Thursday, May 28, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Cities envy Charlottetown's green space, planner says
NIGEL ARMSTRONG
The Guardian
Larry Beasley, retired urban planner for the City of Vancouver, spoke in Charlottetown Monday at an event hosted by Friends of the Farm. Beasley said cities around the world would envy Charlottetown’s open space represented by the former Experimental Farm.
Larry Beasley, an urban planner of international renown, didn’t want to comment on thorny Charlottetown land use issues when he spoke in Charlottetown Monday night, at least not directly.
Invited to a public lecture by Friends of the Farm to mark the 100th anniversary of the Charlottetown Experimental Farm, his presentation attracted close to 150 people who attended at the University of Prince Edward Island.
Beasley built his reputation as the urban planner for the City of Vancouver. He has since retired from that post and is consulting and developing projects around the world.
He did say about Charlottetown, that “most cities would die to have that opportunity” of having open green space like the Experimental Farm lands.
“Most importantly, most cities will never have it,” said Beasley. “If you have big, contiguous, publicly owned open space, you want to be very careful about that.”
When asked about the Charlottetown waterfront, he praised the walkway but warned about over-development, suggesting the world standard is just 50 per cent of waterfront land be developed.
He warned that great effort needs to be put into a clear vision for the city, clear development guidelines developed and determination used to follow the vision.
He pointed to an example of a town that rejected a box-store design for Wal-Mart only to find the company back with a much more compatible, acceptable design.
“I discovered something that I didn’t know, these standard-density formulas were not so sacrosanct,” said Beasley.
When Edward Rice asked a provocative question about excess development of Victoria Park, Beasley replied: “I do believe Victoria Park is a treasure.”
Beasley said that demands for recreation construction in Victoria Park is all the evidence one needs that open space and recreation space is in great demand, is highly valued by residents and that more is always better.
He laid out general points for effective management of open space. The first point was to think of the future when deciding how to proceed. The need for people to grow food and have agriculture land within the city is a clear emerging trend around the word, he said.
Beasley said he has had his greatest success from being guided by the needs of families.
“Think from the point of view of a family of two or three kids, and not a rich family, an average-income family,” he said.
“If you design a city that works well for children, it seems to work well for everyone.”
He said that with his guidance, Vancouver has rules that no development can exclude families with children and that amenities for children and families must be part of any development plan.
He also said all parties, from developers to the public, need to be working well together so that all needs are met.
“Ask for a second proposal, a better proposal,” said Beasley. “Just be bold.”
NIGEL ARMSTRONG
The Guardian
Larry Beasley, retired urban planner for the City of Vancouver, spoke in Charlottetown Monday at an event hosted by Friends of the Farm. Beasley said cities around the world would envy Charlottetown’s open space represented by the former Experimental Farm.
Larry Beasley, an urban planner of international renown, didn’t want to comment on thorny Charlottetown land use issues when he spoke in Charlottetown Monday night, at least not directly.
Invited to a public lecture by Friends of the Farm to mark the 100th anniversary of the Charlottetown Experimental Farm, his presentation attracted close to 150 people who attended at the University of Prince Edward Island.
Beasley built his reputation as the urban planner for the City of Vancouver. He has since retired from that post and is consulting and developing projects around the world.
He did say about Charlottetown, that “most cities would die to have that opportunity” of having open green space like the Experimental Farm lands.
“Most importantly, most cities will never have it,” said Beasley. “If you have big, contiguous, publicly owned open space, you want to be very careful about that.”
When asked about the Charlottetown waterfront, he praised the walkway but warned about over-development, suggesting the world standard is just 50 per cent of waterfront land be developed.
He warned that great effort needs to be put into a clear vision for the city, clear development guidelines developed and determination used to follow the vision.
He pointed to an example of a town that rejected a box-store design for Wal-Mart only to find the company back with a much more compatible, acceptable design.
“I discovered something that I didn’t know, these standard-density formulas were not so sacrosanct,” said Beasley.
When Edward Rice asked a provocative question about excess development of Victoria Park, Beasley replied: “I do believe Victoria Park is a treasure.”
Beasley said that demands for recreation construction in Victoria Park is all the evidence one needs that open space and recreation space is in great demand, is highly valued by residents and that more is always better.
He laid out general points for effective management of open space. The first point was to think of the future when deciding how to proceed. The need for people to grow food and have agriculture land within the city is a clear emerging trend around the word, he said.
Beasley said he has had his greatest success from being guided by the needs of families.
“Think from the point of view of a family of two or three kids, and not a rich family, an average-income family,” he said.
“If you design a city that works well for children, it seems to work well for everyone.”
