Paton Road Project at PPT May07

People Plan Toronto Neighbourhood Planning Summit

PEOPLE PLAN TORONTO, a group of representatives from neighbourhoodorganizations across the City of Toronto, invites you to get involvedin a one-day Neighbourhood Planning Summit on Saturday, May 26 toidentify problems with the planning process in the City, consideralternative models, and create an action plan for change.The purpose of the day is two-fold: first, to learn from each otherand experts about the planning process, its flaws, and potentialsolutions; and second, to come up with an action plan for change thatwill engage and involve communities across the city. The recent Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) approval of 3 largedevelopments on Queen Street West has been just the latest example ofplanning gone awry. Neighbourhoods across Toronto are exasperated withthe City's dysfunctional planning process and the role of theunelected OMB. We need to fight for change, and to make that fight effective,we need to form a broad-based coalition of community groups whosevoice cannot be ignored by our political representatives.Get Involved!Come to the forum on Saturday, May 26, 2007 at the Faculty ofArchitecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto, 230College St. West. Register online athttp://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=564703573302199Tell us your story. We need your ideas. To help plan for usefuldiscussions, tell us about a development in your area that yourcommunity thinks went wrong (or right), and why. Your stories willhelp us identify key issues and solutions to be discussed at theforum. To make it easier, we've developed a short questionnaire thatyou can access when you register (see the registration link, above).An example of a story about a neighbourhood development is posted on our website atwww.active18.org/PPT/stories/yorkville.html200. Details of the Summitwill be posted on our website (www.active18.org/PPT201) as they areconfirmed.

PortLands Bicycle Tour

Commissioner's Park http://www.towaterfront.ca/dbdocs/4491c0055502d.pdf
City of Toronto Cycling Map: http://www.toronto.ca/cycling/map/
South Riverdale Community Health Centre:http://www.healthycommunities.on.ca/publications/misc/southriverdale_healthmanual.pdf
PortLands Action Committee:http://www.geocities.com/plactoronto/

Guatemalan sink hole

A much more dramatic and devasting sink hole than the Mill Creek examples (Spirn article), this 330' deep sink hole shows again the effects of bad water management planning (Feb 07). Residents of this poorer neighbourhood say they heard tremors and shaking for months before the incident. Several homes were destroyed and news reports say that three people are missing. Source is pruned.blogspot.com, an interesting news site for landscape and design.

LINKS LINKS LINKS

Lansdowne/Dovercourt/Bloor/Dupont
Dupont Improvement Group www.digin.ca
Green Here + Trees Davenport www.greenhere.org
The Stop Community Food Network www.thestop.org
West Toronto RailPath www.railpath.communitybicyclenetwork.org/
Davenport Perth Neighbourhood Centre www.dpnc.org
Christie Ossington Neighbourhood Centre www.conc.org
Dufferin Grove Park www.dufferinpark.ca
Dovercourt Park www.dovercourtpark.ca
Councilor Adam Giambrone http://www.adamgiambrone.ca/
Ward 18 http://www.toronto.ca/wards2000/ward18.htm

Toronto
Planning Action http://planningaction.org/
Metro Network for Social Justice: http://www.mnsj.org/
Evergreen www.evergreen.ca
Afri-Can Food Basket www.africanfood.org
Toronto Environmental Alliance www.torontoenvironment.org/
Toronto Public Space Committee www.publicspace.ca
Spacing Magazine http://spacing.ca/

US/International
Design Programs + Community Design Centres
Miami University Over the Rhine Center for Community Engagement
Auburn University Rural Studio
University of Kansas Studio 804
Cambridge University Shelter Project
Detroit Mercy http://www.arch.udmercy.edu/design_center01.htm
Design Corps www.designcorps.org
Common Ground www.commonground.org
First Step Housing www.firststephousing.org
Pomegranate Center http://www.pomegranate.org/
Public Architecture www.publicarchitecture.org
Architecture for Humanity www.architectureforhumanity.org/
Architects for Peace http://www.architectsforpeace.org/
International Network for Urban Research http://www.inura.org/
Project for Public Spaces http://www.pps.org/
Pratt Center for Community Development http://www.prattcenter.net/
Cyburbia www.Cyburbia.org
Planners Network http://www.plannersnetwork.org/
Centre for Community Change http://www.communitychange.org/
Community Design Center Pittsburgh www.cdcp.org
Charlottesville Community Design Center www.cvilledesign.org
Community Design Center of Minnesota www.comdesignctrmn.org
East Tennessee Community Design Center www.etcdc.org
Community Design Center of Atlanta www.coa.gatech.edu/crp/research/cdca.htm
Environment Works – Community Design Center www.eworks.org
Community Design Center www.uc.edu/cdc/
Affordable Housing Design Advisor www.designadvisor.org/toos/comm_over.html
Rochester Regional Community Design Center www.rrcdc.org
Detroit Mercy Design Center www.arch.udmercy.edu/design_center01.htm
Civitas (University of Illinois) www.urban.uiuc.edu/civitas/
Florida Community Design Center www.flcdc.org
Los Angeles Community Design Center www.losangelescommunitydesigncenter.com

Seedy Saturday, Scadding Court

Teddy Cruz Lecture

Lecture by Teddy Cruz at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (1.25 hrs)

http://architecture-radio.org/learn/public/20060223-CRUZ

Jim McMillan's Plan for Lansdowne/Paton

Jim McMillan, Ward 18 Councillor hopeful in the last election, distributed his plan for the TTC lot at Lansdowne/Paton to houses in the neighbourhood in the fall.

