City Talks - Public Spaces
Last year, Sidewalking Victoria co-hosted a panelist conversation at The Dock called City Talks - Is Downtown Dying, Thriving or Surviving, you can read my article about that event here. That evening was magical, the conversation that we had through the amazing panel and the audience really raised new ideas about our city. The icing on top was that we sold out with many people telling me afterwards that they had tried to get tickets to no avail. Ray Straatsma (my co-host) and I enjoyed the event so much that we have decided to do it again.
On December 2nd from 6-8pm we will be hosting our second City Talks event at the Dock. We have a whole new topic and a whole new amazing panel to open the conversation with all of you that attend. This year the topic is Public Spaces. Tickets Available Here
For those of you that read my blog on a regular basis, you know that I have some strong opinions on pubic space. I think that we need strong, vibrant public spaces that people are drawn into and return to because of what is there or how they make them feel. I think that while we have some good spaces in Victoria, they are often drowned out by the numerous sterile or bad public spaces. At the same time, the city continues to grow and with a larger and larger urban population living in smaller spaces, the need for quality public spaces is continuing to increase. In response to this growing population we are seeing developers including public spaces in their development plans, often a number in a small area are being created within different projects. I am not seeing the throughline between what is being proposed and a big picture plan on the current and future needs of Victorians. An added complexity is that most of these spaces are not truly public, but instead private spaces within a development that will be open to the public.
When it comes to true public spaces, we are also seeing challenges. Whether it is the current (and ever-ongoing) issues with the redevelopment of Centennial Square; the pedestrianization of Government Street; the creation of a harbour-front walkway or rebuilding of Peter Pollen Park, all of these seemingly taking forever. In recent years, the City also purchased park space along Blanshard Street that has yet to be planned. And sometimes we let odd policies get in the way of park creation, such as with Harris Green, which can’t be a park despite being almost 2 acres in size, because it is a road median.
And then there is what goes into our public spaces as another area for great debate. Should they have commercial enterprises, public art, memorials? Should there be moveable chairs or playgrounds? Who should the spaces be for?
As you can see there is almost an endless assortment of topics that may be covered in this conversation. Despite all my opinions on public space though, I am co-creating this conversation as an opportunity for me to learn as well. To this end we have invited a truly special panel to spark this discussion, and a wonderful moderator to lead all of us through it. The panel is:
Anna Kapusta - City of Victoria / Landscape Architect
Anna Kapusta is an Urban Designer with a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture and over 18 years of professional experience. She currently works for the City of Victoria, BC, where she brings her passion for city-building and placemaking and her commitment to public service to a wide range of urban design initiatives.
Her professional focus includes large-scale concept design, masterplanning, urban design, and neighborhood planning. She has developed design guidelines, planning policies, and proposals for multiple municipalities at both city and regional scales. Anna’s international experience spans the United States, Europe, and China, where she served as a Design Director.
With a diverse and multidisciplinary background, Anna has developed a deep understanding of the relationship between urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, and engineering.
Peter Johannknecht - Cascadia Architects
Peter Johannknecht is a registered Architect (in BC and Germany), a LEED accredited professional, certified Passive House Designer and is a founding Principal with Cascadia Architects Inc.
Born and educated in Germany, Peter moved to Victoria in 2005. He trained with firms in Hamburg, Salzburg Austria, Vancouver BC and had his own firm in Paderborn Germany before moving to Canada where he had accepted a job opportunity with Perkins + Will, working on the Dockside Green Development in Victoria. He later joined the Vancouver firm HCMA and was part of their expanding Victoria team, gaining valuable experience on various public sector projects.
In 2012 Peter founded Cascadia Architects with Greg Damant. His involvement brings a strong international design aesthetic, integrating environmental sustainability and attention to detail.
Scott Amos - Monkey C Interactive
If you catch Scott on the rare occasion that he can find his business cards, you’ll see his title is “Mostly Harmless Mad Scientist.” – The first part, of course, is a nod to writer Douglas Adams. The second is something that he can’t avoid. His studio is full of antique radios, projectors and cash registers, reclaimed parts of forgotten technology, bits and pieces of broken old machines. If it’s got chunky buttons, beefy dials, or has the perfect glint of shiny, he’ll dissect and rewire it, adding lights and circuitry, to create the hardware for Monkey C’s interactive sculptures.
Jeff Bray - Downtown Victoria Business Association
Jeff joined the Downtown Victoria Business Association, first as the interim Executive Director in November 2017. He joined the association permanently in April 2018.
Jeff Bray grew up in Vancouver, B.C. After graduating from UBC, he embarked on a 13-year career with the BC government. In 2001, Jeff was elected the MLA for Victoria-Beacon Hill. More recently, Jeff was the Manager of Government and Regulatory Affairs for Shaw in BC. Community-oriented, Jeff is the Co-Chair of the Coalition to End Homelessness, Former Vice-Chair of the Royal BC Museum Foundation, Former President of the Former MLA Association of BC, and Former Vice-President of the North Quadra Community Association.
Lorne Daniel - Author / Local Placemaker / Moderator
Lorne Daniel is a respected voice in urban affairs. After a career in communications and public engagement, he was a founding member of Greater Victoria Placemaking Network in 2013. He is the recipient of awards from the Canadian Institute of Planners, the International Downtown Association, and the City of Victoria.
There will be an opportunity for you to engage with the panel during the event. I know that this will be a rich evening of thought and discussion. You can get your tickets from Eventbrite here.
Also to entice you a little more there will be a small surprise at the end if you wait around for it. I look forward to seeing you there and would love to hear your thoughts about this in the comments.