In Cincinnati, Grassroots Urbanism and Transit Movements Gel

After years of nascent fiddling and stop-and-start organizing, the Cincinnati transit and urbanism movements have started to gel in substantial ways. Come September 2016 the city will have a modern streetcar system running through its downtown to prove the movement’s combined worth.

This is a city, remember, that is infamous for its woes with rail transit, none more striking than its abandoned subway system currently lying underneath city streets. It’s also a Midwest city fighting for urban relevancy at a time where cities like Chicago and Minneapolis gobble up all the good Midwest millennial talent, places like Atlanta and Dallas continue to invest in their urban cores with miles of rail, and global cities like Sydney expect to see huge growth along to-be-constructed light rail lines.

But the days where Cincinnati trails its transit peers is over, says local leaders and grassroots advocates who can now boast that the city has reversed decades of population decline and is showing significant strides in becoming a creative class hotspot. And now with the 3.6 mile streetcar project, seen as an economic development tool just as much as a transit project (within a few blocks of the route an estimated $300-500 million in spinoff investment has recently occurred), 2016 promises to put an exclamation point on recent wins.

The story that has brought these movements together started way back in 2001 after a sweeping regional rail service initiative was soundly defeated by a 2:1 margin. Not dismayed, local transit advocates saw a silver lining in the polling results that showed immense popularity for rail transit in the downtown area. So they decided on a new approach to bring rail back to Cincinnati, one with a laser focus on the city core.

According to John Schneider, one of the local urbanists responsible for the streetcar coming to fruition, it was during this time that Ohio Senator Mark Mallory showed a keen interest in rail transit. “He called me up and asked to learn more about light rail and streetcars, and we met at the Graeters on Reading Road for a long talk.”

It was that talk that paved the way for the streetcars coming to Cincinnati. Fortuitously, Mallory went on to become Mayor in 2005 and one of the eventual political adversaries to move the streetcar conversation forward.

Thereafter, the Cincinnati Business Committee invested $50,000 in a credible study outlining a route and its projected benefits and costs. “This was all advocate-led, bringing leaders to the table and trying to keep them there,” says Schneider. “That’s really unusual for one of these projects.” 

By 2007, the feasibility study had been completed and the proposal for a rail loop through the city core was hardened. That route was later broadened to include an extension to the Uptown area to capture more jobs and University students as well as grow political support for a still soft project.

But before advocates and the Mayor could gain too much in the way of progress, in 2009 and again in 2011 the anti-tax group COAST lobbed ballot initiatives to stop the project dead in its tracks.

The referendums would have amended the City Charter to require a vote on all future expenditures on any passenger rail project. Both were eventually defeated by a majority of Cincinnati voters. Widely seen as a referendum on the streetcar itself, the initiative’s defeat was a major victory for Schneider and transit advocates in the city, and for Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory.

Those wins were short lived, however, and in 2011 advocates again faced another rail enemy with the newly elected Governor John Kasich who took away $52 million in state money that had been awarded to the streetcar by the previous administration.

The 3.6 mile streetcar route that is now built, connecting downtown with the Over-the-Rhine neighbourhood. 

The City was forced to postpone the Uptown connection and moved forward with a slightly shortened downtown route. By the end of 2012 construction had started and nearly a ½ mile of rail been laid on the project.

It was at this time that the project faced its most serious setback when Mayor-elect Cranley and a newly elected, anti-rail City Council voted 5 to 4 to suspend work on the project and bring in an independent auditor to analyze the cost of completion versus the cost of cancellation.

While all of this happened, an army of supporters and volunteers collected signatures for a ballot measure on behalf of the streetcar. While it never came to a vote, the Council vote set off a maelstrom of grass-roots activity, organized under the moniker Believe in Cincinnati, to save the streetcar.

“There were a lot of people who realized, once the audit came back, that the numbers were just unacceptable,” said Eric Avner in an interview with the New York Times in 2013, vice president of the Haile foundation. “Cincinnati did not have the luxury of wasting that much money.”

Local grassroots group Believe in Cincinnati quickly organised and helped keep the streetcar project moving forward.

With a ballot measure pressure mounting and the results of the audit, it was enough to produce a veto-proof 6-to-3 Council vote to resume construction and eventually finish the project.

Yvette Simpson, a council member who voted for the project, summed up her support to the New York Times in 2013: “It’s not just about a streetcar. It’s that Cincinnati can accomplish great things.”

With such ardent grassroots urbanism and transit movements now working simultaneously, it should come as no surprise, then, that even greater things are in store for the city. “The Cincinnati Streetcar is a new choice that we hope will lead to a more balanced transportation system,” explains Schneider. “Advocates are hoping that seeing the streetcars operating -- actually light rail vehicles -- will re-start the light rail conversation again.” 