He said that with his guidance, Vancouver has rules that no development can exclude families with children and that amenities for children and families must be part of any development plan.
He also said all parties, from developers to the public, need to be working well together so that all needs are met.
“Ask for a second proposal, a better proposal,” said Beasley. “Just be bold.”
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Larry Beasley
There is an excellent article on Larry Beasley on the National Post web site for April 4 , 2009. The title is " The Urbanizer".
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
We simply wish to keep Farm green
Editor:
I would like to take this opportunity to respond to comments expressed in two recent articles which appeared in your newspaper.
On Monday, May 4, Mr. Jeff Brant, director of socio-economic development with the Mi'kmaq Confederacy of P.E.I., in speaking of the Confederacy's plan for the experimental farm, implies that anyone opposing the Confederacy plan was doing so for racial reasons.
The same issue was raised in a commentary in your paper on April 29 by Darlene Bernard, chief of the Lennox Island Nation Band, and Brian Francis, chief of the Abegweit First Nation.
It is unfortunate that people would attempt to raise a racial issue simply because various groups wish to keep the farm green and as free from development as is possible. I have personally attended numerous meetings in recent months regarding this issue and have never said or heard anyone referring to the First Nations people with anything but respect and dignity.
The Friends of the Farm were formed in 1994 with the objective of keeping the farm green. The Friends, as well as other groups, successfully lobbied against the farm as the location for CARI facility in 2002. The Friends of the Farm sponsored community meetings and came forth with an extensive plan for the farm in 2005.
Only recently has the Confederacy made known its interest in the farm and now appears intent on portraying anyone opposed to its plan as racist or against First Nations people - this is simply not true.
In closing, I would like to quote Chief Francis and Chief Bernard, "At the end of the day we may disagree, at the very least we deserve to be treated with respect and dignity for our efforts and intentions."
Lane MacLaren,
We simply wish to keep Farm green
Editor:
I would like to take this opportunity to respond to comments expressed in two recent articles which appeared in your newspaper.
On Monday, May 4, Mr. Jeff Brant, director of socio-economic development with the Mi'kmaq Confederacy of P.E.I., in speaking of the Confederacy's plan for the experimental farm, implies that anyone opposing the Confederacy plan was doing so for racial reasons.
The same issue was raised in a commentary in your paper on April 29 by Darlene Bernard, chief of the Lennox Island Nation Band, and Brian Francis, chief of the Abegweit First Nation.
It is unfortunate that people would attempt to raise a racial issue simply because various groups wish to keep the farm green and as free from development as is possible. I have personally attended numerous meetings in recent months regarding this issue and have never said or heard anyone referring to the First Nations people with anything but respect and dignity.
The Friends of the Farm were formed in 1994 with the objective of keeping the farm green. The Friends, as well as other groups, successfully lobbied against the farm as the location for CARI facility in 2002. The Friends of the Farm sponsored community meetings and came forth with an extensive plan for the farm in 2005.
Only recently has the Confederacy made known its interest in the farm and now appears intent on portraying anyone opposed to its plan as racist or against First Nations people - this is simply not true.
In closing, I would like to quote Chief Francis and Chief Bernard, "At the end of the day we may disagree, at the very least we deserve to be treated with respect and dignity for our efforts and intentions."
Lane MacLaren,
New location for lecture
The lecture by celebrated city planner Larry Beasley will be held at the lecture theatre of McDougall Hall, UPEI business school at 7.M. on May 25.This promises to be a first-rate event.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Let's keep the farm green
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Editor:
The Mi'kmaq Confederacy might be congratulated on the ambition of its plan to build, operate and maintain multiple government office buildings, two extensive apartment developments, an arts and leadership centre, a children's museum, a seniors assisted living centre, an inn, a restaurant, niche retail and professional offices and galleries on the Charlottetown experimental farm.
However, its plans do not respect the spirit of place of this property. Not one of the above-mentioned businesses has any relationship to the significant cultural, agricultural and horticultural heritage of the farm nor do they relate in any way to the character of the communities which surround the farm or the wishes and needs of their citizens.
The construction of these enterprises necessitates new streets and other infrastructure. The Mi'kmaq Confederacy plan calls for 470 new parking spots on the property in addition to the 160 that are already there. The beautiful stretch of road between Belvedere Avenue and Ravenwood which has maintained much of its 19th century character would be lined with parking lots and buildings. How can any level of responsible government allow this to happen to a property that is such an important part of the identity of our capital city? Could another site or sites be found for all of this construction?
With spirit of place in mind, let us as a community do everything in our power to keep the farm green and publicly owned.
