CityStudio Vancouver launches into second year with #HolidayBlast - Spacing Vancouver

On Thursday, December 6th CityStudio is hosting Holiday Blast, an open reception celebrating the project work of the fall semester students and launching the second year of innovative Greenest City programming and projects for 2013. Alongside music, food and refreshments, the festive event will feature special guest speakers Mayor Gregor Robertson (TBC), Sauder Professor Moura Quayle, SFU’s Lisa Papania, City of Vancouver’s Sustainability’s David Ramslie and Rachel Moscovich, and Vancouver Foundation’s David Doig, Also featured is a student showcase of CityStudio projects co-created with City staff and implemented on the ground in Vancouver in support of Vancouver’s Greenest City 2020 Action Plan. Hosted at the WISE Hall in Vancouver, attendees will include students, faculty, city staff and engaged citizens.

CityStudio’s unique partnership between the City of Vancouver and six post-secondary schools (UBC, SFU, Emily Carr University, BCIT, Langara and VCC) directly involves students in the implementation of Vancouver’s Greenest City 2020 Action Plan. Since starting in 2011, well over 900 students have participated in CityStudio courses, developing Greenest City projects and research in the goal areas of access to nature, local food, green building green economy, water, zero waste and more.

The Holiday Blast will celebrate the diverse creativity, talent and energy of the CityStudio students while helping participants to make connections with community leaders to bring their projects to life and get them going on the ground.

“CityStudio is a place where students imagine the city they want to live in. They work on projects that hit the ground by developing ideas with city staff that aim to meet the greenest city goals.” Janet Moore, Co-Founder and Co-Director of CityStudio.

Duane Elverum, Co-Founder and Co-Director of CityStudio, is currently leading a cohort of 19 students from Emily Carr, SFU and UBC that are co-creating 5 projects with City staff in the areas of zero waste, access to nature and food assets. “Students have the passion and capacity to help create our collective future. As their projects hit the ground in Vancouver, we will all see the power of design, co-creation and collaboration in action.” Students this fall are working with City of Vancouver staff on five projects:

1. The Urban Orchards team has developing an urban orchard pilot on Vancouver’s flankage streets.

2. The Public Realm team has energized and activated the public realm with community partner Harvest.

3. The Compost Collective team has developed 3 food scraps diversion pilot projects in multi-family buildings.

4. The Wood Waste/Deconstruction team has designed and constructed a furniture piece and program related to Vancouver’s waste wood.

5. The Marpole Orphaned Spaces team has researched and mapped orphaned public spaces for selected activation in the neighbourhood of Marpole.

This semester, Lena Soots, Project Coordinator at CityStudio is coordinating a network of 14 courses on CityStudio’s partner campuses to engage students across disciplines and institutions in Greenest City projects. “We have a wide range of students engaging with the Greenest City Action Plan in their own unique disciplinary way – from Business and Marketing to Film Production and Architecture. The Greenest City needs everyone.”
For more information please visit:
citystudiovancouver.com
@citystudiovan
facebook.com/CityStudioVancouver
and follow #holidayblast

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CityStudio Vancouver is an energetic hub of learning and leadership where students design and implement Greenest City projects.

CityStudio is directed by Duane Elverum (Emily Carr University of Art and Design) and Dr. Janet Moore (Simon Fraser University – Centre for Dialogue). The project is a collaboration of the City of Vancouver, Vancouver Economic Commission (VEC), British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Langara College, Simon Fraser University (SFU), University of British Columbia (UBC) and Vancouver Community College (VCC). The project is supported by Vancouver’s Campus City Collaborative (C3).

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