Vancity Talks! A youth event organized by youth

In the summer, we assisted Tesicca Truong and Abbey Palaez in planning the youth event which took place at City Hall.  Councillor Andrea Reimer gave an introduction and then the co-designing began...Co-design drawings of an engaged city for youth!

Survey now up for Block 51 co-design

 Survey can be found here. The Block 51 screen day and block 51 co-design was organized by the City of Vancouver

Block 51 Codesigning

Stanley was part of a panel  describing all the pieces that came together for Erickson's Robson Square to happen.  The City of Vancouver posted some of the scenes of codesigning on their Flickr photostream: Below are a sample of photos from their photostream.   Co-Design Group members who facilitated dialogue:  Stanley King, Drew Ferrari, Christopher Small, Susan Chung, Judy Choi, Philip Chung: And all the Co-design drawings are in the Vancouver Public Space Network photostream  

Stanley King

Drew Ferrari

Philip Chung

Christopher Small

Susan Chung

Susan Chung, photo: Celia King

Christopher Small: photo: Celia King

Drew Ferrari: Photo: Celia King

Stanley King: photo: Celia King

Bamfield Codesign drawings

Some of the codesign drawings generated during the Coastal Biodiversity Youth Forum organized by Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre.  The Forum combined a rich program of scientific sampling techniques, hiking, and diving.  To reflect on these experiences, youth codesigned that sweetspot between Wilderness chick and City dude.  We also spent some time codesigning for the Public Education progam.  Both the educators and the students made collaborative drawings to design an education program that meets the needs of students and educators and scientists. We are very grateful for the support from the Institute for Environmental Learning and the Real Estate Foundation.  

Trained teachers in Camosun bog

What are some first steps to help youth to participate in sustainable design?  Encourage them to explore nature within the city!  In collaboration with the Camosun bog Restoration Group and Metro Vancouver Regional Parks, I trained teachers from Metro Vancouver to identify bog species and to implement youth manual techniques  Where the Wild Things Are October Pro-D.  

Block 51: Chairs for Lovers Screen Day:a look at the past

still shot from Chairs For Lovers, NFB, directed by Barrie Howells

Stanley King,  Bing Thom, Alan Bell, Nick Milkovich 

Monday, October 15, Stanley stepped back into his role as community facilitator for Robson Square after forty years!  The City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Public Space Network hosted a screen day to look at the history of Robson Square.  After this, there was a panel which included architects who were part of the original design team:  Luminaries such as Bing Thom, Alan Bell, Nick Milkovich answered questions.  These were three members of Arthur Erickson’s original Robson Square design team. 

"The trio took turns reminiscing about some of the planning and design ideas that went into the original concept. Ideas that included:

• Closing the 800-block off to vehicle traffic
• A lively sub-grade area (where today’s ice rink and UBC are) that would feature retail and transit services along side government services
• A large reflective pool on the north end instead of fountain" 
•  Vancouver Public Space Network

The film was a fascinating look at the past and the present.   I mean, forty years have gone by and change happened to Robson street, to Vancouver, and to Stanley.  Here we were viewing a film about the expression of desired uses from the young people of the past.  We were seeing their dreams and aspirations from the perspective of hindsight: sitting right there in the space eventually designed by Erickson's design team.  And the space follows their desires pretty closely:  A dome over a skate rink, the water features, trees, water, the chairs for lovers.  Bing Thom reflected on how unprecedented it was for a young person like himself, in the 1970s to be given the creative freedom to design a truly great urban space. He called on the youth present that night to seize the opportunity to participate in creating the places they inhabit. 

After the panel, the Co-Design Group got busy and clusters of citizens codesigned Robson Street and the North Plaza.  For a codesign artist, like myself, it was amazing to take a felt pen and draw thoughts on this site again, understanding that it was codesigned forty years ago by young people when it was only a parking lot:

These young people are now in their fifties. But, that night,  a new generation of young people animated the space they dreamed of forty years ago.  We are recording their thoughts through feltpen and vellum.   I will wait and see how the planners and architects and landscape architects will translate these thoughts into landscape, stone, concrete, glass.  

                                                                                         --Susan

Vancouver Public Space Network blogged about it here where you'll find a gallery of the codesign drawings.

photo: Vancouver Public Space Network

Coastal Biodiversity Youth Forum at Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre

This Youth Forum combined biology, outdoor research techniques, hiking, beachcombing, with codesigning the Sweetspot, that perfect spot between Wilderness Chick and City Dude.  Bamfield is a world class Canadian research station on the wild west coast of Vancouver Island.  It's not unusual to see sea urchins the size of dinner plates here.   Kelp forests and Old-growth forests make this place a perfect place to study biodiversity and to reflect on urban impacts on the wilderness.  

We are very grateful for the leadership of Dr. Hana Kucera, Anne Stewart, Erica Simonson and Dr. David Riddel for an amazing youth forum.  We were happy to take part as co-design facilitators. Vanessa Lee, leader of Interpretation at Metro Vancouver Regional Parks also helped out at this Youth Forum.

Dr. Kucera leading a talk on gathering data

Keeha Beach hike, after which we examined the Personal Experience and Perception values of the Wilderness and the City.  

Keeha Beach, a desolate and gorgeous wilderness location

 

Co-designing the sweetspot

Ocean dredging

old-growth hemlock along a trail

camp songs