Connie MacKay-Carr,
Charlottetown
11/05/09
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Editor:
The Mi'kmaq Confederacy might be congratulated on the ambition of its plan to build, operate and maintain multiple government office buildings, two extensive apartment developments, an arts and leadership centre, a children's museum, a seniors assisted living centre, an inn, a restaurant, niche retail and professional offices and galleries on the Charlottetown experimental farm.
However, its plans do not respect the spirit of place of this property. Not one of the above-mentioned businesses has any relationship to the significant cultural, agricultural and horticultural heritage of the farm nor do they relate in any way to the character of the communities which surround the farm or the wishes and needs of their citizens.
The construction of these enterprises necessitates new streets and other infrastructure. The Mi'kmaq Confederacy plan calls for 470 new parking spots on the property in addition to the 160 that are already there. The beautiful stretch of road between Belvedere Avenue and Ravenwood which has maintained much of its 19th century character would be lined with parking lots and buildings. How can any level of responsible government allow this to happen to a property that is such an important part of the identity of our capital city? Could another site or sites be found for all of this construction?
With spirit of place in mind, let us as a community do everything in our power to keep the farm green and publicly owned.
Connie MacKay-Carr,
Charlottetown
11/05/09
Thursday, May 07, 2009
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Last updated at 9:49 AM on 07/05/09
Let's not 'pave paradise'; keep the farm green print this article
OPINION
DOUG MACDONALD
Re the Mi'kmaq Confederacy proposed master plan for the Charlottetown agricultural research farm. In the May 4 edition of The Guardian, Jeff Brant of the Confederacy was quoted as saying "you'd hope that in today's day and age, racial problems aren't an issue." This upsets me greatly. In making that statement, it is Mr. Brant who has introduced the race issue. And in doing so, he shows he does not appear to fully appreciate the main issue here.
It has never been about race, but always about development. The public is opposed to development on this site. People want to see it remain as public green space in the heart of the city for the use of everyone in the province. I am one of more than 5,000 people who have signed a petition to that effect.
I attended the presentation of the development proposal last week. While impressed by how much had gone into preparing the presentation, I was shocked to see how much development was planned for the farm property if turned over to this group. The concept of a Veterans Memorial Park, preservation of the Royal Forest, restored fruit orchard, and indigenous medicine plantings are commendable. But all of this is overshadowed by:
- a new road off University Avenue to an office complex with resultant parking;
- a road off Belvedere Avenue running through the heart of the farm almost to the Lily Pond;
- acres of farm land to be developed into three-storey high-density housing along Belvedere from Mt. Edward, almost two-thirds of the way to the rails-for-trails path;
- a future UPEI sports facility;
- an arts and leadership complex;
- an assisted living seniors housing complex;
- and by their count, some 470 paved parking spaces plus connecting roadways.
This proposal reminded me so much of Joni Mitchell's lament in Big Yellow Taxi where they "paved paradise and put up a parking lot."
The people of Charlottetown, and indeed P.E.I., have only one chance to get this right. If any of it is allowed to be commercially developed, it will be irreversible. Let's show some foresight, as our forefathers did in planning for parks in the old downtown core of the city. Other than a few playgrounds, there is no parkland north of Euston Street. Moncton has Centennial Park in the heart of the city. Halifax, Saint John and Fredericton have beautiful, unspoiled parks. Our federal, provincial and municipal representatives must not allow this golden opportunity to slip away.
One way to do this would be to declare it a national historic site under Parks Canada, as 'Ardgowan', across Mount Edward Road from the farm, now is.
The farm was one of the original Dominion Experimental Farms created 100 years ago this year. Hon. James C. Pope, premier of P.E.I. at the time the province entered Canadian Confederation in 1873, and younger brother of Father of Confederation William H. Pope who lived at 'Ardgowan', lived in 'Ravenwood', the beautiful old home on the farm property. Various members of the Royal Family have planted trees on this property over the decades.
It is not about race. Keep it public, and keep it green. We must not allow paradise to be paved for the sake of a parking lot.
Douglas B. MacDonald of Charlottetown is an engineering technologist retired from Foreign Affairs Canada where he was involved in the planning and construction of embassies and ambassadors' residences around the world.
07/05/09
Last updated at 9:49 AM on 07/05/09
Let's not 'pave paradise'; keep the farm green print this article
OPINION
DOUG MACDONALD
Re the Mi'kmaq Confederacy proposed master plan for the Charlottetown agricultural research farm. In the May 4 edition of The Guardian, Jeff Brant of the Confederacy was quoted as saying "you'd hope that in today's day and age, racial problems aren't an issue." This upsets me greatly. In making that statement, it is Mr. Brant who has introduced the race issue. And in doing so, he shows he does not appear to fully appreciate the main issue here.
