotten a bit too close to Bard on the Beach… which, if it’s true, would have made for an awkward clash of cultural activities). Nevertheless, at 10:00pm they were in the West End… and at 10:15pm, a happy crowd was gathered at the Inukshuk.

By 10:45 the police had shown up. They were pretty good natured and waited for 11:00pm (when the Noise Bylaw really kicks-in) to pass. It was interesting to overhear the pep-talk they had with one-another before hand – mostly centred on making themselves more visible (by donning reflective traffic-control vests) and determining that it was the Park Bylaw that they wanted to quote (because parks are supposed to ‘close’ at 10pm).

My not-so-good (call it Impressionistic) shot of the VPD gathering on the hill:

For some folks, this was probably too early to end the party. I always oscillate on this issue — because I think the city could use certainly use a more diverse nightlife than it currently has, but because I also think the spaces used for this nightlife ought to be at least somewhat conducive to it. (Partying in front of the Inukshuk, for example, means partying right in front of at least four large residential towers… which invariably will generate some legitimate complaints if things go too late into the night).

We can do better than Granville — there’s no doubt about that. And there’s no real reason we shouldn’t use some of our parks well into the night. But which ones, and where?

Robson Square – Update on the 800-block Petitions

Just under a week ago the VPSN launched a series of petitions on the future of the 800-block of Robson Street (between the Art Gallery and the Law Courts). Right now the space is home to an awesome and diverse array of activities – all of which are animating this short block and transforming it into something quite excellent. 

Sadly, vehicle traffic is due back on the street on September 5. In response to this, we developed two petitions to measure support for the idea of keeping the area vehicle free. Response has been quite good so far, and we’re encouraging people to take a stand one way or the other (VPSN democracy in action!)

If you haven’t already done so, lend your voice to this debate. The Mayor and members of City Council have said they want to see the results of the petitions… so if you haven’t already done so, please take 30 seconds to click on one of the following. And please let your friends, family and networks know about the initiative. The more signatories we get, the better our chances of saving this space. Thanks!

YES, I support the expansion of Robson Square and the closure of the 800-block to vehicular traffic.

NO. I want vehicles back on the 800-block of Robson. Please DO NOT expand Robson Square.

Here’s some of the things people are saying about closing the 800-block:

- We’ve upped Vancouver’s game as a livable city with new bike lanes, let’s stay on course and open up more spaces to human-scale enjoyment instead of regressing to the agonized gridlock that characterized Robson Square before the renovation. – TG

- One more place for potheads and malcontents to make Vancouver look even more like a craphole. NO THANKS. – Anon

- As a citizen of Vancouver who regularly visits Downtown Vancouver leisurely, I do believe that Vancouver is lacking a public square where people can just relax in the heart of the city… – GI

- The original design intent for this space was vehicle free. This is an opportunity to honour the design of Arthur Erickson and Cornelia Hahn Oberlander and their vision for this public place. – BA

- Vancouver has become a hotbed for half-baked (pun intended) ideas to flourish in the name of public space. It’s easy to be for public space and public this or that if you don’t own a car or own a home (ie. pay a mortgage on actual property). – DG

As you can see – lots of interesting debate is taking place. What do you think? Sign on to a petition today.

You can hear and read more about the petition via media coverage on CBC , CTV, the Georgia Straight, and Vancouver Sun.

:: More information – robsonsquare [at] vancouverpublicspace.ca

EVENTS

Saturday, August 20 @ 12:00 – Kissing Flash Mob/Smooch Mob

As part of the Downtown Vancouver BIA’s Summer Love Social Media Campaign, this Saturday August 20 people are invited to pucker up for a spontaneous expression of love at Vancouver’s first Kissing Flash Mob/Smooch Mob.

Against the scenic backdrop of the North Shore Mountains, Stanley Park, and the Burrard Inlet, Smoochers will gather on the north pier at Canada Place before noon to enjoy the scenery and act like it’s any other Saturday. At 12:00pm sharp, Canada Place’s Heritage Horns will play the first four notes of O Canada, signalling the start of a minute-long kiss. After the kiss they’ll be handing out complimentary lip-shaped chocolates from Mink a chocolate café and a rose from Vivio Flower Gallery, while supplies last.

Saturday, August 20, Vancouver Zombie Walk – 4:00-6:00pm

Braaaaainss! Once again the undead will roam the streets. Vancouver’s annual zombie walk has continued to get bigger, scarier and gorier. Get out the face paint and fake blood, start the chant, and get ready to take the streets. Meet at Robson Square at 4:00pm. 

:: More info – Zombie Walk Facebook Event Page

Saturday, August 20, 4:00-8:00pm – Sing! Outdoor Karaoke Kiosk

Vancouver’s Urban Republic Arts Society hosts Sing! – a participatory karaoke event taking place on the 700 block of Granville Street at Georgia Street in downtown Vancouver.

The Karaoke Kiosk will use a renowned and beloved form of entertainment to activate Granville Street in a fun way that crosses borders between ages and cultural backgrounds. Sing! celebrates and shares the pop cultures of Vancouver’s diverse population. Come sing and hear what grooves in French, Mandarin, Hindi, Spanish, Cantonese, English, Japanese. The Karaoke Kiosk is free and open to all.

