Aus Düsy

Schönen guten Tag, M.Plan,

Inspired by Pamela and Erika's recent wonderful posts, I have decided to post a brief blog update of my own. For many of you this won't be much of an update at all, since I have been in all-too-frequent e-mail contact with my M.Plan past over the last couple of months. But for the sake of keeping the blog active, I hope you will excuse the redundancy of this bulletin.

I'm very happy to read and to hear that many of you are starting to dig out your niches in the various corners of Canada. I'm also glad that the M.Plan09 community is alive and well in Halifax and Vancouver, and assume that regular round-table discussions about the roles and responsibilities of The Planner are taking place at comfortable locales in both cities. Never forget that critical Sandercock article.

I'm residing in the Elisabethstraße of Düsseldorf's Friedrichstadt district. The bulk of my day-to-day life is presently being occupied with the language certification that I am pursuing at an institute down the street (as it were, directly across from the research centre for the Robert Schumann Gesellschaft). My language proficiency is advancing, though I have a long way to go before I'll be able to fluently pontificate about, for instance, the virtues of modern streetcars---which are, I should note, abundant in this city. Nevertheless, I'm able to speak with relative fluidity about most topics and can understand almost everything that isn't tainted too heavily by the Rheinisch dialect.

As I had expected, the lifestyle here is quite different from that of Halifax. There is a higher concentration of bicycle lanes and Altbier pubs. The streets are much livelier. I've seen a good deal of world-class music for very little money, and travel with Deutsche Bahn makes this a feasible weekend option, even on a tight budget. People are in the Rhineland not as reserved as the German stereotype---quite gregarious, in fact---though I haven't yet made many German friends. This situation will hopefully change once I get part-time work, which I will need very soon...

I'm now in contact with all of the German faculties to which I plan on applying next year, and have some appointments lined up for the fall. It's difficult to keep in the academic spirit, especially when your readings are in a language in which you're only minimally proficient, though I'm sure that the workshops and meetings I've scheduled will soon put some wind back in my sails.

I will leave you all with best wishes for the fall season, and the reminder to let me know if you're ever in Europe. You're always welcome here. And don't be shy to visit my own blog, which I'm still updating regularly (though with less regularity than when I was working at the CEU).


Tschüß!



- Ken


P.S.: Julia, you've a Düsseldorfer doppelganger in my 'hood. The resemblance is uncanny.

from Vancouver

Colleagues and Friends!

I check this Blog often and I was delighted to see Erika’s recent addition. I figured it was just about time for me to get on the Blog tom-tom’s and send you all a message.

Hard to believe that a new semester of MPLAN is up and rolling without us. That said I really want to get off the Dal Planning e-mail list. It was fun while it lasted but I really do not need to know what time they are having their meet-and-greet lunch this week or what electives are available from other faculties. Though there is a certain comfort I experience upon receiving an e-mail from Carol…she never gave me a bad mark.

As for me, I am enjoying life in Vancouver. I miss Halifax occasionally. I am working at a non-profit that advocates for people with physical disabilities. The organization is called BC Rehab Foundation and I work as the program manager. For the most part I manage projects that make buildings and public spaces more accessible to people with mobility issues (e.g. spinal cord injury, amputations, progressive MS, ALS, etc.) To be honest, I find myself calling on my planning education every day I am at work. The other day I was reviewing bylaws for New Westminster to see how we could fit a ramp on the side of a community centre. Right now I am coordinating a project to make various food banks across the GVRD accessible to users and volunteers who have challenges with their personal mobility. There is also an awareness component to what I do at the Foundation, so that frequently translates into doing presentations to other organizations and coordinating events. So the upshot is that I am doing way more “planning” that I ever would have imagined myself doing 5 months ago. I think what I like most about working at a non-profit is that you get to do a bit of everything because resources are tight and there is literally no one else there to do them. So it is a great learning experience.

