HOST : Thank you, Ms. Lee, for joining us for our local news hour.
WOMAN: My pleasure. It’s fun to be here.
HOST: You’ve been working in urban planning for how long now?
WOMAN: Um, around 23 years, give or take.
HOST: That’s quite impressive. I read somewhere that you’ve worked in eight cities throughout Canada during that time.
WOMAN: Yes, that’s right. I began my career with small community projects, such as developing outdoor public spaces, urban gardens, and youth centres. All of these grassroots projects really helped me to develop a framework for understanding the bigger picture in terms of how a city environment evolves. And to me, that’s very exciting. I love how much creativity there can be when the public gets involved in planning their city, according to their needs. When you incorporate all perspectives, especially that of communities typically marginalised by mainstream society, into urban planning, you get as a result incredibly functional spaces.
HOST: What do you mean by marginalised, exactly?
WOMAN: Segments of the population that are often ignored, or who are intentionally not included, in community-level decisions. Take, for example, lower socio-economic classes, immigrant populations, ethnic minorities, women...there are many groups that aren’t well represented in most communities. So, if we want to be truly inclusive and as functional in our city designs as possible, we have to actively seek out those voices.
HOST: Thank you for the clarification. For the benefit of our listeners, could you give us an example of an aspect of an urban plan that was successfully inclusive?
WOMAN: Sure. There’s a suburb around Vancouver called Richmond that has experienced a lot of immigration and is now predominantly East Asian. East Asian cultures are used to having outdoor walking paths and gathering spaces. They spend a lot of time outside, especially the elderly, to exercise as a community. Go to China and just about anywhere you’ll find open, flat park spaces where people do Tai Chi in quite large groups.
HOST: Yes, I’ve seen that in my travels.
WOMAN: Well, we fit those into that suburb’s urban renewal scheme, and the community loved them. We can see they are very popular by the amount of people that use them, and in surveys we’ve noticed increases in satisfaction with the community environment.
HOST: A job well done, then.
WOMAN: I like to think so.
HOST: And now you are working on a project in Guelph.
WOMAN: Uh-huh. Guelph is this incredibly beautiful, quaint, artsy city that is unfortunately struggling economically. There isn’t a lot of industry there, so young college graduates tend to migrate towards larger urban areas, leaving behind an ageing population. We’ve been looking at that city for a while now and asking what we can monopolise on to give young people the option of making a career for themselves there.
HOST: And what did you find?
WOMAN: Tourism! It’s a great place to spend time, to browse boutique shops, and buy local arts and crafts. It also offers some excellent fine dining options. It just needs more of a tourist infrastructure. That’s where we come into play. We’ve put together a team of experts in urban design, tourism development, and business development to assist the community in its growth. It’s a very holistic and inclusive urban renewal project, and we are excited to see how it all unfolds.
HOST: I love the idea. How long until the project is finished?
WOMAN: It’s hard to pinpoint an exact time frame, but I would say the first phase will be completed by next March. The first phase involves getting a comprehensive plan and budget approved by the city council. Phase two will consist of using project funds to help start-up businesses that fit into our plan. We’ll offer financial, logistical and consultative support. So, if you are a young person who wants to open a bed and breakfast in Guelph, our team will help you develop a sound business plan and give you a low-interest loan as an incentive. This type of entrepreneurial support is usually very popular amongst adults in their twenties.
HOST: I’m sure it is. Now, how can people contact you if they are interested in taking advantage of this opportunity?
WOMAN: Our project’s information is available through the city council’s website, and they can reach me directly by email at suelee@urbanpro.ca.
HOST: Well, good luck with this project, and thank you for stopping by.
WOMAN: Thanks.