All About Philly's Awesome Pop-Up Scene

New York may have dominated headlines regarding big tactical urbanism efforts in years past. But it’s New York’s near neighbour Philadelphia that might be the U.S’s real tactical capital. Rife with small-scale interventions making for a big collective change, Philly’s upswing in public space improvements is changing the way other cities do pop-up. 

Calling all tactical efforts in the city ‘small’ might be selling things short. The city’s newest parklet was just installed near Penn’s campus, and it’s massive. At 60 feet (18m) its one of the longest parklets ever built.

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West Philly Parklets. Source: newsworks.org

It’s one of 5 major parklets scattered around the neighbourhood. UCD, the local community organization who maintains them, recently published the nationally-acclaimed study: "The Case for Parklets: Measuring the Impact on Sidewalk Vitality and Neighborhood Businesses." The study provided data and recommendations based on a multi-year analysis of parklets and their ability to bring more life to public spaces.

The study has given pop-up efforts the quantitative bona fides to make similar improvements across the country. But in Philly, anecdotal evidence has fueled pop-up success; none more so than the buzz behind the now infamous Philly beer garden scene.

 Beer garden pop-ups like the Spruce Street Harbor Park, The Oval and the PHS Pop-Up Garden have become some of the city’s most popular summer destinations. And for good reason – they’re awesome!

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Spruce Street Harbor Park. Source: wheretophilly.com

The Spruce Street Harbor Park has so far been the stand out. The temporary summertime village is now in its second year and has upgraded the down and out waterfront area with a floating restaurant, weekend beer garden, hammocks, shuffleboard, and hundreds of thousands of visitors.

And in true pop-up style, the space’s cheep and cheerful successes have drummed up support for long-term solutions for improving the waterfront. Above all, this is the true power of the pop-up paradigm and one that’s been observed for years. Short-term improvements can and do lead to long-term change.

So it's no surprise that across town Philly’s most famously awesome pop-up, The Porch, has now began to improve with permanent features. The Porch started as a temporary experiment to breathe life into what was a parking lot next to 30th Street Station, the City’s main transport hub. That was 4 years ago. Now the folks behind the Porch have teamed up with Groundswell Design Group and Gehl Studio to enhance the space with more permanent planters, seating, lighting and food options that compliment the popular programming schedule.

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The Porch. Source: vixemporium.com

The City of Philadelphia has also taken note of this movement across its city. In recent years they’ve implemented a Pedestrian Plaza Program to grease the wheels for neighbourhood groups to build their own pop-ups, and with a solid revenue stream from city coffers. That too has been pretty awesome for improving open spaces in Philly’s neighbourhoods.

If the past is a measure of future successes, it isn’t likely Philly’s pop-up revolution will slow down. Maybe we’ll see floating beer gardens down the Delaware next year? Or roller skate rinks along Market Street? At this point, nothing seems totally off limits. Lets just hope it stays as equally awesome as years past.  

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Greg Meckstroth is a certified planner, award winning urban designer, and published writer, Greg's passion for cities and placemaking extends across various spectrums. Connect with Greg on twitter here. 

Was the I-96 a missed opportunity for Detroit?

I96. Image courtesy of @ishootmi.

"The long wait is finally over", says Ashlee Baracy, "Traffic is moving again on this stretch of I-96".

Baracy is referring to the recently completed (and ahead of schedule) road upgrade on Detroit's Interstate 96. The $148 million project is welcome news for drivers but is this 'improvement' a missed opportunity for a more liveable Detroit?

Around the world, roads and the way we view them, are changing. We're seeing the rise of community led initiatives that are converting roads into people places and Governments that are adopting progressive transportation policies to make roads safer and more comfortable.

These projects don't discriminate against modal choice but don't prioritise the car either.  They find balance in meeting local and regional economic needs, moving products and people from 'A to B', while making the journey more enjoyable and improving micro experiences along the route.

The Complete Streets policy and design approach achieves this balance by improving road efficiencies and designing better environments for people and their communities. In a similar way but through a temporary activation, the Open Streets Project closes roads to automobile traffic and invites the public to explore the space, reclaiming it as a place for people not just the car. 

I96. Image courtesy of @caitbug420.

On Sunday, 21 September 2014, this is what happened on the I-96. Governor Rick Snyder declared the freeway a Family Fun Day and invited the public to 'view' the upgrade. In total, more than 10,000 people took the opportunity to play on the newly completed 7 mile section with the public response catching people by surprise. "Sunday afternoon was a celebration, something we'd never really seen before. Thousands walked or biked on the reconstructed freeway which was obviously still closed to traffic" says Ashlee Baracy.

The day was a huge success. It was also a missed opportunity.

In many ways the 'fun day' highlighted other uses for the extensive (and now underutilised) car-based infrastructure that currently exists within the City itself but failed to connect these new uses with long term planning or strategy. Can we have fun and also plan a better City too?