:: More information – http://www.urbanrepublic.ca

Saturday, August 20, 9:00pm-? – Tom and Gary’s Decentralized Dance Party (on bikes!)

Dress up in your finest, comfiest business attire, hop on your bike and pedal downtown for a night with Tom and Gary and their collection of vintage boomboxes. The Decentralized Dance Party meets at 9:00pm at Crab Park and departs at 10:00pm on a rolling shakedown throughout the city. Lots of stops en route. Awesome fun.

:: More info: – Tom and Gary’s Decentralized Event Page

Other Stuff

In addition to the aforementioned shenanigans, there’s lots of other cool things taking place – including local farmers markets (http://www.eatlocal.org), free salsa and ballroom lessons, along with an Artisan’s Market at Robson Square (http://www.robsonsquare.ca), and many excellent activities sponsored by the City’s Viva Vancouver program (http://www.vancouver.ca/viva). Have a good one!

This just in… a couple of interesting public space-related initiatives that you might have heard about, which combined tell something of a story about public life in Vancouver. (Okay, I’ll leave it to you to determine whether there’s really a link here: it’s just that news of these two items landed on my desk at the same time and I couldn’t help but think about the connection.)

First up, a initiative coming out of the Vancouver Heritage Foundation.

As part of the City’s 125th birthday celebrations, the Foundation is launching a project called Places that Matter and is asking people to help create a list of 125 favourite places around the Vancouver. These don’t have to be public spaces per se (though chances are there’ll more than a few that’ll make the list), but can include buildings, streets, natural settings and more… including, it would seem, people and events.

The definition is broad and inclusive, and you can submit a photo, as well as a short explanation of why you thing the site is so important. The only limitation is that the ‘places’ submitted have to have a history prior to 1991 (or 20-25 years old) and be located within the boundaries of the City of Vancouver. (It’s too bad about the latter part, as it means there will be some favourite places that are excluded as a result (like the Central library building, as well as some of our excellent new community centres and parks.)

The call for submissions lasts until March 15 at which point the public will have a chance to vote on their favourites through to early April. Once the 125 ‘winners’ are determined, a commemorative plaque will be developed for each and installed over the summer and Fall. You can also see the spots that have been nominated already.

One other note: you can also check out the Heritage Foundation’s display at the Central Library (interesting venue choice!) this Saturday, February 26 between 10am and 4pm. They’ll be taking nominations there as well.

Of course places need people in them in order to generate a sense of vitality. And that’s where the second piece comes into play. (Or not!)

Tom and Gary’s Decentralized Dance Party – which were part of the lively (and unofficial) Olympic shenanigans a year ago – had planned an outdoor party to coincide with the one year anniversary of Sidney Crosby’s gold-medal goal in the hockey final. The event, which was to take place this Saturday night on Granville Street, has drawn grumbles from City. Among the concerns that have been outlined: crowd control, safety, security, sidewalk congestion and sanitation issues. A letter from the City’s Legal Department has been presented to the organizers, asking them to think twice.

Are we back to No Fun City?

It’s an interesting dilemma, because on one hand, it is important to ensure spaces that are safe for residents and partiers alike. On the other hand… it’s Granville Street. It’s Saturday night. The so-called entertainment district, for better or worse, was created precisely for this sort of aggregation of people. Shouldn’t we already be able to deal with these sorts of things? After all, it’s probably the most policed part of the city as it is. And while the lack of bathrooms may pose a problem, perhaps its time to look at even more public toilets in the downtown. The buses, well, that’s a decent point. (Probably should have left them on Howe and Richards, but that’s another story…).

Reading between the lines, the real issue, I think, has something to do with a sort of civic anxiety about the unpredictability of public life – which manifests itself in the effort (some would say need), to maintain control over public gathering. This is where things like insurance waivers and permits and all of the other tools and mechanisms come into place.

The antithesis of this control is spontaneity – even planned spontaneity of the Decentralized Dance Party sort. But perhaps we as a city need to start thinking a little harder about how to enable (support, allow–pick a verb…) these sorts of things. After all, Tom and Gary have done a pretty decent job of throwing flash-mob style parties over the last couple of years, and surely this counts for something.

Talk to planners and engineers about public life and they’ll start to reference about the idea of “programming public space” to make sure it works. The idea here, is to create a scheduling of activities and events that help to activate a space and provide a degree of animation for public enjoyment.

But while the notion of ‘programming’ space is useful, there is also an equally important need to allow for unprogrammed activity as well. This is how you achieve a balance of activities and street life that feels authentic, not Disney, in nature. And this is why Tom and Gary’s gig is so cool — it’s because it’s not really part of the ‘official’ City-sanctioned “Rediscover Granville” narrative… even though it fits with it so very neatly.

Part of the challenge, for people like Tom and Gary, is that being ‘unprogrammed’ and spontaneous within the existing regulatory format can be onerous, costly, and challenging. First there’s the Special Event Permit fee, then there are insurance considerations, followed by potential requirements for extra police and sanitation workers and other costs. By the time you’ve added all these items together, grassroots initiatives of this sort can end up costing hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.

I’m not saying that these items shouldn’t be accounted for. But perhaps it’s time for the City to review how these sorts of events are handled. After all, if we’re at a point where we can look at cutting red-tape for temporary performance spaces, then maybe we could also start to think of doing the same for our outdoor gathering spaces as well.