RT @FCM_online: Want more women on council? Recruit and support women in your #CDNmuni and share our guide. http://t.co/wO3MdmjfAF #cdnfem

— NanaimoCommons (@NanaimoCommons) March 1, 2014

For women who are interested in running for municipal politics: http://t.co/7yjDcjflYG #CDNmuni #yesyoucan #yourcityneedsyou

— jennifer keesmaat (@jen_keesmaat) March 1, 2014

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Architect, Urban Designer, Ken Greenberg To Discuss Waterfront Development At Halifax Conference

Nova Scotia Waterfront Development Corp's upcoming Carmichael Lecture features guest speaker Ken Greenberg.

Ken Greenberg, architect, urban designer, teacher and author will discuss the concept of place and the fundamental changes that are occurring in cities around the world. The former Director of Urban Design and Architecture for the city of Toronto, he is now principal of Greenberg Consultants. The American Institute of Architects honoured him with the 2010 Thomas Jefferson Award for public design excellence. In 2011, he wrote Walking Home: The Life and Lessons of a City Builder. 


This from the NS Waterfront Development website —



We bring people together at the water's edge

At Waterfront Development, our goal is to get you as close as you can possibly get to the unforgettable beauty, captivating experiences and unparalleled opportunities where land meets sea.

Waterfront Development is a provincial crown corporation developing the strategic potential of waterfronts in Bedford, Dartmouth, Halifax and Lunenburg. It’s our job to foster the creation of waterfronts that drive economic opportunity, enhance tourism, provide experiences, and reflect and protect our marine heritage.

Through our projects and partnerships, we have received a number of awards and recognitions. We proudly share these with the many partners, visitors and communities we have worked with over the past three decades. 

Waterfront Development website.

When buildings are designed to relate to streets, we create vibrant places. HT @SprawlRepairMnl pic.twitter.com/W79u2Eq1AT

— jennifer keesmaat (@jen_keesmaat) February 5, 2014

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Attractive and accessible booklet describes how cities can become more sustainable through better transport planning. http://t.co/lf4gZH7q9T

— Todd Litman (@LitmanVTPI) February 20, 2014

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Guest Post: Dan Appell

Unless I am overlooking something that is in plain sight, I'm seeing four actions that, if completed now, would allow planning for the development of the Wellcox properties to proceed immediately.

• The "Bowtie" property between the Gabriola Ferry terminal and the Wellcox properties has to be acquired by either the city or the province, from the Port Authority. This will likely involve a land swap. If the province acquires it, then I will assume it is to expand the operations of the ferry terminal. If the city acquires it will allow for a more extensive development of the Wellcox properties. Either way, the city and the province can work together to create a more interesting, transparent and dynamic interface between the terminal and the Wellcox development.

• Truck traffic can be moved off Front Street, the intersection of Front St. and Esplanade can be reduced considerably because turning radiuses at this corner are no longer needed. All of Front Street can be reduced in width by at least one driving lane.  Also tree planting and sidewalk widening and bicycle lane construction could take place on this street. Instead of a road to nowhere which it is now. Front Street could be developed as a proper street and a place to be.

• The boundary of the train right-of-way must be clarified. This will allow the development of a retaining wall on that boundary. The wall would allow the area between Esplanade, Front Street and the train right-of-way to be more or less levelled. On top of the wall would be a walkway that leads from Esplanade down to the Gabriola Ferry Terminal via a very gentle slope.

• A permanent foot passenger ferry to Vancouver will have to be established with a dock and terminal. The infrastructure that would be required would be a new bridge where the tussle bridge is now and water and sewer introduced to the site at the about the same time. Also, a new pedestrian bridge over the train tracks could link the Gadd property to the Wellcox development and the rest of downtown.

These four things, in my view,  create the conditions which allow for optimal development of the Wellcox property without a lot of disruption to the industry that is located in the neighbouring properties.

Some might argue that a location for a bus exchange must be established as well, but I am not convinced there is a need for a bus exchange, because the more efficient our bus system is, the less we need a bus exchange. If a bus exchange is deemed necessary for political reasons, then perhaps it could be located next to the foot passenger ferry terminal with bus access off Esplanade over the new bridge.

These four actions, except for the redesign of Front Street, wouldn't involve any construction.

Acquire the "Bowtie," plan for the redesign of Front Street, establish the train right-of-way boundary, and establish the permanent location of the foot passenger ferry terminal. These could proceed as quickly as possible before any master-planning for the development of the site is completed. Indeed, a proper plan for the area would require these four actions anyway, so there is no reason why we can't proceed as soon as right now.

