Twelve Carleton architecture students are playing a key role in enabling the Vanier community to shape their own neighbourhood.
The goal of the project is to take community feedback on urbanism and to pre-emptively produce designs, empowering the community to have a dialogue with future developers, according to Janak Alford.
Alford is the CEO of prototypeD, a not-for-profit development workshop which connected the students with the Vanier Community Association.
He said he believes this will diffuse the frequent tensions which usually occur when new proposals are conceived by developers.
“This is a proactive project. We get the opportunity to provide feedback on two key development projects in the neighbourhood, namely the Eastview Plaza and St. Charles Church,” said Mike Bulthuis, the president of the Vanier Community Association.
“A dialogue between the community and the urban developers is rare and communities passively accept developers’ decisions. But the design ideas created by the students based on community feedback provides the base for future dialogue between the community and the developers.”
“As a result, these properties are expected to be more user-friendly,” he said.
The project began in January and is still in its early stages. Bulthuis said he expects students to come out with 3D presentations of their design ideas within months, empowering the community by visualizing their expectations.
He said he is excited that the community can actively participate in development of their own neighbourhood.
Design proposals are expected to be released May, according to Carleton’s website.