In a City synonymous with the car, is it time for Detroit and its suburbs to build a new brand? A new image that reflects its people rather than its products? And if so, how can the Detroit landscape, in a rapidly changing world, be used to benefit the City rather than cause it harm?

"Detroit calls for more intimate exploration", says Joe Baur, "And there’s no better way to experience this iconic city once ruled by cars than on the saddle of a bike."

Baur in his article, ‘Cycling Detroit makes too much sense to ignore’, claims urban infrastructure previously focused on the American Dream and suburban culture could be adapted to produce a new urban paradigm. It's an interesting concept and one that is changing the very fabric of cities that have already adopted cycling as a serious transport option.

In Detroit there is also a move towards the return of the wheel (bicycle that is). Innovative companies like Shinola are now making more bespoke products (including bikes), the Tour de Troit is advocating for non-motorized infrastructure and the Slow Roll originally starting in Detroit, is now popping up around the Globe as new Slow Roll chapters emerge in Malmo and Berlin, just to name a few. Attracting over 3000 riders each week, the Slow Roll is a local success story and so too are these other projects reflecting a growing appreciation, recognition and need for a stronger bike culture in Detroit.

This is something the project team of I-96 should have considered during the upgrade. How can a city built from 20th Century values be adapted to suit 21st Century needs? Instead of manufacturing cars, could Detroit celebrate a new future, one with a strong vision to supply America and the world with bikes?

What are your thoughts? Should Detroit's Interstates be adapted for cycling and what culture change would this bring for a shrinking City limited only by possibilities?

I96. Image courtesy of @whalemap.

Greening Montreal: Growing Food in the City

Image courtesy of Urban Seedling. 

by Guest Contributor, Tereska Gesing.

Inspired and driven by many grass roots movements like green alleyways,  almost 100 community vegetable gardens, and urban farms on the island of Montreal, Urban Seedling sets out to bring the vegetable garden back to peoples back yards, work places and schools.

Urban Seedling is a company in Montreal devoted to helping local citizens set up and maintain organic vegetable gardens, edible landscapes and Urban Clover Lawns in the city.

“Education is a huge part of what we do” says co-founder Shawn Manning. In addition to eating delicious food, fresh-picked steps away from the kitchen door, families are showing their kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews where food comes from, and sharing the magic of watching your dinner come from a simple seed planted in the ground.

Image courtesy of Urban Seedling. 

Following permaculture principles, Urban Seedling plants fruit trees, berry patches, vegetable gardens and even asparagus and mushrooms. They replace grass lawns with ultra-low maintenance Urban Clover Lawns, and plant herb and edible flower gardens to transform a client’s yard, balcony or rooftop into a simple, beautiful and productive edible paradise all the while encouraging a great biodiversity of heirloom fruit, vegetables, trees and flowers in the city.

In addition to many local Urban Agriculture initiatives in Montreal, like the City Farm School at Concordia University, l’École d’êté en agriculture urbaine at UQAM, Santropol Roulant’s roof top and ground level farms and Cote St. Luc Grown, Urban Seedling aims to put at least a portion of food production back in the hands of the people.

Montreal, always a contradiction, has many successes as well as many failures in terms of advances in Urban Agriculture. In 2011, 29,068 Montrealers signed a petition to launch a public study of Urban Agriculture in Montreal, which in turn revealed many potential municipal avenues. Montreal has a thriving community garden system with more plots per capita then any other city in Canada, and perhaps the world. These 8195 allotments serve 10, 000 individuals and their families and all have sometimes years-long waiting lists.

Image courtesy of Urban Seedling. 

The citizens of Montreal are clearly very interested in greening their homes and public spaces, and supporting local food initiatives with dozens of small farmers’ markets popping up throughout the city and the suburbs. The City of Montreal itself, however, is way behind cities like Berlin, New York, Singapore, Vancouver in terms of supporting Urban Agriculture and green roof initiatives both financially and in terms of re-zoning and cutting through complicated bureaucracies to get highlighted projects off of the ground.

The next 5 to 10 years will certainly bear fruit as all the local Montreal actors push to increase the percentage of agriculturally zoned land in production, as well as increase the knowledge base and sensitivity of individual citizens on the importance and benefits food production within city limits.

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Tereska Gesing and her young family grow more than 65 varieties of heirloom fruits and vegetables in their 600 square foot backyard in Montreal. She is the co-founder of Urban Seedling with her husband Shawn Manning.

A 'Dress Rehearsal' for Bringing Back Broadway!

Image courtesy of Maria Sipin.

Broadway has long been a gem in the LA crown. It's recognised as an important U.S. Historic District with numerous architectural and social places of significance. However in recent years, increased competition and consumer behaviour has impacted on the vibrancy of the neighbourhood leading to a 15-20% ground floor vacancy rate. In response to this threat, a public-private partnership initiated by Los Angeles City Councilmember José Huizar, established to implement a ten-year 'complete streets' plan. The initiative, 'Bringing Back Broadway', includes a Streetscape Master Plan that will focus on providing greater comfort and enhancing the overall experience for pedestrians.