It has never been about race, but always about development. The public is opposed to development on this site. People want to see it remain as public green space in the heart of the city for the use of everyone in the province. I am one of more than 5,000 people who have signed a petition to that effect.
I attended the presentation of the development proposal last week. While impressed by how much had gone into preparing the presentation, I was shocked to see how much development was planned for the farm property if turned over to this group. The concept of a Veterans Memorial Park, preservation of the Royal Forest, restored fruit orchard, and indigenous medicine plantings are commendable. But all of this is overshadowed by:
- a new road off University Avenue to an office complex with resultant parking;
- a road off Belvedere Avenue running through the heart of the farm almost to the Lily Pond;
- acres of farm land to be developed into three-storey high-density housing along Belvedere from Mt. Edward, almost two-thirds of the way to the rails-for-trails path;
- a future UPEI sports facility;
- an arts and leadership complex;
- an assisted living seniors housing complex;
- and by their count, some 470 paved parking spaces plus connecting roadways.
This proposal reminded me so much of Joni Mitchell's lament in Big Yellow Taxi where they "paved paradise and put up a parking lot."
The people of Charlottetown, and indeed P.E.I., have only one chance to get this right. If any of it is allowed to be commercially developed, it will be irreversible. Let's show some foresight, as our forefathers did in planning for parks in the old downtown core of the city. Other than a few playgrounds, there is no parkland north of Euston Street. Moncton has Centennial Park in the heart of the city. Halifax, Saint John and Fredericton have beautiful, unspoiled parks. Our federal, provincial and municipal representatives must not allow this golden opportunity to slip away.
One way to do this would be to declare it a national historic site under Parks Canada, as 'Ardgowan', across Mount Edward Road from the farm, now is.
The farm was one of the original Dominion Experimental Farms created 100 years ago this year. Hon. James C. Pope, premier of P.E.I. at the time the province entered Canadian Confederation in 1873, and younger brother of Father of Confederation William H. Pope who lived at 'Ardgowan', lived in 'Ravenwood', the beautiful old home on the farm property. Various members of the Royal Family have planted trees on this property over the decades.
It is not about race. Keep it public, and keep it green. We must not allow paradise to be paved for the sake of a parking lot.
Douglas B. MacDonald of Charlottetown is an engineering technologist retired from Foreign Affairs Canada where he was involved in the planning and construction of embassies and ambassadors' residences around the world.
07/05/09
Saturday, May 02, 2009
World Renowned Urban Planner Larry Beasley to Give Talk
Larry Beasley, one of the world’s top contemporary urban planners, will be in Charlottetown to give a talk on the elements of a sustainable city focussing on the essential contribution made by open space at the regional, local, street, and project level. Mr. Beasley who retired as Vancouver’s director of planning in 2006 was instrumental in transforming that city into one of the most livable cities in the world. During his years in Vancouver, he helped raise millions of dollars from the private sector for civic projects, led the revitalization of neighbourhoods, and developed a strong heritage preservation program. Presently, he is the Distinguished Practice Professor of Planning at the University of British Columbia and the founding principal of Beasley and Associates, an international planning consultancy specializing in land use planning and urban design. He chairs the National Advisory Committee on Planning, Design and Realty of Ottawa’s National Capital Commission and regularly advises other Canadian municipalities and numerous cities worldwide, such as Abu Dhabi, Dallas, and Rotterdam.
Mr. Beasley’s emphasis is on sustainable planning and the best use of natural attributes such as green space. He maintains that building things is only one aspect of urbanism. Good cities require good spaces and respect for the spirit of place. Form in design has to suit the people, the environment, the circumstances, and the tradition of a place. It has to feel organic.
Mr. Beasley has been recognized with numerous awards for architecture, city planning and landscape design. In 1996 the United Nations honoured Beasley’s work among the “World’s 100 Best Planning Practices”, in 2003 the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada conferred on him its Medal of Excellence as Advocate for Architecture and in 2007 he received the Kevin Lynch Award for MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning.
The talk which is sponsored by the Friends of the Farm will be on May 25th at 7:00 pm in the lecture theatre of the new business school at UPEI..
