From Architect Magazine — Design Competition Winners Snøhetta and Dialog Release Calgary Central Library Designs

Snøhetta and Dialog have released final designs (and video) for a new Central Library in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, following a lengthy stage of community engagement to develop their competition-winning proposal from 2013. Working with Canadian firm Dialog—which has offices in Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto and Calgary—as executive architect, Snøhetta designed a 236,000-square-foot library that covers an existing light rail station, and incorporates gradual elevation changes within the landscape topography to lift the building above the station. Read more: Snøhetta and Dialog Release Calgary Central Library Designs - Architect Magazine

---

“The younger generation is using #Placemaking as a rallying cry.” — @Fred_Kent @NextCityOrg @PPS_Placemaking

Post by Nanaimo Commons.

---

New Masters of Community Planning Program at @VIUniversity approved by the province!

New Masters of Community Planning Program at @VIUniversity approved by the province! The first cohort is planned for September 2015. Pls RT

— NanaimoCommons (@NanaimoCommons) September 26, 2014

---

Leasing parkland would be lasting mistake — @NanaimoBulletin

Post by Nanaimo Commons.

---

From Urban Planner Ryan J. Gilmore — Lessons Learned from Winnipeg’s Waterford Green

Waterford Green is a new subdivision in the City of Winnipeg and is one of the first developments to complete the new collaborative approach. This development stands as an example of the enhanced outcomes that are possible through a collaborative planning process and exemplifies the policies of Complete Communities. Read more: Case-in-Point – Implementing ‘Complete Communities’ Collaboratively: Lessons learned from Winnipeg’s Waterford Green | Ryan J. Gilmore

---

2014 #UBCM Annual Convention Whistler

#ubcm Tweets

---

PARK(ing) Day in #Nanaimo. Parking spots temporary "park lets." @DowntownNanaimo

Post by Downtown Nanaimo Business Improvement Association.

---

#trans_form Speaker Series #3 — Creating a City for Everyone @Penalosa_G @kteschke

It's almost here! #trans_form #3 is tomorrow night @LeVelo_Victoria @OlenaNina @CommunityMike @RethinkUrban #yyj pic.twitter.com/TEzgqlMtYo

— GreaterVictoriaCycle (@GVCC) September 17, 2014

---

‪#‎Nanaimo‬ "Georgia Park lease deserves referendum” @NanaimoBulletin editorial @tamaracunning

Post by Nanaimo Commons.

---

#Nanaimo waterfront park needs an independent open design competition.

Post by Nanaimo Commons.

From March 16 City of Vancouver — Georgia and Dunsmuir Viaducts Study

---

From @archpaper — Finalists reveal plans for SF Parklands project

Post by The Architect's Newspaper.

---

#Vancouver Seawall "Canada's best public place" - it's also a neighbourhood & multi-modal corridor. @BrentToderian

#Vancouver's Seawall has been named Canada's best public place - but it's also a neighborhood & multi-modal corridor. pic.twitter.com/zATF7zAeSg
— Brent Toderian (@BrentToderian) September 8, 2014

Nanaimo’s seawall parks and neighbourhoods are first rate and our best asset. Our City Hall has just passed an upzoning for a pie-in-the-sky “Hilton” hotel development on the waterfront and our City Hall is considering privatizing large portions of our waterfront Georgia Park.

This stealth privatization is being done on 3 fronts: 

• an outright “lease” turning parkland over to the developer for a loading zone area (semi’s and delivery vans servicing a 330+ room hotel, patio areas for hotel cafes and lounges and a “grand staircase” creating a flow from the hotel lobby directly down to the waterfront promenade).

• portraying the aggressive extension of its lobby into and onto our parkland by a “grand staircase” connecting to the harbour side promenade as a community benefit. “Connectivity” between Front Street through the hotel to the staircase. This staircase is to be included in lands under their control by a 60 year lease agreement.

• perhaps most objectionably of all, the agreement with Staff to apply the very modest Community Amenity Contribution created by the huge uplift in value created by City concessions to be spent only on areas immediately surrounding their property and in concert with their landscape architects.

Staff report to Council here. 