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Dan Appell is an artist and Nob Hill resident, active with the Neighbours of Nob Hill Society. He describes his education as "an extensive progression from art, to architecture to urban design".

Danish Architect Jan Gehl On "Changing Mindsets"

Jan Gehl, Professor of Urban Design at the School of Architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, and founding partner of Gehl Architects - Urban Quality Consultants, in this talk shares his view of the importance of the city today and for the future. His main point was that the best thing foundations can do is to change mindsets of people who can then go and make change in their local environments. He gave the example of New York City, where he helped to change city planners' ways of thinking when it came to making cities more people friendly. Various stakeholders in New York City then went on to transform key locations, such as Times Square, into places meant for people, rather than cars.

Post by Nanaimo Commons.

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Background The Sidewalk Ballet 03/22/13 —Nanaimo Council to be Asked To Approve Concept Planning Process for The South Downtown Waterfront

Details of the Planning Department report to Council on the Monday March 25 agenda: pdf here.


BACKGROUND: 
The Official Community Plan Implementation Strategy identified the need to undertake an Urban Nod13 Plan for Downtown Plan Study Area #2, which is the area commonly known as the Wellcox Yard and Assembly Wharf area south of Downtown, as a priority in the short term. 

More recently, the City has made an offer to purchase 26.7 acres from CP Rail which is the 
northern portion of the Wellcox Yard. That offer to purchase was made public in a press release issued on 2012-DEC-13. Staff is now seeking Council direction on moving forward with a land use planning process for 
the South Downtown Waterfront, which will include both the Wellcox Yard and Assembly Wharf lands. The plan area is defined as follows: 

• The southern boundary aligns with the Snuneymuxw First Nation (SFN). 
• The western boundary is along Esplanade and Front Street 
• The northern boundary includes the existing BC Ferries land and water lots (servicing 
Gabriela Island). 
• The eastern boundary is undefined but extends into Nanaimo Harbour within the Nanaimo 
Port Authority (NPA) jurisdiction. 

An illustration of the plan area, referred to as "Concept Plan Area", is contained in the attached 

Terms of Reference. 
This project is guided by several Council bylaws and strategic documents, noted in the "Related Documents" section below. In addition, the NPA, SFN, the Island Corridor Foundation, business operators, and others have shown interest in establishing a long term vision for the area. 

The next step would typically involve development of a Neighbourhood Plan (also referred to as an Area or Master Plan). In this case, staff is recommending an additional step in a multiphased planning program: the development of a high level Concept Plan. 

The Concept Planning process is recommended due to challenges related to planning in an area with multiple jurisdictions, as the City, SFN, NPA and Province each have authority and ownership over portions of the plan area. In order to harmonize land use and coordinate servicing and development, staff recommends a collaborative, non-regulatory, high level process. As this first phase is conceptual, it will not result in a Council bylaw. Instead, the intent is to establish a shared long term vision and guiding principles for various decision makers to take into account when considering planning, development and investment within their respective portion of the plan area.

For those areas where the City has jurisdiction, the next phase of the planning project could be development of Area/Master, Servicing and Infrastructure plans in 2014, subject to availability of resources and Council approval. 

Staff recommends Council consider approval of the attached Draft Terms of Reference, which lay out the Concept Planning process. The Sidewalk Ballet: Nanaimo Council to be Asked To Approve Concept Planning Process For the South Downtown Waterfront

#Halifax's @canurb award-winning waterfront transformation before & after, via @FillmoreNorth @My_Waterfront: pic.twitter.com/6U6qlvvsy8

— Canadian Urbanism (@CanUrbanism) February 25, 2014

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Former eyesore on Halifax waterfront becomes gleaming HQ - The Globe and Mail

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From TheSidewalkBallet.com: Background —2004 Downtown Nanaimo Urban Design Plan

This 2004 Downtown Nanaimo Urban Design Plan was commission by the Friends of Plan Nanaimo.

The FPN was an organized and effective, if ultimately unsuccessful political movement. It opposed the construction of the Vancouver Island Conference Centre and  was fundamentally opposed to towers in favour of low rise densification for the downtown.

It also opposed the elimination of Nanaimo's Urban Containment Boundary. While it did lose all these battles it added badly needed opposition to a manipulative and flawed process. Population growth and economic development in the Downtown area are stagnant, the conference centre limps and bleeds quite badly. One FPN principal rode the momentum to a seat on Council.

