SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
An inaugural walk in honour of a celebrated urban planner who died in Toronto in 2006 drew a small crowd Sunday in search of ways to revitalize Yellowknife's downtown core.
Participants of the Jane Jacobs urban walk listen as city councillor Adrian Bell, centre, shares some of his thoughts on urban renewal near Subway, on Sunday. - Simon Whitehouse/NNSL photo |
>Jane Jacobs, an urban activist, was the renowned author of the 1961 book Death and Life of American Cities. The city of Yellowknife decided this year to keep her ideas alive with a walking tour that took about 15 residents, including city councillor Adrian Bell, from city hall down 50 Street to the 51 Avenue intersection.
The strip is currently a hot subject at city hall because the city owns three lots on the street and is planning to tear down the Corner Mart and InstaLoans buildings in the coming weeks.
The walk gave average residents the opportunity to express their feelings on 50 Street, including the availability of store frontage, the role of public gathering spaces, expectations of downtown landlords, garbage, filth, spitting and the overall look of a parking lot on 50 Street and Franklin Avenue that remains largely unused.
"I found this to be very beneficial and I am glad (the city) did it," said participant Thomas Druyan. "I was also glad to see at least one city councillor came and it would be nice to see other councillors taking interest."
Druyan said there are clearly areas along the 50 Street strip that need to be dealt with by downtown landlords coming together and being more responsible for the area's appearance.
"It looks desolate," said Druyan, noting that downtown businesses are being lost to the suburbs. "Landlords should show more ownership because things right now are not being maintained."
Other participants said it would be good if the city took the walk one step further and recorded what people actually think of the area.
"I was thinking that city council should put together a bit of a survey for people to see what ways the downtown should be improved," said Alice Ladner after the walk.
"If some of the store owners knew what would bring more people downtown more often, they would make the improvements or fixes needed."
Anthony Ferri, a city planner who hosted the event, brought the idea for the walk to the city after hearing about Jane's Walks in Toronto and Montreal. As a member of the Alberta Professional Planners Institute, which promotes planning-related events in the North, he said it was a good way to hear from residents directly on their feelings about the downtown core.
"I was happy with the walk and I thought there was a good turnout with excellent conversation," said Ferri, adding he hopes it can grow into an annual walk next year. "Everybody seemed pretty engaged and passionate about what they wanted to say."
Bell said it's important for other departments at city hall to be involved in the revitalization process.
"With all of the problems there, I am concerned we are only looking at them through the lens of planning and lands," he said.
"I would have loved to have had some representation from other departments. Things like enforcement issues, community services. We should broaden these things in the future."
Jane Jacobs's qualities of a safe neighbourhood
- Buildings must be facing the street. Active building fronts (porches, shops, restaurants) are best.
- There should be eyes upon the street from buildings lining the street. Good design allows a clear view of the street from a building.
- The sidewalk should be used continuously. Not just to add a sense of community, but to encourage neighbours to watch the street.
- Children are able to play on sidewalks and streets. Attempting to create courtyards or gated play areas is futile.
- Neighbourhood streets should be as narrow as possible and accommodate only slow-moving traffic. The best way to discourage use of a street is to build wide roads with high volumes of high-speed traffic. Motor vehicles en masse make for unlivable streets.
- A large number of shops and public places, especially those bustling at night, should be sprinkled throughout a neighbourhood. Such attractions give people a reason to use the street and also help to populate places.
- Good lighting offers reassurance to people who wish to use the sidewalk at night while lighting itself can help increase a range of view. It cannot itself guarantee safety. More users and watchers can increase safety by their presence.
Source: City of Yellowknife