Up-zoning to 114.3 m height and FAR of 12 approved Sept 3 at a well attended public hearing, a large majority of delegates speaking against the height and massing application and the park give-away . Sale of land currently designated lane-way that runs the property perimeter on the north and east sides (which alternatively could have been added to this park area which has been overdue for a redesign for at least 15 years). If there was a strong evidence based argument on which the City made these decisions, I didn’t hear it expressed by Council, it wasn’t made by the proponent at the public hearing and I see no sign of it in the Staff report.

The park lease provision, if the idea itself isn’t pulled off the table now just weeks before the municipal election, will require a referendum. Opposition to the loss of control over parkland, especially a much-loved and popular waterfront park, is strong, broad and spreading.

More background and further thoughts here. 

---

emails to Councillors Bestwick, Kipp re #Nanaimo waterfront hotel public hearing

Subject: Fwd: Georgia Park
Date: September 4, 2014 at 1:45:33 PM PDT

To: Jim Kipp  jim.kipp@nanaimo.ca

Hi Jim, forwarding to you this this note to Bill Bestwick. I can tell you that from my chats with people at the park each morning over the last couple of weeks there is very broad opposition to the loss of control of this precious parkland, essentially its privatization. This is hitting a nerve very much like the one that inflamed the Harewood neighbourhood over the Colliery Dam Park crisis.

There may be a win / win scenario achievable here, but clearly, this isn’t it. I hope you’ll vote to send this back to the drawing board.

Frank Murphy

Subject: Georgia Park
Date: September 4, 2014 at 1:31:09 PM PDT

To: Bill Bestwick  bill.bestwick@nanaimo.ca

Hi Bill, I was sorry to hear you won’t be running for Mayor but glad to hear you will run again for a Council seat.

I was particularly impressed with how you were able to offer level-headed leadership throughout the Colliery Dam Park crisis. Two things you said, after Council had no other choice but to reverse course, stood out for me: “Nanaimo, I’m glad to see you still have it in you.” and I paraphrase — you said that if you had to choose between this park and its lakes and a beloved hockey rink, you would not hesitate to choose saving the park.

And speaking of hockey, consider the “suicide pass”. A teammate gets out of trouble passing the puck to another teammate who is not in a position to do anything productive with it, but will loose possession and get knocked flying in the process. Strikes me that is what Staff has passed to Council by recommending that sections of Georgia Park on our waterfront be leased out to a hotel development.

My morning walk takes me along our fine harbour-front promenades and I’ve had the chance to talk to strollers and people enjoying the park each day. The thought of loosing control of this precious parkland is truly abhorrent to people. The recommendation should be withdrawn and the huge height and building massing increases in front of Council this evening should be rejected until the other elements presented to Council on August 11 as interconnected: the leasing out of parkland, the sale of the City owned lane-way property are resolved. 

Georgia Park needs, as it has for a number of years now, a redesign, a revitalization. I believe talented landscape architects and park designers can redesign the park in a way that first and foremost enhances this area for the greater community in a way that co-operatively and collaboratively meets as many of the hotel’s needs as possible. Without hearing from these experts, this should not proceed. An open design competition should be the first step. From there Council and Nanaimo-ites can decide if there is a win/win fit with what the developer has in mind.

Here’s the detail of the upzoning variances Insight is asking for. ‪#‎Nanaimo‬

Post by Nanaimo Commons.

---

Ian Gartshore submission to #Nanaimo Georgia Park privatization hearing @ShoreEnergySolu

Post by Ian Gartshore.

Ian Gartshore submission to #Nanaimo Georgia Park privatization hearing @ShoreEnergySolu... http://t.co/gmDPL1KN06
— NanaimoCommons (@NanaimoCommons) September 3, 2014

---

Progressive #Nanaimo new candidates forum Sept 17 @ProNanaimo

Post by Nanaimo Commons.

---

Time for leadership @Bill_McKay11 Dont turn parks over to commercial xclusv control

Time for leadership @Bill_McKay11 Dont turn parks over to commercial xclusv control @ProtectionIsle @theDoorsgirl @midislandnews @FredPattje

— NanaimoCommons (@NanaimoCommons) September 1, 2014

#Nanaimo giving away public assets MT @NanaimoCommons @ProtectionIsle @midislandnews @FredPattje @Bill_McKay11 http://t.co/VFfBHml2wS

— Fredriko.Quanzo (@FredrikoQuanzo) September 2, 2014

---