Urbanarium

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. 

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. 

From Damnoen Saduak in Thailand, to Siring in Indonesia, to Cai Rang Market in Vietnam, floating markets have existed for millennia and can be found across the world. 

In this studio, we imagined the possibilities for floating markets in the Vancouver region to answer questions like what would it mean to use the water and docks for more than just moorage? How might they connect to the 28 km seawall, aquabus transit systems, and rivers? What might floating structures look like as sea levels rise?

The Granville Bridge is the main way to connect from downtown Vancouver to Granville Island.  While the bridge spans across Granville Island, the actual connection point is at some distance from it.  This causes wayfinding challenges, increased travel time, and barriers for access.

Through this studio, we explored different possibilities to create an interesting, functional connection between the Granville Bridge and Granville Island - while considering how this connection (or elements of the connection) can be accessible for everyone.

The city is changing. Studio space is disappearing. How can we tackle this problem?

There has been a steady decline in Vancouver studio space over the last 10 years, with existing spaces facing precarious and uncertain futures. 

It’s an incomplete, often inaccurate and harmful commemorative landscape out there. As many municipalities work on their commemoration policies, how can we rethink the way we design, maintain and debate public representation? What would a reorientation of the status quo of monuments be?