Larry Beasley, one of the world’s top contemporary urban planners, will be in Charlottetown to give a talk on the elements of a sustainable city focussing on the essential contribution made by open space at the regional, local, street, and project level. Mr. Beasley who retired as Vancouver’s director of planning in 2006 was instrumental in transforming that city into one of the most livable cities in the world. During his years in Vancouver, he helped raise millions of dollars from the private sector for civic projects, led the revitalization of neighbourhoods, and developed a strong heritage preservation program. Presently, he is the Distinguished Practice Professor of Planning at the University of British Columbia and the founding principal of Beasley and Associates, an international planning consultancy specializing in land use planning and urban design. He chairs the National Advisory Committee on Planning, Design and Realty of Ottawa’s National Capital Commission and regularly advises other Canadian municipalities and numerous cities worldwide, such as Abu Dhabi, Dallas, and Rotterdam.
Mr. Beasley’s emphasis is on sustainable planning and the best use of natural attributes such as green space. He maintains that building things is only one aspect of urbanism. Good cities require good spaces and respect for the spirit of place. Form in design has to suit the people, the environment, the circumstances, and the tradition of a place. It has to feel organic.
Mr. Beasley has been recognized with numerous awards for architecture, city planning and landscape design. In 1996 the United Nations honoured Beasley’s work among the “World’s 100 Best Planning Practices”, in 2003 the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada conferred on him its Medal of Excellence as Advocate for Architecture and in 2007 he received the Kevin Lynch Award for MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning.
The talk which is sponsored by the Friends of the Farm will be on May 25th at 7:00 pm in the lecture theatre of the new business school at UPEI..
Friday, May 01, 2009
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Last updated at 5:22 AM on 01/05/09
Friends differ with Confederacy print this article
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Editor:
I would like to respond to a recent article on the Opinion page of The Guardian ('A team approach to the experimental farm', April 29, 2009).
The authors quote me as having said in an interview that "I feel confident that we can come up with a plan that is acceptable to both groups." Both groups being the Friends of the Farm and the Mi'kmaq Confederacy of Prince Edward Island. What I also said was that the Friends and the Confederacy have different views regarding the ownership of the land. The Friends have always supported public ownership of the land (either the province or the city) and have wanted it maintained as green space. Ever since Friends of the Farm started in 1994, this has been our position. Unfortunately that part of the interview was never aired. I'm sure that if the complete interview is in the CBC archives, my statement can be verified.
The Mi'kmaq Confederacy, or at least Jeff Brant, director of socio-economic development, was informed of this position of the Friends. As late as Jan. 26, 2009, two representatives of the Friends met with Jeff, at his request, and he was told that the membership of the Friends would not support ownership of the land by any corporation. The Friends and other groups opposed the development of the CARI complex on the farm for the same reason, so are not singling out the Confederacy.
In the same article, the authors quote a previous report of a public meeting. According to the article, the meeting "resulted in efforts to block development, 'especially development by a Mi'kmaq corporation'." I was at that meeting and I do not remember anyone making such a statement; and Friends of the Farm have never singled out the Mi'kmaq Confederacy. Indeed we sympathize with them and would like to see them be successful in their endeavours. However, they could make a real contribution to the community and to the province by selecting some site other than the experimental farm for commercial development.
Bert Christie,
Stratford
01/05/09
Last updated at 5:22 AM on 01/05/09
Friends differ with Confederacy print this article
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Editor:
I would like to respond to a recent article on the Opinion page of The Guardian ('A team approach to the experimental farm', April 29, 2009).
The authors quote me as having said in an interview that "I feel confident that we can come up with a plan that is acceptable to both groups." Both groups being the Friends of the Farm and the Mi'kmaq Confederacy of Prince Edward Island. What I also said was that the Friends and the Confederacy have different views regarding the ownership of the land. The Friends have always supported public ownership of the land (either the province or the city) and have wanted it maintained as green space. Ever since Friends of the Farm started in 1994, this has been our position. Unfortunately that part of the interview was never aired. I'm sure that if the complete interview is in the CBC archives, my statement can be verified.
The Mi'kmaq Confederacy, or at least Jeff Brant, director of socio-economic development, was informed of this position of the Friends. As late as Jan. 26, 2009, two representatives of the Friends met with Jeff, at his request, and he was told that the membership of the Friends would not support ownership of the land by any corporation. The Friends and other groups opposed the development of the CARI complex on the farm for the same reason, so are not singling out the Confederacy.
In the same article, the authors quote a previous report of a public meeting. According to the article, the meeting "resulted in efforts to block development, 'especially development by a Mi'kmaq corporation'." I was at that meeting and I do not remember anyone making such a statement; and Friends of the Farm have never singled out the Mi'kmaq Confederacy. Indeed we sympathize with them and would like to see them be successful in their endeavours. However, they could make a real contribution to the community and to the province by selecting some site other than the experimental farm for commercial development.
Bert Christie,
Stratford
01/05/09
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