As effective as it was, it unfortunately burnt itself out and wasn't around to play an effective role  in opposing later equally retrogressive developments: a suburban style shopping centre in the heart of downtown, precincts redeveloped piecemeal without master planning, extremely expensive arterial road infrastructure that chases "congestion" from one place to the next, provincially funded social housing clumsily imposed on neighbourhoods without proper integration into the social fabric.

It's as if Nanaimo thinks it can be the one city in North America to finally make the sprawl and mall model work. The FPN commissioned Vancouver Architect Lewis Villegas to oversee the design charette and The Nanaimo Downtown Urban Design Plan document. Full report pdf available here.

#Nanaimo harbour rail-yards "important city build opportunity; unparalleled in city’s history, must be seized and acted upon" @sdwaterfront1

— TheSidewalkBallet (@1sidewalkballet) January 14, 2014

#Nanaimo @sdwaterfront1 calls for Development Corp and a Charter for rail-yards redevelopment http://t.co/OX9SQKVMOU

— TheSidewalkBallet (@1sidewalkballet) January 14, 2014

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Post by Nanaimo Commons.

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From The Sidewalk Ballet — Apr 25, 2013Nanaimo News Bulletin Guest Comment — VIU VP, Provost David Witty

DAVID WITTY There continue to be a number of national and international initiatives focusing upon the well-being of urban citizens and urban environments.

Recently, Canadian Gov. Gen. David Johnston has promoted Smart and Caring Communities. Healthy communities has been a topic on local, national and international agendas for a number of years, and Compassionate Communities has recently emerged as a topic in international conversations.

While each of these movements offers significant insight into the varied aspects that affect the well-being of society in general and cities in particular, there is a parallel concept that captures the collective notions of those initiatives and brings a broader range of factors into the discussion of cities: that emerging global conversation is called Successful Cities.

The planning and creation of a successful city requires unwavering leadership, vision, persistence, determination and flexibility.

The Conference Board of Canada in 2007 noted, “Canada’s prosperity depends on the success of our cities.” But, more recent evidence points to an increased emphasis upon a range of factors that affect the success of a city. Factors influenced by trans disciplinary considerations.

As a result, notions of a successful city are more likely to examine the culture, development, environment, governance and social state of a city as much as its economic health. It is that breadth of factors that have led to a broader concept of Successful Cities.

Charles Landry and Richard Florida found cities that were creative (i.e., knowledge based economies) displayed a high quality of life. Florida in Who’s Your City explored the importance of esthetics, values and leadership as essential differentiators between cities. In short, those cities that displayed concerns for aesthetics (i.e., community design, vibrant attractive public spaces), invested in culture, promoted progressive values (support for their fellow citizens) and displayed supportive leadership (able and willing to make important community-based decisions) were inevitably seen to be more attractive for the new knowledge economy.

Nanaimo is well positioned to become a successful city. The recently formed working relationship between the City of Nanaimo, Greater Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce, and Vancouver Island University to promote the following 12 elements of a Successful City bodes well for the future of Nanaimo.

The three partners hope to engage with a large number of Nanaimo organizations to promote the notion that cities need to have strong five pillars: high quality built environment; vibrant cultural sector, strong economy; healthy natural environment; and diverse and healthy social fabric. Read more: Nanaimo News Bulletin - GUEST COMMENT: Nanaimo has many elements of a successful city - Mobile Edition

Dublin? “@gibbydavis: I support #yeg4lrt because I want to see more streets like this in #yeg. Let's make it happen pic.twitter.com/j49cak5vVG”

— Don Iveson (@doniveson) February 22, 2014

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From The Sidewalk Ballet — Nanaimo's South Downtown Waterfront Initiative

From: frankmurphy@thesidewalkballet.com
Subject: S Downtown Waterfront Initiative Survey
Date: 9 October, 2013 1:20:50 PM PDT
To: sdwaterfront@cityspaces.ca

Comment submitted earlier to your online survey —

Some preliminary thoughts — Early effort to build a public identity for the initiative — the new website, the boots on the ground fair that invited people to discuss the site while touring it, encouraging citizens to attend the (brutally early) committee meetings — is positive and welcome. I'd like to see this phase followed by one where the committee itself and its consultant move to a proactive role in educating people that to be truly successful in realizing the potential of this extraordinary site, there will need to be some discomfort inducing change in the way we have imagined and designed our city. More on this later but for now: I'm referring to dynamics such as Nanaimo's low population density and accompanying car dependency. A number of external factors impact the potential of the site and it's important (though generally in Nanaimo considered impolite) to air them in the earliest days of this process. For instance I'll draw attention to First Capital's Port Place blank wall and expanse of surface parking which has done probably irreparable harm to the Front Street streetscape and made a key piece of the site's interconnectedness puzzle a huge challenge. Also more later on connectivity. 