Erika, I will now borrow a page from your book ;)

Loathe. Buildings with accessible main entrances and then all the emergency exits are at least ten steep stairs to safety. Outdoor yoga classes that think it is kosher to set up group sessions on bike and pedestrian paths. And people who call and tell me the mandate of our organization… “Oh! That’s what we do! I only work here. Thank you, now I am enlightened.” Well, maybe I don’t loathe the last one but it really gets on my nerves.

Love. Bicycling in Vancouver, hanging out with Julia, Graeme and Pat on Commercial Drive and doing laps in the Pacific Ocean.

Yikes, my loathe list is a lot longer than the love one. Hmmm…maybe I should get in on those group yoga sessions and I’d be a little more zen-like. ;)

Anyways, I hope you are all enjoying life after grad school. This is my first official MPLAN 2009 blog post so thank you for tuning in. I love getting updates on what you are all up to in your respective locations. Take good care.

Cheers,
Pam

“They paved paradise and put up a parking lot”

Hello everyone,

It’s been awhile, but I needed to rant to some like-minded people about everything I love and loathe about suburbia. I’m not talking about Clayton Park; I’m talking about the endless, life-sucking, soul-destroying suburban sprawl that dominates much of Southern Ontario.

Loathe. Cookie-cutter houses, monotony, boredom, manicured lawns, lawn ornaments, pesticides, sidewalks into nowhere (if there are sidewalks at all), front-loaded double garages, constant road widening, streets named after trees that were cut down for development, lollipop trees, cars, cars, cars, disappearing farmland, curvilinear streets, cul-de-sacs, supersized houses, McMansions, huge setbacks, big box stores, chain stores, fast food, Wal-Mart, strip malls, malls in general, parking lot upon parking lot, cars with single occupants, commutes, traffic, hostile pedestrian realms, gas-guzzling SUVs, gas stations, intermittent bus service, terrible public transportation, utter dependence on the automobile for all of your daily needs, limited mobility without a private vehicle, poor streetscapes, few public spaces, an abundance of private space, Victorian ideals, hyper individualism, consumerism, materialism, conservatism, 400-series highways, limited social capital, apathy, limited economic and cultural diversity, Euclidean zoning, R-1 zones, horribly inefficient land use, cheesy advertisements for new housing developments, teenagers who hang out in the parking lot at Tim Hortons because they have nowhere else to go, isolated senior citizens, cyclists who bike on the sidewalk and almost run you over because they’re not used to pedestrians on the sidewalk, dependence on cheap oil, gated communities, greenfield development, declining downtown cores, sprawl, sprawl, endless suburban sprawl reaching out to an endless periphery.

Love. Family and friends (despite their housing choices), dog-walkers, strong communities that thrive regardless of location and design, women’s groups, playgrounds, protected parks and open spaces with recreational trails, main streets and most of all: how my loathing of suburbia drove me to pursue planning as a career.

-Erika

P.S. Here are some interesting design solutions to suburban sprawl: http://www.re-burbia.com/finalists/

Charley does New Town

Gee, planning sure was easier in 1950s Britain:

http://www.europarchive.org/item.php?id=new_town_TNA
(entertaining video for free download)

Uncanny, though, to note the resemblance between old 'New Town' planning and new 'New Town' planning.

Tschüß,

- Ken

Another Jab at Florida

Thanks, Kate, for alerting me to the Star article that inspired this post:

http://www.kengildner.com/blog/?p=594

- Ken

Shameful Serving of Tennis

This was a letter I sent to the coast, which was published this week

The name the commons denotes a sense of equality and access, a place where everyone in the city enjoys leisure and recreation. However, I am beginning to realize this is not the case for tennis in Halifax. One would think the tennis courts at the commons would be the best place in the city to play. The most courts in one place, central location, adjacent to the major high school, and lighting at night to boot. This would be a significant recreation asset for any city, but in the case of Halifax we see an aged, neglected, and ignored recreation venue. The courts have not been resurfaced for what looks like the better part of a decade or two, rusted out fences with no screens for wind, no garbage cans, no water fountain, no clearly designated bathroom, no information board about tournaments or lessons. As a result, anyone who is interested in tennis plays in one of the many private clubs. Essentially creating a negative feedback loop where the courts are not used as much as they could and therefore there is no incentive to invest in the facility. As a province and city we are always singing the merits of an active and inclusive population. Why should we have a two tiered tennis system when we have an opportunity to have the best facility in the city be part of the "Common Good". Tennis is a sport that takes little in the way of equipment and provides recreation to all ages, sounds pretty inclusive, maybe something we should encourage in a place named the commons.

