Discovery Week - November, 2021
Discovery Week was held from November 22 - 25, 2021. City Staff and our partners from Toole Design conducted various stakeholder interviews and walking tours, public open houses, public presentations, and a workshop with City Council. It was a very busy and rewarding week for the project team!
Discovery Week was a collaborative and interactive process which was intended to articulate values, refine visions and principles, identify issues and constraints, and to generate starter idea for the project area.
What we Heard
Based on the inputs received from public participants and other stakeholders during the Discovery Charrette, the following aspects will be considered during the design phase of the project:
- It will be important for future concepts to be sympathetic of the street’s unique character. It would be advantageous to amplify the street’s connection with the existing buildings’ architecture.
- Providing more space for people to move comfortably and easily on foot and rolling is important as well as reducing vehicle dominance within streets.
- Increasing livability in this area could help meet a number of needs of respondents. Developing designs that are: more people-oriented, have quality streetscapes with engaging public realm, increased visibility and natural surveillance could help raise the attraction to live, do business, and visit the area.
- There is a clear need for enhanced public and green spaces, that are vibrant, flexible, programmable, safe, and enjoyable.
- Developing people-oriented streets can further help offer a space for facilitating desired street activity (e.g. music, arts, culture, markets, outdoor seating).
- Opportunities should be sought to incorporate desired community amenities and street furniture, this includes: facilities to stop and rest, places for shade and shelter, water fountains, washrooms, and spaces to play and exercise
- Any future street design should coordinate and compliment the City of Nanaimo’s housing and homelessness strategy and action plan.
Themes and ideas collected from participants during the Discovery Charrette The video below is a recording of the public presentation that concluded Discovery Week:
