annual report

Planning & Design Centre5257 Morris StreetHalifax, NSB3J 1B6

902-494-8494pdcentre.ca

2 PDC Annual Report

3MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD

Message from the BoardBo

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Frank Palermo (Chair): Director, Cities & Environment Unit Gene Daniels (Vice-Chair): Department Chair/Professor, NSCAD UniversityHeather Ternoway (Treasurer): Policy Analyst, Office of Aboriginal Affairs, Nova Scotia Government

Beth Lewis (Secretary): Project Manager, First Nations Inuit Health Branch, Health Canada Tony Gillis: Project Manager, Architect Public Works & Government Services Canada (PWGSC)

Jeffry Haggett: Urban Planner WSP-GENIVARNeil Lovitt: Planner, Turner Drake & Associates

Kyle Shaw: Editor, The Coast Peter Macnab: General Sales Manager Atlantic, Vicwest Corporation Staff: Ross Soward, (Started March 1, 2013) Community Planner, Cities & Environment Unit

The PDC is making a difference. In the past year Switch has garnered recognition, energy and volunteers. The Cities Alive Podcasts have focused in on current issues and have captured local and national audiences. The Construction Site is starting to serve as a clearinghouse and information centre for Halifax projects and plans. The Argyle Streetscape is recognized as a priority public improvement area. More Than Buses is introducing new ideas and enthusiasm to the debate about public transportation. Wyse Road is attracting interest as a demonstration of community engagement in developing plans and designs for its own future.

Despite the empowering progress in these and other areas, there is still much to do. In the end it’s not just about doing more projects, it’s about changing attitudes, it’s about connecting community to planning and planning to community. We remain committed to working collaboratively with the planning and design profession, the private sector, community groups and Halifax.

Our ambition is to bring public and private sectors, community groups, professionals, artists and developers together, to change how planning is done, rethink the quality and nature of public space, and see our future as a common, exciting collective enterprise.

Our progress to date, as well as our agenda for tomorrow is built on the commitment, energy and hard work of the Board, our Director of Operations Ross Soward, and many many volunteers, as well, a number of organizations and agencies, which continue to support the PDC. There is much still to do and many bridges to build and I invite you to join us in moving forward.

- Frank Palermo, PDC Chair

Miss

ion

The Planning and Design Centre exists to connect planning to people and people to planning. The Centre is based on the proposition that people should know what is happening in their community and have a hand in shaping their own future.

Planning and design matter. Tomorrow is not a simple projection of our yesterdays. The future is only limited by the reach of our imagination. Creating plans that move us forward and projects, programs and public spaces that inspire us, requires new commitment and fresh ideas and working together across traditional divides.

In this context, the PDC serves as a community forum, a laboratory, a think-tank and an advocate for creative change. It’s dedicated to making planning and design more accessible, collaborative and effective. It will affect how we plan, but more importantly the Plans that we make and the Community we build. Its purpose is to empower citizens, inform policy and through demonstration projects, allow us to imagine new possibilities within our collective reach.

Who we are

4 PDC Annual Report

Advocating for community change....

• The HRM Active Transportation (AT) plan and Mayors Conversation on Healthy Communities Report both reference Switch: Open Street Sundays. Affirming Open Streets is a way to encourage AT and support healthy communities.

• It’s More Than Buses continued on-going advocacy for an improved network, building public and political support for the Transit Network Redesign.

• This year the Argyle Streetscape was highlighted as a priority streetscape redesign area by the HRM.

Empowering citizens...

• The Wyse Decisions Project is a model for community based collaboration. PDC worked with the Wyse Society, students, and the wider community to host engagement sessions. Working to develop a plan that will meet the unique needs of this neighbourhood.

• The PDC hosted a series of public lectures and workshops with Seattles Jim Diers. Community members received guidance and tools to make change happen in their neighbourhoods. HRM was provided with examples of neighbourhood planning.

• Issue 7 of the Seek Newsletter provided examples and tools for the community in HRM to ask for improved options for public engagement.

Making it happen on the ground...

• The expansion of Switch: Open Street Sundays to Dartmouth and the increase in frequency from 1 to 3 events over the summer months, speaks to the success of this initiative. PDC is moving closer to our goal of an inclusive, frequent community event.

• Cities Alive is a planning and design podcast, and public engagement tool that provides ideas and approaches to empower communities. Cities Alive brings the city to life with stories. In 2013 Temporary Spaces and Neighbourhood episodes were realeased receiving approximately 1500 views for the pilot episode.

5WHO WE ARE

Raise AWARENESS of planning Demonstrate INNOVATIONForum for COLLABORATION

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2014 Fall 2013Spring - Summer 2013

Switch: Open Street Sunday is a signature event of HRM Bike Week

Seek Newsletter Issue 007 “Ways to Engage” released, pushing for ongoing and meaningful engagement

Switch: Open Street Sundays expands to Dartmouth!

Second annual Switch: Open Street Sundays in HalifaxSeptember

August

July

June

6 PDC Annual Report 2014

Winter 2014

Cities Alive releases pilot episodes 1: Temporary Spaces 2: Neighbourhoods!

Metro Transit announces network redesign.

Neighbour Power project, public lecture, PDC workshop and roundtable delivered with Jim Diers

Wyse Decisions public engagement sessions # 1 Headliner and Asset Mapping and # 2 Open Space in North Dartmouth

IMTB hosted Transit 101, a public transit event at the School of Planning, Dalhousie University

November

February

January

7PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

8 PDC Annual Report 2014

AwarenessAccess to information is of primary importance. To increase awareness and improve the quality of design, information about projects and plans needs to be current, in one place and highly visible.

Seek Newsletter

examples of best practices in public engagement through exploring planning in Seattle, Philadelphia, and Chicago. The issue aims to understand how Halifax could increase citizen engagement in planning.

plans underway in metro HRM. The site was fully updated 4 times in 2013 – 2014, highlighting proposed and current projects in the regional centre.

Neighbour Power

1000 issues of Seek 007 were distributed in 2013 - 2014.

The Construction Site is updated on a regular basis to include the latest

peninsular developments.

Total PDC website traffic for the year totalled 9182 unique views.

With 44% of user from Halifax and 11% from Dartmouth.

140 people attended Jim Diers’ free public lecture.

45 people participated in the neighbourhood planning training

workshop.

Impacts

Since Spring 2012 the PDC has been updating the online Construction Site to inform citizens about development proposals, projects, and

Seek’s 7th issue highlighted how public participation in planning needs to be on-going and meaningful. The issue examined current

The Planning and Design Centre hosted two days of Neighbourhood Action workshops, lectures and roundtables. PDC worked

with the United Way of Halifax and United States Consulate to bring renowned author and community organizer, Jim Diers to Halifax to share his lessons learned from his time with the City of Seattle’s Department of Neighbourhoods. The project engaged close to 200 Haligonians in discussion around neighbourhood action, public participation and neighbourhood planning.

Construction Site

9COLLABORATION

Collaboration

Wyse Decision

Wyse Decisions is a collaboration between the PDC, Wyse Society, local community groups and local planning and sustainability institutions to develop a community-based vision for Wyse Road.

This project is on-going. Thus far Wyse Decisions resulted in three community engagement sessions informing preliminary ideas around streetscape, building massing and community priorities of Wyse Road. The partnership showcases a positive local example of community-driven neighbourhood planning.

It’s More Than Busses

Transit’s network as part of the 5-year plan. Following Metro Transit’s public engagement process, Council announced a full redesign of the network.

Throughout the year IMTB worked to raise awareness of the guiding principles meeting with councillors and staff. IMTB continues to engage the public hosting events (Transit 101 Janes Walks) to build support for a high frequency network and higher order transit service.

In 2013 – 2014 PDC in partnership with Fusion Halifax and working group volunteers advocated for a full redesign of Metro

The Wyse Decisions working group hosted 3 public events.

70 people participated in the public engagement sessions.

10 community groups were involved in the decision-making process.

IMTB hosted the Transit 101 events in Halifax.

8 regular volunteers have donated over 560 volunteer hours.

An ongoing forum for public discussion and exhibitions is key to raising expectations, overcoming established polarized views, establishing a design culture and shaping our own future. Fostering opportunities for collaboration is an important part of the PDC’s work.

Impacts

10 PDC Annual Report 2014

Cities Alive

Neighbourhoods. A third episode covering Urban Agriculture is scheduled for release during the summer of 2014.

Cities Alive aims to facilitate planning dialogue and mobilize grassroots planning efforts by offering citizens a vehicle to share innovative and inspiring stories.

Switch Open Street Sundays

In 2013 the PDC hosted 3 Switch Open Street Sudays. PDC continued to establish the Halifax route with Switch Sundays in June as part of HRM Bike Week and a second annual Switch Open Street Sunday on September 8th. The initiative expanded to Downtown Dartmouth on August 24 through a partnership with Downtown Dartmouth Business Commission.

Switch Open Street Sundays continues to demonstrate how open streets are a powerfut tool for community development, local business and active transportation. PDC continues to advocate for greater municipal support for open-streets in HRM.

