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Check out our 2023 Yearbookout and learn more about our organization, the amazing projects, programs, and collaborations we've worked on over the past year, our impact and our accomplishments as a team. Enjoy!
Read the Yearbook...
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At the mid-year of implementing their projects in their communities, our #OCChangemakers share their achievements and challenges in our blog series #OCChangemakers Project Highlights. You can learn more about them and their projects here.
Ontario Community Changemakers is a leadership and micro-grant program for young civic innovators with bold ideas to activate public space, enhance civic engagement and foster social inclusion. This program is powered by 8 80 Cities and funded by Balsam Foundation.
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Photo: Modular Housing Community.
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Peterborough, Ontario, a city 140 kilometres northeast of Toronto, has turned a former parking lot into space for modular cabins capable of housing almost 50 individuals experiencing homelessness. The Modular Bridge Housing Community project was created in 2023 to address the unprecedented homelessness crisis in the city. "It's worth every dollar. These are human lives. By making this new investment, we are going to put individuals on a new trajectory in life," said Peterborough's Mayor Jeff Leal. Because of its success, other municipalities across Ontario and the rest of Canada are interested in implementing this solution to the ongoing crisis. By Muriel Draaisma, CBC News.
Continue reading...
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Photo: NaviLens via NextCity.
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How about more transit authorities start using an app to help riders with vision impairments navigate their city in a more effective and safe way? This article by Maylin Tu discusses NaviLens, an app developed to help blind and low-vision individuals navigate transit systems through unique codes the app scans to provide real-time audio and haptic guidance to bus or train stops. NaviLens also serves to make wayfinding easier and more accessible. TransLink, Vancouver's transit authority, tested NaviLens in a promising pilot project that lasted six months but didn't continue with full implementation. The app's potential lies in its integration with real-time transit information systems. While challenges exist, such as smartphone dependency, advocates emphasize the broader benefits of accessibility improvements to ensure inclusivity for those with visual impairments and all transit users.
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Photo: Wyndham Street Troy Bridgeman/GuelphToday
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Richard Vivian, author of this article, shares how recently, City Council unanimously approved the concept design for reconstructed Wyndham Street North and St. George’s Square as part of Guelph's downtown revitalization.
The approved design included adding protected bike lanes along Wyndham Street North during an upcoming reconstruction project. The bike lanes are part of the overall design concept endorsed for the road between Carden and Woolwich streets. There is to be one lane of traffic heading in each direction, along with parallel parking on both sides of the road.
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Diana Lind shares her point of view on the transformation of public spaces moving beyond the famous movable chairs. According to Lind, our cities and public spaces need more. Despite the benefits movable chairs may represent in the design of people-centric spaces, the author calls out the lack of innovative landscape design and over-reliance on these chairs as the primary design component. Lind argues that this approach overlooks public spaces' larger role, such as incorporating bus stops, addressing social issues like homelessness, urban heat mitigation, flood control, and social engagement.
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Accessibility in the United States has been guided by the Americans with Disabilities Act since the 1990s — but it doesn't touch on the public right of way. Fortunately, the Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines — also known as PROWAG — address this subject, but they don't fully incorporate the input of individuals who need accessible infrastructure the most. America has waited over 12 years for the Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines to be implemented. In this article, Marissa Bell gives us the background and why they matter.
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Paris School Streets
In this video by Streetfilms, we learn even more about the positive impacts of School Streets. The video focuses on Paris because of the high-quality implementation of the program in various Parisian neighbourhoods, making streets not only safer for kids but also beautifying the public space and making it safe for everyone.
Watch the video...
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Loneliness And The Built Environment
This short film by MATTER SPACE SOUL and You See Media raises awareness about the public health crisis of social isolation and discusses the impact of our surroundings on our health and happiness, as well as how we live as a community. The film is a call to action to expect more of the design and planning processes in our cities and public spaces.
Watch the video...
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Events & Announcements
Cities for Everyone with Gil | The Webinar
April 2nd: Bicycling for Everyone • Copenhagen & Barcelona. Guest: Marianne Weinreich, Copenhagen. • Sílvia Casorrán, Sustainable Mobility, Barcelona. Register here.
April 16th: Equality and the City Guest: Enrique Penalosa, former mayor of Bogota. Urban thinker. Book launch by U. Pennsylvania. Register here.
April 30th: Re-Run Cities: Have we run out of ideas for our streets? Guest: Danny Harris, Executive Director, Transportation Alternatives. Register here.
My Main Street Program - Application Deadline Is March 31st!
Main Street is a $15-million investment to foster the stabilization and revitalization of main streets across southern Ontario. The program will offer streamlined direct-to-business support and complementary programming for community projects to encourage growth and economic prosperity. Learn more here.
Park People: InTO the Ravines and Sparking Change Microgrants
Apply for up to $1,500 to host one environmentally focused event for your community to connect, celebrate nature, build collective capacity and champion Toronto’s ravines, parks, and green spaces. Apply Now
School Of Cities And Urban Studies Community Exhibition
Join the School of Cities for the year-end showcase of the 2023/2024 Multidisciplinary Urban Capstone Project (MUCP), International Multidisciplinary Urban Capstone Project (IMUCP), Graduate Fellows and other School of Cities initiatives. Tuesday, APril 2, 5:00 - 7:00 pm. If you would like more information, click here.
PRO Expedition
8 80 Cities will be part of the 2024 PRO Expedition and Trade Show at Blue Mountain Resort on April 17-19, 2024. We are excited to share our Senior's Outdoor Activation Toolkit and Lending Library and our Open Streets Toolkit. See you there. Register Today!
Registration for Greater & Greener 2024 is open! Join an unforgettable experience in Seattle this June 21-25. To secure your spot, visit the registration portal and take advantage of early bird rates before prices increase on April 8.
The 2024 #AIPHWorldGreenCityAwards Ceremony will take place on 25th September 2o24 at the Royal Jaarbeurs in Utrecht as part of the official programme of the first Future Green City World Congress. Learn more here...
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