The first stage of the Plan is a 'Dress Rehearsal' consisting of a series of low-cost and quick-win interventions to create immediate traffic-calming enhancements. These interventions, some of which have just been added to Broadway, include the addition of moveable public seating, bike parking and street plants.  "Broadway plazas looking amazing. Broadway today: brighter and more ped-friendly." tweeted Maria Sipin, cohost #womentalkbikes BikeTalk KPFK.

Here at TC, we're seeing similar initiatives happening across the world, including New York, Sydney and Chicago, and consider this stage of urban design as an important testing or prototype phase for long term streetscape improvements. We'll be watching Bringing Back Broadway over the coming months and looking forward to Stage 2 and "permanent build-out of the full-scale project on a block-by-block basis."

More information on this project can be found here.

Image courtesy of Maria Sipin.

The Olympic Village: Vancouver’s Newest Neighbourhood

By guest contributor, Chris Bruntlett.

Image courtesy of Chris Bruntlett.

Of the many legacies to emerge from Vancouver’s hosting of the 2010 Winter Games, the Olympic Village was easily the most unpredictable and uncertain. When their primary investor bailed during the financial crisis of 2008, the municipal government was forced to step in with hundreds of millions of dollars; unsure as to whether they would see a full return on their investment, with over half of the units unsold at the time of the games. However, the past four years have seen the Village go from ghost town to a bustling hive of activity; a transformation that has been the product of smart design, careful planning, long-term vision, and a little bit of luck.

Situated at the foot of False Creek, just steps away from the downtown peninsula and Mount Pleasant neighbourhood, the single biggest contributing factor to this project's success has been its prime location. A rehabilitated industrial area (which was mostly parking lot), the site boasts unparalleled views of the Pacific Ocean and North Shore Mountains, and now provides everything one could need within a few blocks: shops, cafés, restaurants, plazas, parks, a community centre, and a daycare.

Image courtesy of Chris Bruntlett.

Proximity and location have also made the Village an inadvertent transportation hub. It is served by two separate Skytrain lines, including the Canada Line that extends to the airport. This is another valued Olympic legacy, far outpacing ridership projections made during construction. Two water taxi services have docks there, connecting to dozens of locations around the inlet, while the adjacent seawall provides miles of comfortable walking and cycling. And three different car-sharing schemes offer vehicles for residents (or visitors) who might need access to one.

In a city where quality public space is at a premium, the Village has delivered in spades. The main plaza – flanked on three sides by residential balconies above shop fronts and patios – has provided a remarkably social place for people to gather and interact. As with most successful social urban spaces, the devil is in the details, with playground-like features and public art for children, and a variety of built-in seating for the adults. It has become a much-loved destination for my own children, who will climb, tumble, and play with the other kids for hours, given the chance.

Image courtesy of Chris Bruntlett.

Somehow, the Village has also become ground zero for Vancouver’s emerging bicycle culture. Found at the point where several bikeways converge to the waterfront (and 30-kilometres of glorious seawall cycling), it has established itself as an incredibly popular pre-, mid-, or post-ride meeting point; as well as my own favourite spot to grab a coffee, find a bench, and photograph passing stylish cyclists for Vancouver Cycle Chic. Amazingly, the demand for bike parking always seems to exceed the supply, keeping city staff busy with the task of installing new bike racks.

Just last month, the city officials announced they had sold all of the remaining units, and recovered every cent used to bailout the Olympic Village project. Now that the dust has settled, and it becomes an integral part of every Vancouverite's existence (I live 4.5-kilometres to the east, and somehow manage to visit a half dozen times per week), it is becoming difficult to imagine life without it. In a sense, the Village has embodied our transition into a more healthy, social, and sustainable 21st century city; and hopefully, it inspires city builders around the world to replicate its success.

Image courtesy of Chris Bruntlett.

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Chris Bruntlett is a Residential Designer and father of two, living the (car-free) East Van dream. Outside of the office, he diligently documents the rise of mainstream bicycle culture via words, photographs, and film. He cherishes the ability to live and work in a dense, vibrant, sustainable city, and contribute to that vision on a daily basis. You can find Chris on Twitter: @cbruntlett

Making Art & Telling Stories in Boise!

Here at TC we love hearing about amazing projects happening across the globe and recently heard from Rachel Reichert, a local resident from Boise, Idaho. Rachel told us about three great initiatives happening in the city and thought we'd share them with you.

Arts & History Sesqui-Shop
Located in Boise’s downtown, the Arts & History Sesqui-Shop provides a home to creative energy and ideas, allowing individuals to collaborate through pop-up initiatives, exhibitions, performance, workshops, lectures and other activities. Read more about the Arts & History Sesqui-Shop here.

