A panel conversation between the Black and Indigenous Design Collective (BIDC) collaborators Lys Divine Ndemeye, Sierra Tasi Baker and Krystal Paraboo. Moderated by Sara Stevens.
Meet Josh White, the City of Vancouver’s new General Manager of Planning, Urban Design, and Sustainability. Josh will be speaking on citymaking ideas and influences over his career with a small panel of established urban practitioners:
Who should decide what scale and type of development should go into an existing neighbourhood? Should it be the City which has close relationships and an overall perspective of development and housing needs across all neighbourhoods? Or should it be the Province who understands the urgent need for development and sees that many local governments are not doing their part to allow change and growth?
Are we too safe; have we gone too far with the building code?
Building regulations are in place for many good reasons, including keeping residents and first responders safe. At the end of 2023, the BC Government announced adjustments to the Building Code. They are aiming to “right-size” the code, mostly through seismic and accessibility provisions. But, with ambitious housing supply goals, are the proposed reforms enough or are the years of accrued regulations getting in the way of good and affordable housing design?
Creating illustrations that shape our cities.
The Urbanarium Studio encourages public discourse on the planning and design of our communities. The drawings our illustrator cohort creates are intended to live past a Studio, be shared widely, used freely (creative commons) and inspire new ideas that get implemented.
At this special session for our illustrator cohort, we considered what is needed in a co-designed illustration so that concepts live on and contribute to city-making processes, spaces and buildings.
Designing supportive spaces for small manufacturers.
Copenhagen is widely considered one of the world’s most livable cities, but it wasn’t always this way. Best in the World offers a closer look at the Danish capital’s journey from an industrial city on the brink of bankruptcy to the transformed Copenhagen of today.
Building neighbourhood-level interventions + retrofits for climate emergencies.
What can we design to protect each other from smoke, fires, extreme heat and cold, flooding, earthquakes, and other environmental emergencies and climate events?
What might neighbourhood-level climate response planning and action look like?
Why are the only play spaces in the city for kids?
Research has shown that the benefits of play are not limited to children. Adult play can relieve stress, improve overall well-being, nurture critical thinking and benefit our relationships. Despite the many benefits, it’s hard to find examples of adult play spaces in the city outside of the standard sports fields, pickleball courts, and ping pong tables.
What kinds of play are there, what dimensions of design can help facilitate play, and how can cities provide more opportunities for play for adults?
RE/CREATION: FROM AQUATIC CENTRE TO AQUATIC COMMUNITIES
The Vancouver Aquatic Centre, built on traditional, unceded MST (Musqueam Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations) territory, is in the early stages of a renewal process by the City of Vancouver. Informed by the Vancouver Aquatics Strategy, the future Vancouver Aquatic Centre will be part of a larger community plan for the West End Waterfront.