Cities Alive presented at API Conference.

The podcast page received close to 1500 visits during the pilot launch.

The podcast has shared 25 unique stories.

2 key volunteers have donated approximately 270 volunteer hours.

In 2013, 3 Switch Sundays were hosted.

60 + community partners participated.

5000+ community members participated.

125 volunteers donated time to Switch events in 2013.

1700 volunteer hours were donated to the initiative in 2013.

Impacts

Developing high quality, sustainable infrastructure requires leadership, innovation and an advocate. The PDC works to introduce pilot projects to the Region in the hopes that these initiatives will lead to a larger positive change over time.

Cities Alive podcast launched in fall 2013. PDC released two pilot episodes in 2013, Temporary Spaces and

Innovation

11NEXT STEPS

The PDC is excited to build on the momentum from 2013-14. The updated Mission Statement will guide the Board, staff and volunteers in 2015. A key focus of the PDC in 2015 will be around long-term sustainability. PDC will focus time and energy on partnership and project development with long-term potential.

PDC plans to build on the success of the 2013 Cities Alive Pilot episodes. PDC is looking to establish stable funding to support the development of quarterly episodes. The PDC will explore opportunities for partnership and support with the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP). PDC will be presenting at the CIP conference in July and is working on an article for Plan Canada Magazine. PDC will also explore opportunities through NS Moves to support the development of a series of sustainable transportation podcast episodes. PDC will also explore partnerships with other groups such as Spacing Magazine and People for Bikes.

The Switch Open Street Sundays Initiative is into its third year. The focus for the project this year is to continue to build support through public events in Halifax and Dartmouth, while working to reduce costs and barriers associated with open-streets in Halifax. PDC will work closely with the Downtown Dartmouth Business Commission to host Switch Dartmouth and demonstrate a model for open-streets delivery. Also, PDC is working toward a modified Halifax route during roundabout construction on North Park. PDC will continue to advocate for HRM to better support Switch and work to share its experience with Switch with other communities in HRM and Nova Scotia.

Next Steps: Future Posibilities

• Develop a community-based neighbourhood plan with Wyse Society. • Explore partnership opportunities with United Way of Halifax on neighbourhood planning through the Centre Plan.• Secure partnership and funding to support the development of quarterly podcast episodes.• Approach key groups within planning and development community for annual sponsorships.• Build broad support for Switch Open Street Sundays Initiative.• Extend Neighbour Power Project through a potential Neighbourhoods Conference in Halifax. • Coordinate future SEEK publications with other projects.• Increase engagement on PDC Construction site through blog or other approaches.• Continue to advance the Its More than Buses Project with key partners.

Key Project Activities for 2014 - 2015 include:

12 PDC Annual Report 2014

Mem

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Public Events Hosted: 16

Citizens Engaged through public events: 6050

In-kind support from volunteers: 2531 hours Resources & training provided to community: 15 5 Facebook TwitterPDC Followers 169 630Switch Followers 1062 1110Cities Alive Followers 317IMTB Followers 385

Unique PDC webpage views: 918244% users from Halifax11% users from Dartmouth

Income + Expenditures: 2013-14 Fiscal Year Starting balance $38,104.43 INCOME Membership fees $0.00Fundraising $386.85Construction Site sponsorship (DHBC) $2,000.00Co-op Support (provincial & federal) $6,206.00Project specific funding $77,383.96Total Income $85,976.81 EXPENDITURES Administration (society fee) $0.00Education and training (debate / module) $125.00Insurance (liability - Switch) $750.00Professional fees (sust trans / co&co) $600.00Salaries (interns / director of operations) $42,975.95Bank fees $200.96Project specific expenses (Switch) $36,960.45Printing costs $1,420.60Misc. expenses (AGM, supplies) $567.17Total Expenditures $83,600.13 Net surplus (or deficit) $2,376.68Surplus (or deficit), beginning of year $38,104.43Surplus (or deficit), end of year $40,481.11

Planning & Design Centre’s board reports to its membership at the Annual General Meeting, through posting minutes of meetings on our website and through developing quarterly email updates. In addition, PDC organizes a number of public events each year and promotes theseevents to our membership. Currently all people who attend our events or initiatives and provide contact information are members of the Planning & Design Centre. Currently the Planning & Design Centre has a membership of approximately 466 people who receive regular updates on PDC activities and projects.

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Thank You...

Cities &EnvironmentUnit

13ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

get involved

5257 Morris Street,Halifax, NS B3J 1B6

pdcentre.ca

info@ pdcentre.cat: 902.494.8494f: 902.423.6672

@planningdesign@Switchhfxan

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2014