Planning Pool

Matt Hern is one of the irrepressible urbanists of Vancouver, Canada. He is an author, activist and educator, most widely known for founding Car Free Vancouver. He is also known by his immediate neighbours as the guy who hosts the 200-person potluck dinners in the park by his house! His new book Common Ground in a Liquid City: Essays in Defense of an Urban Future reflects on Vancouver from vantage points in other cities around the world.

This eight-minute audio clip captures Matt Hern reading aloud from his new book. He compares Montreal and Vancouver, considering Montreal’s more distinctive flavour:

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From February 1 to 5 , two million American students between kindergarten and grade 12 will be involved in environmental education programs as part of National Green Week. While National Green Week is a great program, sustainability needs to be more than just an addition to the curriculum that is presented by the most progressive teachers!

Just a quick heads up – Planning Pool is going to be at Fresh Media on Saturday!

Fresh Media is a celebration of innovation and independent media, and a re-imagining of media and journalism in Canada. The collaborative forum and unconference happening Oct 24th from 12:00 – 6:30pm at the spanking new W2 space at 112 West Hastings!

Hope to see you there.

Next Sunday, Vancouver’s biggest community garden hosts its annual open house. Check out garden tours, workshops, beekeeping demonstrations, a native plants display, live acoustic music and free vegan snacks!

Musicians take a break at the 2007 Strathcona Community Gardens open house.

When:     Sunday, July 12, 2009
Where:   Strathcona & Cottonwood Community Gardens
(Just off the Adanac bike route. See map below.)
Time:      10am – 2pm
Cost:       Free!

Perhaps like all community gardens, the Strathcona and Cottonwood gardens have wonderful stories in their soil. In the 1950s and 1960, the site served as a garbage dump and a city works yard. Since the 1980s, the land has been completely restored through the efforts of hundreds of volunteers. Today, the gardens thrive in a seven-acre urban oasis that is also a living example of urban … Continue Reading

This Thursday, the Vancouver Public Space Network is presenting a one-night film festival of short films dealing with public space.

When:     Thursday June 18, 2009
Where:   VanCity Theatre, 1181 Seymour St @ Davie St
Time:      Doors open at 7:00, Screening begins at 7:30
Cost:       10$ regular;  8$ students/ seniors (no advance tix, only door sales)

This is the first event of it’s kind in Vancouver – let’s hope it’s a roaring success so that we can look forward to seeing more short films about cities and public space!

To find out more about the festival, check out the Vancouver Public Space Network event page here.

What are the challenges facing planners and policy makers in addressing issues related to food security and public health? How can we contribute to effective actions that address these challenges? Join  representatives from the City of Vancouver, City of Surrey, UBC Farm, and BC Healthy Communities at the upcoming PlanTalk for discussion on these issues this Monday.

When: Monday, April 27, 2009.
Appetizers and networking from 6:30-7:00 PM, to be followed by presentations and discussion from 7:00-9:00 PM.

Location:     Room 1600, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings St., Vancouver, BC

Who: Featuring the following speakers:
• Samara Brock, Social Planner, Food Policy Staff Team member, City of Vancouver
• Mark Bomford, Program Coordinator Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm
• Mark Allison, Senior Policy Planner, City of Surrey
• Deirdre Goudriaan, Fraser Region Facilitator, BC Healthy Communities
• Paris Marshall-Smith, MA candidate, SCARP (moderator)

Cost:
$20 PIBC Members*
$25 Non-PIBC … Continue Reading

This year’s conference is in Minneapolis and the member-rates give a lot of bang for the buck, especially if you volunteer (students only).  There’s even a chance to go to a Twins game…  Check out the website to learn more about this plan-a-thon, because it is surely more informative than I.

The University of British Columbia’s School of Community and Regional Planning is hosting a symposium on March 13 and 14. Entitled “From Sustainawhat? to Sustainahow! Moving from knowledge to action,” the symposium will explore the implementation of sustainability planning. Specifically, speakers will be focusing on affordable housing, resilience of government institutions in climate change planning, intercultural communications and multicultural planning, collaborative and participatory design, regional water governance, and many other topics.

 Confirmed speakers include :

• Dr. Tom Campenella: Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Design at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
• Stephen Owen: Vice President, External, Legal and Community Relations, UBC
• Dr. Leonie Sandercock: Faculty, SCARP, UBC.
• Dr. John Freidmann: Professor, SCARP, UBC.
• Karen Stone: Executive Director, B.C. Not-for-Profit Housing Association
• Brent Toderian: Director of Planning, City of Vancouver 
• Naomi Steinberg: Professional Storyteller
• Shannon Daub: Communications Director, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, B.C. Chapter

Perhaps most excitingly, … Continue Reading

Dr. Wendy Sarkissian is offering a two-day workshop in Vancouver, British Columbia, focusing on community engagement in sustainable planning projects. She will be asking what’s wrong with our approaches to community engagement with sustainability, and how can we transform them? For more information, see http://kitchentablesustainability.com.