CITY STUDIO PROJECT: DISCOVER KITSILANO WALKING TOUR APRIL 17th 2019 Carolyn Donnelly Daniel Hanhausen Ellen Hayes Eric Kwon Mayra Fraga Rajat Chadwani ‘DISCOVER KITSILANO’ WALKING TOUR APPL 5230 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................................................. 2 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................... 3 RESILIENCY ............................................................................................................................................. 4 HOW IS KITSILANO A RESILIENT NEIGHBOURHOOD? .............................................................................. 5 POINTS OF INTEREST ALONG THE WALK ................................................................................................ 6 TOPIC OF THE WALK ............................................................................................................................... 7 SOCIAL RESILIENCY ................................................................................................................................................ 7 COMMUNITY ......................................................................................................................................................... 8 PLACEMAKING .................................................................................................................................................... 10 HOW WE PLANNED THE WALK ............................................................................................................... 11 PROMOTING THE WALK ......................................................................................................................... 12 SUMMARY OF EACH STOP ...................................................................................................................... 15 1 KITSILANO NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSE.............................................................................................................. 15 2 COMMUNITY GARDENS & THE THINGERY ......................................................................................................... 16 3 BIMINI’S PUBLIC HOUSE ................................................................................................................................. 17 4 SOPHIE’S COSMIC CAFE ................................................................................................................................ 18 5 KITSILANO BEACH & POOL ............................................................................................................................ 19 REFLECTIONS: WHAT WE LEARNED ....................................................................................................... 20 SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................................. 21 SOURCES ............................................................................................................................................... 22 ‘DISCOVER KITSILANO’ WALKING TOUR APPL 5230 INTRODUCTION An integral component of social planning is understanding the people and communities that surround us, while engaging with others to create a more complete community. A group of six students from Langara’s Applied Planning Program were tasked with creating a neighbourhood walk that reflects these principles and specifically focuses on resiliency, which is defined as “the ability to respond to, withstand and recover from adverse situations” (RAND Corporation). Assigned with designing a route within the beautiful neighbourhood of Kitsilano, advertising the event and working as a team, the group managed to successfully plan as well as creating a manageable walking route for the big day. The walk was successfully completed on Saturday, March 16th, 2019. This report seeks to detail the planning and design process regarding the neighbourhood walk, as well as how advertising and promotion of the event was implemented and how the actual walk was executed. First, we explore the main topics of the walk which includes an overview of the main theme of resiliency and specifically how it applies to the Kitsilano neighbourhood, the importance of community as it relates to Kitsilano, as well as placemaking and special points of interest. Next, a detailed analysis of the walk itself includes how the walk took place in terms of timing, locations, transitions, and overall ambiance and feel. Brief explanations of each stop are additionally provided, along with some reflections from the group members at the end. Finally, there is a section includes opportunities for the organizers to share what they thought could have been done differently or things they would have changed during the walk. Several photographs are provided throughout the report to provide some historical and illustrative context. ‘DISCOVER KITSILANO’ WALKING TOUR APPL 5230 RESILIENCY “Resilient cities are cities that have the ability to absorb, recover, and prepare for future economic, environmental, social, or institutional shocks. Resilient cities promote sustainable development, well-being and inclusive growth (OECD).” 4 areas that drive resilience in society: ECONOMY ENVIRONMENT Þ A diverse number of industries Þ Ecosystem is sound and diverse Þ A dynamic economy to generate growth Þ Infrastructure can meet basic needs Þ Conditions allow innovation to take place Þ Adequate natural resources are available Þ People have access to employment, education, services, skills training Þ Coherent policy towards land use SOCIETY GOVERNANCE Þ Society is inclusive and cohesive Þ Clear leadership and management Þ Citizens’ networks in communities are Þ Strategic and integrated active approaches are taken by leaders Þ Neighbourhood is safe Þ Public sector has the right skills Þ Citizens enjoy healthy lives Þ Government is open and transparent ‘DISCOVER KITSILANO’ WALKING TOUR APPL 5230 HOW IS KITSILANO A RESILIENT NEIGHBOURHOOD? When we went for a walk in the neighbourhood, our first impression was that Kitsilano is an area that supports resilience – particularly social resilience. There are many amenities that add value to the area, such as parks, where people may enjoy their leisure time, and Kitsilano ‘Kits’ Beach, where people come to socialize with their friends and families. These locations allow people to play different types of games, and the sea wall provides views. Additionally, many events take place at these locations, such as the Khatsahlano Street Party, the Kitsilano Showboat, the Greek Day Festival, which strengthen the neighbourhood by enhancing its sense of community. Overall, the walk showcased social resilience through meeting new people and encouraging them to engage with the aforementioned community activities. Mural design behind Nook restaurant (1535 Yew St) by Brynn Staples in partnership with BC Culture Days. "Culture Days is a collaborative, Canada-wide volunteer movement to raise the awareness, accessibility, participation and engagement of all Canadians in the arts and cultural life of their communities. Every Culture Days weekend features thousands of free, hands-on, interactive activities where the public can discover the world of artists, creators, heritage experts, architects, curators, designers and other creative professionals in their communities (Idea School of Design)." ‘DISCOVER KITSILANO’ WALKING TOUR APPL 5230 POINTS OF INTEREST ALONG THE WALK Þ Kitsilano Neighbourhood House* Þ The Naam Þ Tatlow Park Þ Wings Mural Þ Delamont Park Þ Kitsilano Beach* Þ First General Store Þ Kitsilano Pool* Þ Community Gardens* Þ Maritime Museum Þ The Thingery* Þ Vanier Park Þ Arbutus Greenway* Þ Bimini’s Public House* *Official stops on the walk Þ Sophie’s Cosmic Café * This map is from our Discover Kitsilano brochure, which was handed out on the walk ‘DISCOVER KITSILANO’ WALKING TOUR APPL 5230 TOPIC OF THE WALK SOCIAL RESILIENCY, COMMUNITY, AND PLACEMAKING IN KITSILANO SOCIAL RESILIENCY As mentioned previously, our walk heavily focused on social resiliency, as we visited areas with community themes and historical significances of bringing people together. We catered these topics specifically towards newcomers to Vancouver with international students in mind, given the traditionally younger demographic of the area. Our stops focused on places with rich histories where people tend to gather. West 4th Avenue, in particular, has a famous background of attracting hippies and free spirits back in the 1960’s and 1970’s. During these eras, the street was known as ‘Rainbow Road’ due to the vegetarian restaurants, Greenpeace activists, and health food stores (Kitsilano.ca). Paul Watson of Greenpeace. The signs of an eclectic city dot the storefronts on Students Denise Quakenbush and Mimi Maier on their August 12th, 1971 by Peter Hulbert. West Broadway between Trafalgar and Blenheim. way to Henry Hudson Elementary School in Kitsilano. October 5th, 1972 by Steve Bosch. October 13th, 1971 by Ken Oakes. School in Kitsilano. October 13, 1971 by Ken Oakes." Photos courtesy of Monte Cristo Magazine ‘DISCOVER KITSILANO’ WALKING TOUR APPL 5230 Other examined stops, such as Bimini’s Public House, offered visitors a chance to see some of the history firsthand – photos of activism line the walls, and the first official Greenpeace office sat across the street. It was common for activists to sit in