EVENT: TBD - Ice Cream on your block/Condo Patio hosted by YOU with your City Councillor. (Date and time TBD)
We're hosting a condo building or block party this summer on your block or patio. The program is short and sweet: one hour drop-in format. You'll help us by knocking on 10 neighbour/block doors and inviting folks to come out and get to know their neighbours. We'll help by bringing the ice creams and the excuse to get to reconnect with one another! To help organize one in your community, email [email protected] and our team will work with our calendars.
EVENT: June 24th: Will Tech Save Us? Technology, climate change, cities, and transportation.
An evening with techwriter and host of the fantastic "Tech won't save us" podcast and author of the book: Road to nowhere: what Silicon Valley gets wrong about transportation. Self-driving cars. Uber. Hyperloops. AI. Moonshots. Paraphrasing from the gospel of Paul.. These really are the days of lazers in the jungle somewhere...
Venue TBD (message me suggestions!)
June 24th 6PM Mix and mingle | 7PM Talk |
EVENT: Better Buildings, Better Communities: An evening with Seattle Architect and green building expert Michael Eliason.
Thursday June 29th, 2023 - 6PM Mix & Mingle | 7:00 Talk (Telus International Centre, University of Alberta (Room 150) corner of 111st and 87ave)
You are invited to a special guest lecture and Q&A with Seattle-based Architect and green building expert Michael Eliason (@holz_bau on Twitter, Architect & founder: @larch_lab, podcast: @LowCO2_city). Michael has been a leading thinker and commenter on a number of topics including sustainable city planning, green building, passive haus, mass timber, co-housing, point access blocks and much more.
He has presented and published across continents and jurisdictions. Recently he published a report for Vancouver City Council on Point Access Blocks, and how excessive stair requirements are limiting our building potential. You can read more about his work and watch a couple of his videos at the RSVP link. Join us for this special event made possible by MADE Edmonton, The University of Alberta School of Urban and Regional Planning, Industry partners and more.
In Michael's words, his objectives are: Better housing. More affordable housing. Better noise protection. More blue/green infrastructure. Space for trees. Larger courtyards. Until we start tackling those things - and layering additional aspects (hello passivhaus! hello active solar protection! hello homes that can cross ventilate! hello blocks with a diversity of housing types and tenures!) - we're just going to see same poorly planned status quo. Part of why Larch Lab was founded was to change that paradigm. We can't keep going on like this: Inadequate affordable housing. Expensive market rate housing that is sooo poorly planned. Neighborhoods that are not walkable. Zero climate adaptation in our planning processes. In the end it's mostly geometry. But allows for *significantly* more density, better urban environment, and much better public health outcomes as well.
For more information and to RSVP: https://www.michaeljanz.ca/better_buildings_for_better_communities
BACKGROUND & ADVANCE TALK: (Virtual) June 14th:
As California’s demand for housing continues to grow, the state is assessing different approaches to meeting those needs. In two weeks, we’re looking at how diversifying multifamily housing options could be a key solution. https://spur.secure.nonprofitsoapbox.com/component/events/event/244
Building code circulation requirements in California profoundly shape the size, quality, accessibility, and location of new multifamily housing. As the state looks at ways to address its need for more housing, interest in the construction of multifamily housing is growing. Most of the developed world outside of the United States and Canada, with the exception of New York City and Seattle, allow single-staircase multifamily housing up to six stories. Join us as panelists from various backgrounds discuss how such housing can safely deliver more diverse multifamily housing options.
EVENT: 6PM Wednesday June 7th, Bike Month: Bike Mill Woods to Downtown with Clr Tang and Janz
There are fantastic bike month events happening across the city. Check out edmonton.ca/cycling to learn more and find one close to you! Edmonton is really a fantastic cycling city and the EFCL Strata Bike Month Challenge is popping! While February may seem a long way off, I want you to save the date: February 22-24th Edmonton is hosting the World Winter Bicycle Congress and welcoming visitors passionate about active transportation from around the world! RSVP Feb 22nd - 24th: https://www.yegcyclingcongress.ca/
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EVENT: June 18th, Bike Month: Bike fix /stop and chat with Clr. Salvador at Tastawinak Bridge
FEEDBACK:
The Zoning Bylaw Renewal Initiative. Edmontonians are invited to continue sharing feedback on the draft Zoning Bylaw until July 30, as the project enters a newly added “Advise Phase” of engagement before the draft Zoning Bylaw is presented at public hearing in October 2023. Visit engaged.edmonton.ca/ZoningBylawRenewal to share your thoughts by filling out an online survey, using the 'Ideas' tool or emailing [email protected].
Do you want to connect with people who are passionate about the SDGs and sustainable, equitable transportation?
Join us for Together | Ensemble 2023 on June 8th to learn about cutting-edge transportation research from U of A researchers, see what municipalities are doing to prioritize mobility in urban space, and hear how non-profits and politicians are doing their part to make cities more people-friendly! Read on for more information on the sessions:
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Halfway but not half-hearted - accelerating action for 2030 by Leah Ettarh, Executive Director, Alberta Council for Global Cooperation (ACGC)
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Crowdsensing-based Monitoring of Built and Natural Environments by Dr. Mustafa Gül, Professor, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta
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Transport planning and policy considerations for sustainable cities by Dr. Emily Grisé, Assistant Professor, School of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Alberta
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Women in Fleet Transformation by Trinity Song, Analyst, Equitable Transition, Pembina Institute
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The Future of Transportation in Alberta by Heather Stephens, Chief Operating Officer, Emissions Reduction Alberta and by Derek Hanson, Director, Transit Fleet Maintenance, Edmonton Transit Service
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Calgary Transit's RouteAhead by Erin Felker, Transportation Planner, City of Calgary
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Advancing Edmonton's Mobility Goals by Pablo Orozco, Mobility Expert, City of Edmonton
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People Power for Climate Cities by Edmonton City Councillor Michael Janz (ward papastew)
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A participatory route to urban transformation by Jonathan Lawrence, Planning Advisor, Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues
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Boiling SDGs down to a walk, roll, or bike ride by Stephen Raitz, Chair of Paths for People
Register for Together | Ensemble today! https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/together-ensemble-tickets-624849982117
NEWS:
And as always... Provocations from around the internet....
From Radical Planning: "Happy Pride! In this video I explore the life and death of American gayborhoods - also called gay villages, gay neighborhoods, and queer neighborhoods. I think it's important to know the conditions on how they came to be and how they are ultimately being destroyed if we ever hope to grow them in the future."
The ninth video in Paige Saunders series on urban planning and the housing crisis. "The biggest hurdle to getting everyone housed is the NIMBY monster inside us all."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJFn20hzccI
From Utaye Lee "As Vancouver grows and evolves, we need to ensure that there are housing options that meet the needs of the diverse households that live and work here, including more "missing middle" housing. With the help of Uytae Lee from @AboutHere, we explain what the “missing middle” is, and why we are exploring changes to allow more of this type of housing, including multiplexes (buildings with up to 6 units on a single lot), in low density neighbourhoods across the city as part of the implementation of the Vancouver Plan."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re_mShtG0-4
"In the past couple decades, many cities across Canada have preserved entire neighbourhoods for their historical value - often referred to as ‘heritage conservation districts’. We think cities should feel much more conflicted about this. ‘Stories About Here’ explores the urban planning challenges that communities across Canada face today. In each episode we dig into the often overlooked issues in our own backyards - whether it’s the shortage of public bathrooms, sewage leaking into the water, or the bureaucratic roots of the housing crisis. Through it all, we hope to inspire people to become better informed and engaged members of their communities."