I'm still trying to get my mind around some of the complexities here. The combination of primary property ownership and rights of access in covenants and existing leaseholders are confusing me. Fascinating and full of potential but confusing. (See map).

While the City-mandated study area is quite rightly the entire waterfront area between the Snuneymuxw lands and the Gabriola Ferry (some say a at-least-broad-brush-stroke study should have been done as part of the 2008 Downtown Urban Design Plan and Guidelines), it's the City, Port and Provincial Crown lands north of the trestle bridge that hold short and medium term potential for redevelopment. Do I have that about right? And the redevelopment of this portion will require a shared vision with the Island Corridor Foundation and the Port Authority and will impact the existing leaseholders. Seaspan's right of access through the site holds the key to moving to the next step if I'm not mistaken. And in case this was all starting to look pretty simple, there is a memorandum of agreement between the City and the Regional District to locate a "transit hub" here. What exactly is meant by a "transit hub" in a sprawling City with a commercial highway running through its downtown scares the bejesus out of me. I see examples elsewhere of transit interconnections by design creating prosperous successful human scale urban "place". Time for an indication that we have some idea of how to do that here.

My initial focus will be the Esplanade and north waterfront connections. Key I think is identifying the characteristics and purpose of "precinct" here. Central is public space. Waterfront access is a primary opportunity of course but there's the chance to do something so much better than just a sea wall. Connected public squares and plazas connecting both at and to the waterfront and through the site. Connected and integrated. This is in general not something Nanaimo has done well. In terms of primary use, Nanaimo has long needed a downtown satellite campus of Vancouver Island University. As Gordon Price has pointed out one of the our biggest urban planning mistakes has been the remote isolated locations of university campuses.

http://www.thesidewalkballet.com/2013/02/from-price-tags-biggest-public-sector.html

A public sector education and training cluster here (ideally including the SFN) integrated with a convenient modern transit system (passenger ferry, light rail, inter city bus all included) holds much promise seems to me.

Meanwhile I'm re-reading Ken Greenberg's Walking Home about his experiences over his career working on many sites not unlike this one and close with this thought —

Who will break it to Nanaimoites that for any potential to be realized here there will be virtually no surface parking?

Frank Murphy
Selby St Nanaimo
www.thesidewalkballet.com The Sidewalk Ballet: Nanaimo's South Downtown Waterfront Initiative

Here's Great Public Space — Dave Witty, Larry Beardsley Said "Aim High" for our Waterfront RenewalPhoto @jellybeancity — Passeig de St Joan, Barcelona

“When the city dweller leaves his home or the homes of people he knows personally, he is surrounded by strangers… the world of strangers which is the city is located in the city’s public space.” — Lyn H Lofland. A World of Strangers: Order and Action in Urban Public Space, 1973. page 19 Click photo for hi-res enlargement.

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Must-watch — Jan Gehl The Human Scale

This is about much larger cities but much for smaller cities like Nanaimo to learn from their experience. Nanaimo has left it very late to begin the process of rebalancing the prominence of the car and the rights of the pedestrian and cyclist. "Cities for People" the motto of Jan Gehl Architects. Available for rent on iTunes and also recommended — Urbanized https://itunes.apple.com/ca/movie/urbanized/id481863360

Rent it on iTunes - Movies - The Human Scale

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From Urban Land Magazine — Keeping an Urban Authenticity Alive: Vancouver's Granville Island

In the early 1970s, Ron Basford, a Canadian Cabinet minister and loyal Vancouverite, seized on the idea of converting Granville Island—a modestly sized pancake barely a half mile (0.8 km) south of the emerging downtown—into a special place. Until the mid—20th century, the island had prospered as an industrial hotbed, jammed with shipyards, metal fabricators, wire rope manufacturers, and warehouses. But with the shift in the post–World War II economy away from industrial production, tenants departed, leaving the island derelict and the remaining structures vulnerable to arson. Read more: Keeping an Urban Authenticity Alive: Vancouver's Granville Island - Urban Land Magazine

Place Capital: The Shared Wealth that Drives Thriving Communities @PPS_Placemaking

Post by Nanaimo Commons.