Streetcars 4 EVA!!!

Hi guys,

I'm not sure if I could get the Mlan list serve going or not... if so, ignore this, otherwise... here is a shameless plug of myself:

http://www.cresthalifax.org/archives/an-investigation-into-the-potential-of-modern-streetcars-in-halifax-ns

Pat

It's Official

For the non-facebookers,

Thought you would enjoy a shot of the 9 remaining MPlanners in our fancy robes. I think Pat said something about photoshopping the rest of the class in. We missed you guys!

Hope all is well where you are,

Erika

Cycling the Danforth

Hello all,

An interesting article from today's Globe and Mail:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090520.BIKE20ART2302//TPStory/Front

It seems as though authorities in Toronto are beginning to warm to the idea of cross-city bicycle lanes. Toronto's transportation network has always baffled me; although the city has one of the continent's best public transit systems, it also gave itself entirely up to the 'freeway method' of urban revitalization in the twentieth century, and continues to extend these roads. Though its many inner city neighbourhoods have fine-grained, walkable streets, once one hits the downtown, this pedestrian comfort is extinguished would-be-Manhattan streetscapes of wind-channeling towers, massive surface parking lots, billboards, and wailing taxicabs. And from what I understand, the city is a beast to cycle in.

It's interesting that they've chosen the Bloor-Danforth for the east-west alignment of the proposed bicycle route; I've always been under the impression that circulation throughout that area would be pretty amenable to cyclists (wider right-of-ways, slower traffic). I've heard from a couple of people that cycling College or Queen Streets is a real pain in the butt (pardon the pneumatic pun).

It's kind of disheartening, though, that Councilors and the powers-that-be might side with the few businesses along the Bloor-Danforth that are rallying against such changes. If a cycle lane removes a few parking spots, it could of course impact restaurants who rely on wealthy, drive-to-the-door senior clinetele for a good chunk of their business, and who require a few stalls right in front of their establishment.

This the type of case in which planners need to be steadfast in the face of nagging business voices. I'm certain BIAs as a whole will be supporting the initiative, if for no other reason than the bicycle is currently de rigeur amongst cocktail-swilling twentysomethings and is even leaching its way into the pantlegs of the Creative Class. Quick bicycle routes means easier access to retail strips across the city. They represent a leap of faith on behalf of the same authorities who helped produce the current Torontonian traffic miasma.

- Ken

"Hey" from the other coast

Hey Everyone,

I'm at the public library in San Luis Obispo right now, making use of their free internet. "San Luis Obispo" might sound Mexican, but it's not. It's about halfway between LA and San Francisco. I bailed at the last minute on my Mexico plans; the combination of travelling on my own in Mexico + Swine Flu was just a bit more than I was comfortable with.

It's been a great few weeks so far. San Francisco is a fantastic city. We walked for miles and miles, from the Castro to the Mission to Pacific Heights. The quality and diversity of beer in these parts is pretty impressive. The Deschutes Brewery Pale Ale and views from secluded hillside pocket parks go very well together.

Rachel flew back to Vancouver after our SF and "NorCal" explorations, and I've since made my way south via the coastal highway. It's been fun meeting locals and travellers. It's taken some time for me to gain comfort travelling on my own and meeting people, but learning that's been a good experience in itself.

It has been great to be surfing again. The swell has been pretty minimal, but that matches my skill pretty well, and it's been enough to make for some sweet sweet rides.

I hope you're all well. I'm happy to know a bunch of us are still in Halifax, holding down the fort, so to speak.

Later,
Graeme