[A similar space called Work-Shop is available for creative endeavours in Sydney, Australia.]

ABOVE: The Arts & History Sesqui-Shop. Image courtesy of The Arts & History Sesqui-Shop.

Pop-Up Program
In the last year, the Arts & History Sesqui-Shop was home to 29 pop-up shops ranging from jewelry shops, historical pop-up exhibits, coffee shops, flower shops, cheese making workshops and pop-up pet adoptions. This year an official pop-up initiative program has launched, allowing the community on ongoing opportunity to explore the infinite possibilities of temporary space. Two examples of this initiative include the flower shop and artist in residence.

[In a similar vein, We Are Pop Up was founded in London in 2012 and is a community marketplace connecting tenants with much needed affordable space.]

ABOVE: Pop-up Flower Shop. Image courtesy of Boise City Department of Arts & History.

Paint-By-Number Mural
An interactive component to an exhibit titled Art in Traffic. The City of Boise has over 70 traffic boxes wrapped in original artwork. This mural project invited visitors to collaboratively paint an artwork found within the collection. See more images from the paint-by-number mural and more on the traffic box art collection.

[In 2013, Traffic light boxes in Dublin were painted as part of a new initiative to brighten up the public installations around the Irish capital.]

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What's happening in your local area? We'd love to hear from you. Leave a comment below.

ABOVE: An example of the Boise Traffic Box Art Collection. Image courtesy of Boise City Department of Arts & History.

Reclaiming Public Space in Vancouver

Over the past couple of years, the City of Vancouver has been climbing the most livable cities indexes. Vancouver has shifted priorities to improving urban mobility, community engagement and social vitality. VIVA Vancouver is one such policy that  provides funding for applicants who want to transform public parking spaces into mini-parks. This funding opportunity paved the way for the French Quarter Parklet to be born. 

The parklet will occupy two parking spaces outside Chocolaterie de la Nouvelle France. With support from the Chocolaterie as well as PWL Partnership Landscape Architects and the property manager, the parking spaces will be transformed into a place where passerby's can unwind. The Parklet will be equipped with a bike bar (one of the first in North America), art wall, planters, benches an tables with umbrellas. 

The French Quarter Parklet is a product of research conducted by one of PWL’s own interns. While performing research for her Master’s thesis, Kathleen Corey, identified locations that would be ideal to host a parklet and support local business simultaneously.

What’s amazing about this project is that it demonstrates what can happen when communities re-claim public spaces.  By converting just two parking spaces into a community meeting place, it produced unforeseen economic and social benefits. You can watch the positive reaction of The French Quarter Parklet here. 

Projexity: crowdfunding a better Toronto!

Want to improve your city? Why not crowdfund it! Or better yet Projexity it! (...try saying that three times fast!)

Founded by a group of Canadian architects, landscape architects and urban designers, Projexity is your 'one stop shop' for getting projects off the ground! It's a crowdfunding platform that empowers you to engage with improvement projects in your 'hood.

Image courtesy of Natasha Basacchi.

Marisa Bernstein is a landscape architect and urban designer and also one of the co-founders of Projexity. "What's really unique is that this project was completely crowdsourced (via Projexity), from designs to funding to volunteers." Bernstein is talking about a recent project that created a new public patio and stage at Market 707 in Toronto. "The new public patio fills a void in a street food market that previously didn't provide people with a safe, comfortable place to sit down and eat.  Its modular nature and use of reclaimed materials demonstrates that innovative urban design doesn't have to cost a lot to meet the needs of a community." says Bernstein.

It's this passion and drive that's seperating Projexity from its peers. The team at Projexity don't just leave you in the dark, they provide guidance and advice throughout the entire process.

While at the moment, Projexity is only active in Canada and the US, we can't wait for Projexity to launch in other countries around the world. Hats off to the awesome guys at Projexity and good luck in 2014!

Watch a video of Projexity below.

Also see Brickstarter - from NIMBY to YIMBY (yes in my backyard), and Start Some Good - a crowdfunding platform for non-profits.

Kidnapping Condominium Advertisements

Toronto likes to boast that it has more cranes that any other North American city. In fact, some politicians like to make the claim that Toronto has more cranes than New York, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta and Miami combined. But what does this really mean and how does this explosion of development affect existing residents?

Increased noise, obstructed views and restricted streets are obvious impediments to development. However, there are other inconveniences that politicians, construction companies and developers overlook. Toronto artist, Sean Martindale is trying to draw attention to one of these issues.  

Image Courtesy of Adam Krawesky

As a skeptic of advertising in the public realm, Martindale is frustrated and concerned with condominium advertisements that take up physical space on Toronto’s sidewalks. The A-frame “sandwich board” style ads that dominate sidewalk space make Toronto’s streets an obstacle course for pedestrians. In certain locations, Martindale has counted up to 40 signs in a single downtown intersection. 