Toronto Tree Tours - Call for interest

2) TORONTO TREE TOURS ~ volunteers needed!Lazybones? Shy tree-hugger? The Toronto Tree Tours Needs You!The Toronto Tree Tours are a collaboration of LEAF(www.leaftoronto.org), a not-for-profit organization that works toinvolve communities in urban forest stewardship, and the TorontoPublic Space Committee.In May 2007, Toronto Tree Tours will officially launch its tree tourprogram with a spiffy, innovative, fun, interactive web site, atree-celebration for our town unlike anything happening anywhere elseright now in Toronto.The site will be a community-driven scrapbook and discussion board ofour trees. It will record each tour of a Toronto neighbourhood's treesas part of the story of the overall urban forest canopy. Each tourrepresented on the site may be curated to include the work of artistswhile also detailing the efforts of local activists and communityresidents in stewarding their community's environmental health. Thesite has a heavy graphic feel and we will represent the work of thebest local culture makers, making a living database of Toronto'strees.We need volunteers to help research and write these tours as well asto photograph the stops on our walks.In addition to tree tours, we will be throwing tree festivals andparties. We are on the lookout for interesting performers, bands,artists and community-builders who want to help us celebrate,especially where a performance or installation might help educate onissues pertaining to our urban forest canopy.We are seeking energetic, savvy, creative individuals to volunteertheir talents: writers, researchers, photo-bloggers, graphicdesigners, artists, video-makers, clowns, puppeteers, jugglers,magicians, activists, bands, activity-organizers, performers, bushparty socialites, movers, shakers, draw-ers both amateur andprofessional to lend their efforts into making this festive communityarboreal event a collaboration utmostly to-die-for!!!Any of you who've been mulling about getting out of the gallery or out from under your desk and into your broader environment this sure wouldbe a grand opportunity! We also would like to hear your ideas.Interested individuals are invited to attend a meeting:February 26, 2007, 6:00pmMetro Hall (55 John St) - rm #302.Please contact Ryan Kamstra at rkamstra@leaftoronto.org or416-413-9244 to get involved.

Nathan Phillips Square Presentations - Feb.20

GreenTOpia: call for papers

Dear Torontonian,In 2005, Coach House Books published an anthology called 'uTOpia:Towards a New Toronto.' This forward-looking collection of essays aimedto capture Toronto’s post-millennial cultural renaissance, and the lovefor their city shared by the city's artists, planners, writers,activists and urban enthusiasts. The success of uTOpia led to afollow-up volume, 'The State of the Arts: Living With Culture inToronto', published a few months ago, that dug deeper into the city’sarts and culture scene.So, it's that time again. The working title for Volume III of theseries is 'GreenTOpia: 20 Visions for a Greener Toronto'. We’re lookingfor 20 immodest proposals for how Toronto can become a greener city anda leader in the fight against global warming and fossil fueldependence. The time is right: climate change has rightfully emerged asthe #1 issue of our time; in the past year, the environment jumped from3% to 26% as the number-one issue on Canadians’ minds. Headlines inbusiness magazines indicate that corporations have suddenly realizedthat going green can make them some green. Yet the mainstreaming of theissue runs the risk of suffocating the smaller, creative ways citizensand organizations in Toronto are pushing to change the status quo.An initial brainstorming session produced the following broad topics:public transit, air quality, waste management, green space,neighbourhood planning, the role of governments, business and the artscommunity in greening the city, participatory democracy, air travel,urban forests, road tolls, alternative energy, the waterfront,brownfields, indigenous models for sustainability, visions for publicspaces like Downsview Park and the Green Arts Barns, and the City’sGreen Plan. But we're not looking for the same old things. We want bigideas, bold ideas, brash ideas. We want off-the-wall thinking. We wantimagination and innovation. We want fun and function, wackiness and,maybe, workability. We want to turn our readers' worlds upside down.We're sending this call for proposals far and wide, and we encourageyou to send it to everyone you know. If you're interested inparticipating, we're asking you to send a one-to-three-paragraphdescription of what you'd like to write about, along with your name,address, phone number and e-mail, a short bio, and any writing creditsyou have.The deadline for proposals is March 5. Unfortunately, we can't acceptlate proposals.We'll sort through the proposals and choose the 20 that most excite usand would fit together into a good anthology. We'll let you know byMarch 20 if your piece has been selected. Final pieces will be due amonth later, on April 20.Specs: Pieces should be 2500 words max. Black and white images aregreat. We'd like to avoid dry or academic writing; the tone should beaccessible, anecdotal, maybe even playful. We'd like the pieces to beforward-looking and positive -- that's not to say that they can'tcriticize, but we'dprefer something constructive and with an overall positive tone. Andthey have to be about Toronto. We can't offer big bucks, butcontributors will receive $100, a copy of the book and our undyinggratitude.Please spread the word to anyone at all who might be interested. Anddon't hesitate to email (christina@chbooks.com) or call (416 979 2217)if you have questions. And please visit our website, www.chbooks.com,for more information about the press and our books.Thanks,Alana WilcoxChristina PalassioJonny DovercourtThe Editors

