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Parks & Public Spaces Implementation Workshop in Copenhagen
Last week, we were back in Copenhagen with delegations from Detroit and Buffalo to learn all about planning, designing, and managing parks and public spaces for health, equity, and sustainability. We curated a week of walking and bike tours, presentations by experts, and working sessions to equip the participants with ideas and resources to implement their learnings in their cities.
Thank you, Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, Joe Louis Greenway Partnership (JLGP), Huron-Clinton Metroparks, Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, and Ralph Wilson Park Conservancy teams, for your enthusiasm and energy.
Thank you to our funder, Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, for this great opportunity.
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Our E.D., Amanda O'Rourke, reflects on the importance of School Streets, a movement that is growing all over the world. "Ask any parent or caregiver about the school drop-off and pick-up routine, and chances are most would describe it as a stressful experience," she says. Twice a day, the streets in front of a typical school in North American cities and towns begin to resemble parking lots. They’ve not only become places of stress and frustration but also some of the most dangerous places for children. The streets in front of schools — which should support healthy child development — are endangering kids.
Continue reading...
Note: This article was first published in the 2023 Vision Zero Cities Journal.
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It's officially been one year since we took over King Street in Downtown Kitchener to create the Kitchener Pop-Up Park! 8 80 Cities and the City of Kitchener came together to launch the first-ever pop-up park in downtown Kitchener to build excitement and engage diverse communities in reimagining parks and public spaces through an equity lens. All the organic materials used in the Pop-Up Park have since found their way into the gardens and farms of community members and City parks.
Read the report...
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Sarah Mandalore guides us through the reasons why cities around the world are either opening or rethinking access to waterways to offer a cooling option to citizens during summertime as climate change is causing life-threatening heat. There’s lots to be done in terms of cleaning up urban waters and making urban public recreational water spaces more inclusive and accessible. A great example of urban river swimming is Copenhagen, which modernized its sewer wastewater treatment system in the early 2000s and has added public baths and a mobile dipping zone to its harbour.
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How wonderful would it be that there were more spaces for youth to hang out in our neighbourhoods? In this article, Sylvia Thompson tells the story of a group of teenagers that recently reclaimed some public space in Dublin’s north inner city as part of Culture Night, a program by the Irish organization A Playful City. The goal of the pop-up was to highlight the positive impacts of youth within a community. The initiative included music, poetry, workshops, clothes swaps, nail bars and more. Without a doubt, an effort to replicate in our cities.
Continue reading...
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In Japan, Moai means a “group of lifelong friends, a support group that forms to provide varying support from social, financial, health or spiritual interests.” Moai is a way; it is a social support network that combines culture, traditions and companionship. The most interesting is it originates during childhood, when groups of about five children are paired, and they promise to help each other for life. A Moai gathers around day-to-day life, food, gossip, emotional support, economic relief and more. What a great concept that could alleviate the social isolation crisis and nurture health and happiness.
This article by Aislinn Kotifani is based on the work by Dan Buettner and Blue Zones researchers in Okinawa, Japan.
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A healthy city should be at the centre of urban planning. According to Gary Fuller, author of this article, scientists are examining how building and use of infrastructure are related to illness, more so these days when pollution has a direct impact on our respiratory health. There are various ways to promote healthier cities, like creating adequate walking, cycling and public transit infrastructure and creating environments where all we need is within a 15-minute walk, as Prof. Carlos Moreno proposes in his 15-minute city concept. Decision makers should share efforts engaging the community while planning to create and implement a vision of sustainable, livable and healthy cities.
Continue reading...
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Could This Be A Solution To Gentrification?
In this video by About Here, we learn about the origins and evolution of the iconic Kensington Market, one of the most diverse neigbourhoods in Toronto. How and why the Kensington Market Community Land Trust, a community initiative to protect the social and economic diversity of the neighbourhood created? Could this more and more popular be a solution to gentrification?
Watch the video to find out...
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Brampton Urban Design Awards 2023
We are thrilled to share that we won a 2023 Brampton Urban Design Award in the Public Realm, Public Space and Landscape Design category!
We received this honour for the engaging design that elevates the dialogue among place, people and landscape for Vivian Lane, an underutilized laneway in downtown Brampton. Thank you to the City of Brampton, our partners, artist Abiola Idowu, volunteers and the community at large for being part of this fantastic project! Learn more about the awards here.
Cities 4 Everyone with Gil|The Webinar
Join us tomorrow at 11:00 am EST to celebrate the first 50 sessions of Cities for Everyone with Gil, The Webinar. Gil Penalosa created this webinar two and a half years ago, focusing on the best practices to build cities for everyone. He has invited excellent international speakers who have generously shared their knowledge around topics like parks, transportation, housing, seniors, the 8 80 Cities concept, tactical urbanism, placemaking for children and more. Register here.
We just wrapped up the Fall Public Life Studies for Western Beaches Public Realm Plan in collaboration with the City of Toronto and dozens of AMAZING volunteers! Visit this interactive mapping tool to have your say.
Join us and our friends at Gotham Park on November 15th from 12 PM - 1 PM EST to hear all about our approach to engagement and what we heard seniors need most from the future of this legendary park space in NYC! Register here.
The International Society of Urban Health's 19th International Conference on Urban Health will be November 6 - 9 in Atlanta. Learn from the most innovative urban health and equity experts worldwide and "Turn Evidence into Impact: Urban Health as a Global Driver of Equity & Social Justice." Don't wait, register now!
For close to 20 years, Toronto’s Vital Signs Report has outlined the city’s most pressing challenges. This year, Toronto Foundation is focusing on the issue that underlies all of them – restoring the connection between us and our city. Join Toronto Foundation on November 15 to learn about the report findings, hear from city builders (including you), and together change our city’s course.
Date: Wednesday, November 15, 2023
Time: 8:30 am- 10 am. In-person event (Toronto Reference Library)
Register here.
Join CUI and strategic partners from coast to coast to coast on November 30 in Ottawa to chart the next steps for urban Canada. Registration is open to all participants. Location: Shaw Centre, Ottawa, ON, Thursday, November 30, 2023, all-day. This event will take place in both EN and FR . Register here.
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Welcome to 8 80, Joanna!
We are happy to share that we have a new team member! Joanna Delos Reyes has joined the 8 80 Cities team as Project Manager. Joanna is a community and cultural planner and engagement strategist. She has over a decade of professional experience working in community health, youth services, and the immigration and settlement sector.You can learn more about her here.
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