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t 1 WAl'lilluK) CHRONICLE'Wedne-sday.0ctober26. 2011 -3 i WINTER/SUMMER lllstl t TIRE STORAGE . kitcheneikiacom 519.772.3036 www columbiaautosaies ca 519 5” 2828 Building safer spaces International expert advocates community driven process for planning Bi Phat. Di'thiNii ' /m '“ was one of the things that was identified." ' ‘ “n"ut'lt‘Sm/I W""" a, \ .. Currently. Nikitin said there are 17 differ- , Q _ 7 ‘M< - ' '."f‘. , , ent agencies involved in the project. which titerloo's public square could cer could make great headway working more Wtainl) use a tent with water mis- cooperatively. ters. better otitdoor furniture or ; As the Chronicle reported prior to the ‘ maybe some trees to help it become a pub / . 1 . passing of the ”IS-million project, critics t lic destination. .. g. a arguedlightrailtransitwasappioved without t lhose were rectimiiiendatioiis front (lynâ€" M" 12”, ' Q. g u “ ‘ suflicienl public Input. ‘ thia Nikitiii of New York-based Project for ‘ ' 4 ‘ Transit has become a popular issue inter- ! Public Spaces, who presented to about 100 - ‘ y ‘ 9 ' nationally, according to Nikitin, who said its members of local government and commti- i ~ .' I A ' ‘ importance is not tobeoverlooked. nit_\ organizations Friday at an event put on ‘ “i n g; ‘ ' With LR’l' on the horizon. the region has by the Waterloo Region (lrime Prevention . ’ . ' \ .‘ . , , . - an opportunity for change and image-buildâ€" (otiiicil ~- a . . - ~‘ ffii; ”T‘s ing. "Then-s alwavs ti way to make things bet- a l “ _ f t . A". i a“? “HOW do you draw people in and make | in.” Nitiiiii said ,, ‘ ‘ " . g ' f ‘ ‘ } them want to come.” she said. “Transit is | i [he facilitator. “ho has worked on public __0 ‘ a»; j. , " J; . i main corridors. not nodes." : space projects in seven provtnces and inter r _ .. . ~ “ t .. “' Even moving bus stops from places that i nationally. said she encouraged the city tti go 4 Q ’ . ~ . . '. . am , , ’ fe€l unsafe "â€" for examrile. from in front ofa i ahead with the squarr. “than [hr-re was still _ if“. f. ' :" - f. . smt, . -\ , , ' " ‘ ;,_l 1 sex shop as one participant noted â€"- can ‘ ! dt batt about ll rt itiaimng a parkinglot g . i . fl .. ' ,_ . ‘ p _ change perception ' 5 Now in place. she said it's a good start but _ fl ’ ‘ . - I ' ’ "You want to know â€"â€" talk to a bus driver." t i there needs to be more public o\\nership and , f . ‘ .. ’, o ' v , I 4 , .. she said. "memo people all day." , 3 less time when the square is deserted ,. ' ' * ..~ i, .‘ ~‘ _ ' ' . Nikitin d the four key attributes of ‘ lhe public square was one til five sites _ . . a - . a safe place as starting with sociability. uses l participants evaluated l-rida) titi ho“ it could ‘ ~ ' ‘ ‘ A ' y .‘ - . t . . A i and activities, comfort and image and access ‘ he itiiprmed "lighter quicker t heapei‘ “ as l . -3: 1; .. : ' ’ and linkages. ’ part ot the workshop Muiiitipal (”the pre- ' -':'...3;. ‘ ~ The workshop's participants used the \‘t’tll|tll| in ptihlit spaces The publl( square is one space that would have benefitted from more peopleâ€"friendly plan- attributes as the grading point for the five [ "It s the ptihlit spat es that rea|l\ (inns ning says an international public safety expert. “(more areas “safe place audited" in the city, includ- i people," Nikiiiii said. "lint we don't take care ing: the uptown core. Iron Horse Trail, oi our ptlhllt' spaces the development community to the city's tions of bus stops. according to Nikitin. Queens Community Garden. Bauer site and a " I be best ptihlit spat es are those that are attempts to emphasize better place-plan Nikitin said the simplest things could redevelopment area in Kitchener. used eventlrtt trilorinalh " mug. make a