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Background: From The Sidewalk Ballet — City of Nanaimo to Purchase 26.7 Acre Downtown Waterfront Rail Yards

Pending an environmental review, the City of Nanaimo have announced an agreement with Canadian Pacific to purchase its rail yards. The area was excluded from the 2008 Downtown Urban Design Plan and Guidelines and piecemeal redevelopment of Port Place immediately to the north has proceeded without a master plan for this area. Read more: The Sidewalk Ballet: City of Nanaimo to Purchase 26.7 Acre Downtown Waterfront Rail Yards

Dr. Dave Witty, Chair, South Downtown Waterfront Committee presentation to #Nanaimo Council. http://t.co/DqQRy5zZJj

— TheSidewalkBallet (@1sidewalkballet) January 28, 2014

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Today is why #Winnipeg built @TheForks pic.twitter.com/ohfFMhVUDB

— Brent Bellamy (@brent_bellamy) February 17, 2014

Downtown New Westminster — River Market at the Quay

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New Westminster's waterfront redevelopment is one to watch for lessons learned. Skytrain extension has led to new development in the Fraser River city.  River Market at the Quay - Downtown New Westminster, British Columbia, Business information, Events and News

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Background on developer Mark Shieh (Take Root Properties) in this piece by Hadani Ditmars in the Globe — "His concept is to build on Chinatown’s context and meaning. “We’ve learned from River Market that tourists go where locals go,” he says, pointing to an integrated neighbourhood model rather than an “ethnic theme park.”"   More at How to harness a changing Chinatown - The Globe and Mail  

A city needs anchors. La Bocheria Barcelona: exuberant human interaction & commerce confirm centuries-old tradition pic.twitter.com/j7RLk14uoB

— Sprawl Repair (@SprawlRepairMnl) February 14, 2014

Waterfront public places at #Vancouver's #OlympicVillage. 1 reason @UrbanLandInst is coming: http://t.co/YXMwKyJBKM pic.twitter.com/7CIWwSmEFM

— Brent Toderian (@BrentToderian) February 11, 2014

From vibrantvictoria.ca — Dockside Green Mega-Project Goes Back to the Drawing Board

The 15-acre Dockside Green development in Victoria’s Vic West neighbourhood remains idle nearly 5 years after the second of multiple phases was completed in 2009.

Midway through the previous decade when Dockside Green initially got off the ground then-development partner Windmill West, hand-in-hand with current owner VanCity Credit Union, anticipated full build-out of the 1.3-million square meter LEED® Platinum Certified mixed-use mega-project by 2015 with some 2,500 residents calling the neighbourhood home.

Despite global publicity for its bold plans to build the “greenest” development anywhere in the world and the rapid pace of construction early on, Dockside Green lost its momentum shortly after the economic collapse of 2008 and unlike other projects in the region, never recovered. More at: Dockside Green mega-project goes back to the drawing board

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"Public investment" vs "Wasteful Subsidy." This #transit cartoon would be funny if it weren't true. pic.twitter.com/JXfPXKwb1s v.@StreetsblogNet

— Brent Toderian (@BrentToderian) February 10, 2014

Jan Gehl says that #Vancouver's @granville_isle is the best example of all his principles of life between buildings. pic.twitter.com/cvkM09V39G
— Brent Toderian (@BrentToderian) February 8, 2014

From Vancouver Sun — Presentation House Gallery: New Art Gallery Planned for Waterfront

Presentation House Gallery in North Vancouver will be moving into a stunning new waterfront building in 2016.

The new two-story gallery building will have a total space of 22,632 square feet located on city-owned land on the waterfront to the west of Lonsdale Avenue. It will include exhibition space of 4,000 square feet on the second floor with a 16-foot ceilings, sky-lit with natural light. Adjacent to the main space will be another 2,224 square feet that can function as exhibition space, banquets or rentals. The building will include a gallery retail shop and cafe. “The business case is built around a financially self-sustaining operational plan that aims to attract locals and visitors to experience innovative perspectives and conversations on the visual arts,” the business plan says. The building is designed by Patkau Architects

Presentation House Gallery: new art gallery planned for waterfront | Vancouver Sun

Burrard Dry Dock Pier @ The Shipyards #welovenorthvancouver pic.twitter.com/2N3c7tQHZp
— Danielle Johnson (@westcoastdcj) January 27, 2014