Toronto Transit Camp

http://toronto.transitcamp.org/ttc/

Don Valley Brickworks - Evergreen Commons

http://www.evergreencommons.ca/

Proposed panhandling ban

From the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee:

A panhandling ban for Toronto 's tourist areas has been proposed by CouncillorCase Ootes. The item went to the City's Economic Development Committeeyesterday (January 24th) and was sent to the city solicitor for study. You mayremember a panhandling ban was proposed in September 2006 by then CouncillorJane Pitfield. The item was sent to the city manager but died there since aCity election took place. We do not know how long this process will take.

http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/174565

community activist

test post

Davenport Perth Neighbourhood Centre
http://www.dpnc.ca/

funny article.

Upcoming events at the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery
www.thepowerplant.org

Sunday 21 January, 2 pm. Free with gallery admission.
SUNDAY SCENEGallery Talk: Stefan Kipfer
In major cities in Europe and North America, notions of creativity (“the creative class,” “cultural capital”) have become instrumental for strategies of land valorization and economic competitiveness. U of T professor Stefan Kipfer offers an alternative way of thinking about creativity in the city: French radical philosopher Henri Lefebvre’s notion of the city as a collective work of art. Kipfer relates Lefevbre’s ideas to the We Can Do This Now exhibition.

Sunday 21 January, 3 pm. Free with gallery admission.
LIVEJumpsations: Jump Rope DemonstrationIn tandem with Luis Jacob’s piece From Stream to Golden Stream, a suspended sculpture made from thirty taxidermied pigeons, youth skip rope team Jumpsations demonstrate its dizzying techniques.

Thursday 25 January, 7 pm. $8 Members, $10 Non-Members.
LECTUREThe Utopian or Visionary in Three Dimensions:Marie-Paule MacDonald, Daniel Young and Christian Giroux.
Can utopian theoretical propositions be translated into realistic architectural forms? This discussion considers the structural and social viability of contemporary and historical utopian projects, relating these themes to design, art, and critical thinking.

FORUM Panel Discussion: Making a SceneBarbara Fischer, Luis Jacob, Tanya Mars, Clive Robertson, Jon SasakiThe Power Plant presents an afternoon panel discussion that responds to the current sense of anticipation and excitement about Toronto’s role as a cultural city and asks how creative communities are generated and sustained. Speakers review the state of arts communities, relating efforts at “making a scene” in Toronto to important national and international contexts. Touching on questions of inclusiveness and exclusiveness, they will consider the legacy of artist-run spaces, collectives, and collaborations to explore how artistic communities are generated and sustained.

http://readingt.readingcities.com/index.php/toronto/search/a/

Lower Don Lands, submit a vision:
http://www.towaterfront.ca/dynamic.php?first=43fa75b221b08&second=43fa7f3cddad8&third=45abd9e029036

WHERE Goes the Neighbourhood? Managing Gentrification in Parkdale. A community forum presented by PLEDC, Monday January 22, 2007 - 7pm-9pm, free childcare provided. Gallery 1313, 1313 Queen Street West (West gates of the building)> free childcare is provided, please rsvp if you’d like to use it.

In the past several years our neighbourhood has undergone a considerable amount of change. Is that a good thing? Is that a bad thing? And what happens next? Join us on Monday January 22nd from 7pm to 9pm for a community forum bringing together residents, local business owners, community service organizations, and political and media types, to discuss, debate, and brainstorm how we can achieve a socially sustainable neighbourhood. A team of fourth-year Urban Planning students at Ryerson University will share a twenty-minute presentation based on a comprehensive study that they recently completed about gentrification in Parkdale. Following this, we will hold a moderated panel discussion to explore innovative solutions for how the community can deal with the ongoing changes in the neighbourhood. The panel features Matthew Blackett (Spacing), Misha Glouberman (Trampoline Hall), Craig Peskett (Parkdale Residents Association), Victor Willis (Parkdale Activity - Recreation Centre), Margaret Zeidler (Urbanspace Property Group), and is moderated by Carl Wilson (The Globe and Mail). The final portion of the moderated panel discussion will include an audience/panel Q+A, and although the event will officially end at this point, participants are invited to stick around for an informal and semi-experimental breakout discussion designed to advance the dialogue on issues raised in the forum.