Image Courtesy of Adam Krawesky

Inspired by this frustration, Martindale has collaborated with Adam Kraweksy and Martin Reis to turn these urban obstacles into artwork. The artists kidnap sandwich board advertisements from downtown sidewalks and then modify them. The former advertisements of shiny, brand-new condominium buildings are replaced with images of every day street life or old shots of buildings that have been torn down to make way for more condos. The artwork intends to send a very different message than one of luxurious living. 

Image Courtesy of Adam Krawesky

After revamping the sandwich boards, the artists relocate the advertisements in new locations across the city. Martindale, Krawesky and Reis have installed 36 modified sandwich boards around Toronto. A map with the boards’ locations can be found here.

While some may argue that the project does not alleviate congested pedestrian space, it effectively draws attention to an unanticipated problem of urban development and challenges people to reflect on the outcome of Toronto's condo boom.

International PARK(ing) Day

 In late September the 9th annual International PARK(ing) Day was celebrated across 6 continents, 35 countries and over 160 cities. But let me back up, this project had very modest beginnings in 2005. The scale of success was never imaged when the project first began.

The original project was born out of a desire to draw attention to the fact that over 70% of San Francisco’s public space was dedicated to the private automobile. Rebar wanted to challenge the status quo and make an innovative, creative point. The idea was simple, yet effective.

By paying the parking meter fee, urban space can be leased on a short-term basis for an alternative use then its original purpose. From this idea a single parking spot was transformed into a temporary public park. The original PARK was erected for two hours. When the meter expired, the temporary park was deconstructed. When a single photograph of the project began circulating around the Internet, Rebar began receiving requests to create a PARK(ing) project in other cities. Instead of duplicating the same installation, a how-to manual was developed to empower international communities to create their own parks. With this, “PARK(ing) Day” was born.

Original 2005 PARK 
Image Courtesy of Rebar

Since 2005, PARK(ing) Day has been adapted, modified and reinvented. Each year, the project seems to highlight another urban challenge. The original PARK(ing) project asked citizens to reconsider how they valued public spaces. It challenged the notion that planning decisions are permanent and sought to deconstruct traditional perceptions of public spaces. 

In recent years, projects have expanded beyond calling attention to the lack of green space in urban areas. Free health clinics, temporary urban farms, political seminars, art installations, bike repair shops and a wedding ceremony have all taken place in a parking space. 

These examples illustrate the power of the PARK(ing) Project. It encourages local communities to draw attention to missing neighborhood attributes. This project fosters an entrepreneurial, creative spirit that can only make people smile as they walk past these pop-up installations. PARK(ing) Day also provides the opportunity for local communities to highlight areas for improvement and ask local authorities to address these issues.

Image Courtesy of PARK(ing) Day

TC Interview with Bethany Betzler

Bethany Betzler. Image course DC3.  

Across the globe, we're seeing that creative cities are attracting youth and those youth are the future economy. What’s interesting in all this, is our idea of a creative city and actually, the role youth play in any city. Take for example Detroit, recently declared bankrupt but quickly becoming one of the most creative and exciting cities in America, and the world for that matter! What’s happening there? Trending City spoke with Bethany Betzler (also on twitter), a catalyst for entrepreneurship and creative industries, doing some amazing work in the Motor City.  

What's your background?

I grew up in suburban Detroit in a small community surrounded by lakes, trees and farms, so outdoor time is really important to me. My interests and creative drive has always been rooted in art and creativity. When I was younger I spent all my time drawing and writing fictional stories. As I grew I became really excited by dance and threw myself into that from my teenage years into college and beyond. I studied dance and choreography and eventually began producing performance events, which led me to learn fundraising, marketing, project management, etc. More and more I found myself driven by the process of making something happen, and kind of fell in love with that process more than the choreographing and dancing itself. By 2008, we could all begin to feel the world change, and I became eager to get involved in something that I could participate in on a greater, global scale. I went to grad school to study entrepreneurship and the creative industries and centered my work around how the creative industries impact a city. Now I am fascinated by what is happening in the world economically and I am exploring how we can create new models of self-reliance and financial autonomy by leveraging technology and empowering communities.

What projects are you working on at the moment?

Since I am focusing on how we can help create self-reliance for independent communities, my current projects reflect that. Of course, this is all through a creativity/art/design lens for me. I am working on a project called Artifact Makers Society here in Detroit which celebrates the best of what is being made locally, with an emphasis on pieces that are design-forward and well-crafted. We are emphasizing the intersection of craftsmanship and contemporary design, as opposed to traditional designs that reflect nostalgia and the vintage trend. I am also working on a project in Peru where we are helping a humanitarian organization develop new revenue models that will allow them to focus on their mission and not have to rely on as much unpredictable charitable funding. We are making a video and photo documentary to raise awareness about the organization's existence and raise enough charitable funds to "stop the bleeding" so to speak so that we can then begin investing in the new revenue models.