big difference to change perception. Groups answered questions like. “list five l.xatiiples of good ptibltt spares ”N has "We're trying not to build the same old," while larger changes can boost economic things you would do to improve this place “orked on int Itide Bryant Park iti Ne“ iork llaIIoran said "The developers would rather productivity. that could be done right away to make it feel I and Millennium Square in Mississauga she we approve whatever they give us." “The benefits are economic," she said. safer. that wouldn't cost a lot" and “what said tliet in of l\|l( llt'llt'f did a good job with llalloraii said city councillors , Melissa "When (a place) is accessible the city makes three factors would you change to reduce the transparent \ and t tt'dllllg a welcoming feel Iliirrell. Karen Scian and leff Henry all money. risk factors for unsafety" to evaluate the sites. at its t I“ hall. attended the workshop g have made a con "When you ignore it, the cost of doing Qualities ofa great public space according Nun l‘ MTG. PIN has promoted a different st ions eflon to approach planning different- nothingis exponentially higher." to PPS include: activities. identity. flexibility i \\.l\ iii thinking about l in planning ~ put It lti particular. more attention has been Despite not being involved in the creation in design. transparency. active edges, season» i ting people first and then hriiiging proposed given to grecnspace and trees while elimiiiat ofWatcdoo's public square. Nikitin is hopeful at strategies, mix of uses, management. . solutions to gowrtinit-nt and stakeholders, mg dark alleys and uncomfortable spaces PPS ideals will be incorporated into the reaches out like an octopus, triangulation l Hislt'dtl of the tvpit aI prot ess, which is the had been a focus, the mayor said. upcoming light rail transit infrastructure and andafunding base. other way around "We're getting there," llalloran said. “I planning. While she said there is often much resist- ‘iHsiiallyii the piiblit is not unolved tiiiiil wouldn't say wort-good at it or perfect yet. luanita Metzger. a community engage ance by governments and stakeholders to aim the solution has been proposed to a "A lot of it has to do with money, My merit worker with the crime prevention adopting this new way of thinking, Nikitin pliililt'lii they had no role iii defining." dream is for more ofihost- fttn things for kids council, said the LRT was identified by the was hopeful community engagement will \Il\|l|ll said “I think we're going to get some and families (hit city stuff really get this kind community asa future opportunity. become the way Of the fUlUft'. With power . wn good answers for at llldl soluiiotis and of sttifl and love it." "Municipally and in the community. pul’r back in the hands of neighbourhoods and tlii‘li those ideas liiipt-iulh Wlll go into the With money in itiiiid. the lighter. quicker. lic space has become an issue that’s talked a elected officials working for constituents. planningof more prom ts ” ( heaper solutions t otild be anything from lot about." she said, "It's just become much "It's about building the community's ego." \1a\ot lireiida llalloran, who attended the moving garbage diiiiipsters to iitiprove sight- more of an issue across the city. Nikitin said. For more on Project for Public ' uorlishop said there had been resistance iii lines. to reducing litter or (hanging the Inca “When we were planning this event. LRT Spaces visit: www.pps.org I I I | s . ‘ 7 R A ‘ TOP AWARD TN; ,\ _ W . ,- . , WW RELAX & BENEFIT ‘- h ‘ t ~ ‘ ’» - i \ _ L} \ a. f 1 _ ‘ “ " W l a... . m T,s.m\-Jfi_ .s,. ....ra ‘ k, _ . ‘.‘. 3- , : ; L st (: utNA S L1.Fi tor-user he so Nuh Etnbtrrs .~ ‘ .. 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