Can you let us know more about DC3?

Detroit Creative Corridor Center (DC3) was founded in 2010 with the mission of helping to establish Detroit as a global center for creativity and design innovation. We produce the annual Detroit Design Festival, and run a business accelerator for creative sector businesses called Creative Ventures. In general, we serve as a home base for the creative community in Detroit. Our work spans a pretty wide spectrum: everything from hosting economic development discussions with visiting delegations from Algeria, to running our in-house gallery for emerging artists, to planning a monthly happy hour for Detroit's design professionals.

What role does creativity play in our cities?

Creative Mornings Detroit. Image course Bethany Betzler.  

If you were to ask me more specifically about the role of the creative industries in our cities, I would say that they are an important economic and cultural asset. The creative industries influence the culture of a city more than any other industry. Creative industry businesses are more likely to locate in a city purely for the experience of being in a city. The creative industries are intimately linked to urban environments and are our city's number one source of exports from the knowledge economy. The world is more likely to know your city by its art, design and entertainment exports than by any other type of intellectual property stemming from it.

What inspires you?

Our planet and its people, their uprisings, and the feeling that comes from stumbling into a place where change is stirring.

Where do you think you'll be in 10 years?

I hope that in 10 years I will be living in Northern Michigan on a little piece of land that I and my family care for in between trips to international places where I will get to continue exploring how we create new models for independence. And I will always be advocating on the behalf of good art and design. Hopefully I will be making some of it again myself as well.

Encouraging Innovation through Inclusivity

Image Courtesy of the Museum of Vancouver

 Upcycled Urbanism is a participatory project stemming from the desire to challenge the status quo of urban design in Vancouver. Using Facebook to communicate information about workshops, teams of artists, designers, students and creative individuals came together to discusses ideas, potential changes and design prototypes.

 This month, teams will come together to actually build their ideas using material salvaged from the construction of Port Mann Bridge. Creations will be on display in an outdoor exhibition throughout July. The community will be asked to provide feedback and critique the design-build displays. 

By encouraging people to think about public space, Upcycled Urbanism hopes to provoke conversations about urban design, the public realm, foster collaboration between unlikely groups and create a sense of community.

Image Courtesy of Museum of Vancouver

Large-Scale Impact Through Small-Scale Ideas

The space between the sidewalk and the road is usually perceived as an insignificant piece of public space. Most probably do not even know the name of this space (it’s called a verge for the record). Thanks to one resident's initiative, verges in Halifax, Nova Scotia are looking a lot more attractive these days. Sam Austin found a way to strengthen community bonds, reduce petty crime and even generate a new tourism industry, all with the simple act of planting tulips in Tulip Street’s verges.

Founder, Sam Austin with his Daughter on Tulip Street. Image Courtesy of The Chronicle Herald

Austin began planting tulips outside of his home two years ago.  Neighbors quickly took notice. Generous donations from the public and private sector provided residents the opportunity to organize a ‘planting party’ to plant over 10,000 tulip bulbs. No one could have anticipated the outcome of this community initiative. 

Image Courtesy of Wiebe in Halifax

While the tulips are in bloom for only a small time period, public space that looks cared for deters acts of petty crime. A case can be argued that the flowers have marginally increased public safety and mitigated acts of petty crimes.

Furthermore, the tulip project has generated significant positive press for Halifax. The positive media attention has brought a wave of tulip tourists that inevitably contribute to the local economy. In a city that has experienced waves of urban decay and renewal, the unexpected tourism industry is a welcome source of revenue.

Most importantly, the tulip project makes people happy. Being proud of your residential street or taking a new route to work so you can benefit from Tulip Street’s positive externalities are some of life’s most simple pleasures. In a time when large-scale development is threatening some of our most cherished public places, it’s important to get back to the basics. Planting tulips on Tulip Street is an inexpensive, cohesive community initiative that demonstrates how small-scale ideas can have large-scale impacts.   

Celebration Park: An Urban Future with Nature

By Robert Voigt.

Celebration Park lemonade stand. Image courtesy of Robert Voigt.

The summer of 2012 in Toronto saw the creation of a one‐of‐a‐kind urban park experience from the collaboration between Adam Bienenstock (Park Designer/Builder), Urban Planner Robert Voigt, and sponsors ING Direct, Canadian Wildlife Federation, and Parks Canada. 

As part of the Celebrate Yonge project, for one month, Celebration Park supplanted automobiles on Yonge Street in downtown Toronto with 250,000 lbs of towering trees, massive logs, boulders, grasses and flowers, 30 seat amphitheater, and a raw log ‘cabin’.  A civic place designed to reconnect people with nature and express possibilities for a better future.  The Park was intended to be the perfect venue for the partners and community to reanimate the most congested corridor of the busiest city in the country; a new and inspiring combination of nature and urbanity.  This was made real with local organic farmers market events, Parks Canada programs, and the Canadian Wildlife Federation bringing live owls, turtles, and porcupines for people to experience.

Celebration Park. Image courtesy of Robert Voigt.  

Connections to nature have been shown to improve physical and emotional health, and profoundly increase everything from IQ to serotonin levels while decreasing rates of ADHD, stress, bullying, vandalism, and obesity.  Moving beyond basic aesthetics to addressing real quality of life requires a more refined, supportive, and dynamic connection between our neighbourhoods, towns and cities, and nature. The design of our build environments and their interconnections with nature and landscape has to be about more than just "open space” or urban forestry. These simplified concepts will have to be superseded by design awareness that is informed by medical, and social sciences as well.  Our communities will have to support our lives in new ways.  Designers will have to embrace city building with a new appreciation and aesthetic.  Access to nature must become integrated into our placemaking and community design programs, advancing true livability: the quality of human well-being, nourished and nurtured by an interrelationship between the build environment and nature that facilitates, social, psychological, physical, spiritual and cultural development for all individuals and the community alike.

For one month we lived this future, and Celebration Park showed how the right team and a willing community can create projects that change experiences and expectations.   As a result of Celebrate Yonge business activity increased, vehicle speeds were tamed while traffic volumes were unaffected, pedestrian and bicycle numbers rose, and the daily experiences of citizens were improved.  When the project came to a close, the work crew that went unnoticed during construction was suddenly being questioned as to why Celebration Park was not remaining, and who could people speak with to make this urban oasis a daily and permanent reality.  Have no doubt that there are those that are working on that challenge, but that is just the beginning and there is much work to do in neighbourhoods and communities around the world.  So the question that Adam and I are always asking is “Where to next?”

Adam Bienenstock is about to complete a month long workshop & speaking tour of Australia starting on 22 July.

Robert Voigt is currently working with the Australian based Bank of Ideas to schedule dates for a workshop tour on active transportation and healthy community design (contact Peter Kenyon at pk@bankofideas.com.au ). 

Follow Robert Voigt on twitter here.  

Celebration Park design rendering. Image courtesy of Robert Voigt.  

Tweet Your Love

Most Canadians are proud of their home city. Vancouver has claim to ocean and mountains. Toronto encourages diversity, arts and culture and Quebec City oozes with history and European charm. Let’s face it- Canadian cities are fantastic.

Spacing and Pattison Onestop have collaborated in an innovative public art project to encourage residents to publically praise love for their city. Urban enthusiasts can tweet a reason they love their city to @DearCityCanada. The best tweets will be displayed on outdoor digital billboards across Canada all summer.

Digital and physical space are being used to celebrate the big and small things that make Canadian cities so great. Tweets have drawn attention to Edmonton’s unpretentious night scene, Hamilton’s foodtrucks and artcrawls and Iqaluit’s livable and luxurious igloos. Having a local perspective makes the project more appealing.These urban attributes would rarely be mentioned by travel blogs and guides. Best of all, Twitter is connecting Canadians coast to coast by facilitating conversation and interest in Canadian cities.

Smog-Eating Building

​Image courtesy of CBC 

It’s no secret that Mexico City has major air quality problems. The smog that surrounds its urban landscape is often evident in many images of this megalopolis. Surprisingly, in recent years, Mexico City has become an unlikely example for cities in developing countries suffering from air quality issues. In the process of renewal, Mexico is embracing innovative technology and cutting-edge design.

​Image courtesy of CBC

​With a little help from its German friends, Maneul Gea Gonzalez Hospital has installed a building façade that helps purify Mexico City’s polluted air. That’s right- Mexico has a smog-eating building. The Hospital’s facade is coated with special pigment that acts as catalyst for breaking down air pollutants. The results are pretty impressive- the façade is expected to neutralize the smog produced by about 1,000 vehicles each day.

While smog-eating buildings won’t cure air pollution alone, it is a step in the right direction and serves as an excellent example of what future infrastructure decisions should strive to address.    

Ukuleles Bring Smiles to Toronto's Public Transport System

​Image Courtesy of Project Ukulele Gangsterism 

The TTC- Toronto’s over-crowded, under-funded public transit system brings out the worst in every Torontonian. A group of ukulele strumming musicians sensed that something needed to be done to break commuters out of their monotonous robotic routines.

​Image Courtesy of Project Ukulele Gangsterism 

 “Project Ukulele Gangsterism” was inspired by the idea that while some pursue happiness, others create it. Hoping to provide commuters with a windfall of happiness, the group performed at various subway stations during rush hour. Belting “Have an Awesome Day” the gang of acoustic ukulele players provided Torontonians with a bit of lighthearted fun. The group immediately lifted people’s moods and illustrated that a small-scale idea can go a long way. Hopefully the TTC continues to get more pop-up projects like this!