Unplanned Architectures Opening

This Saturday at 8pm, Neutral Ground will be opening a new show entitled Unplanned Architectures.

From the curators statement:

Within artistic production, architecture is a discussion about society and interactions, while within the discourses of capitalism, architecture is a commodity, whose production rises and falls according to periods of growth or recession. “Unplanned Architectures” looks at artists’ representation of the architectural plan in our current state of global instability and uncertainty…As the consequences of sprawl and deregulation become widely apparent, the architecture of our current system is readying to be uprooted, to be rebuilt and yet while this market architecture is being dismantled, what will replace it is unknown. The artists in this exhibit use new media, sculpture and installation to provide insight into our current state of limbo.

For more info, visit their website.

Regina Planning Commission

Tuesday afternoon saw a special session of Regina Planning Commission (RPC)take all of three hours to receive delegations, ask questions of administration and make statements to the proposal.  In the end, despite some reservations, Planning Commission voted in favour of (see RPC 12-4) amendments to the Cathedral Neighbourhood Plan and Zoning Bylaw, closure and sale of the public lane to the South and the Discretionary Use (DU) application for a larger Safeway grocery store on 13th Avenue.

Most of the meeting was spent presenting a variety of views from Cathedral residents both those in agreement and those with reservations.  There was not a lot of new information brought forward since the last public meeting in November(See RUE here and here for background) but there was a great deal of consideration.

The effects of mild winters on wildlife

This article is cross-posted from RUE contributor Katherine Forster’s blog ‘dandelions and concrete‘. Katherine recently relocated to Lindsay, Ontario to learn about natural ecosystems, the restoration of wildlife habitat and how to live in harmony with nature.

Really interesting articles from both the Guardian and the Star on the milder weather and how it messes with the normal migration and hibernation patterns of wildlife. Here’s a excerpt from The Star:

“Voles, for example, live under a thick snow covering to stay warm. Without it, the small rodents are exposed directly to cold air temperatures as they hunker down in forests…

Toninger says snowy owls, which have been spotted in Tommy Thompson Park along the Leslie Street Spit, come south now and then, probably prompted not by weather patterns but by a low lemming count up north.

And insects? Some in this area are highly cold-tolerant, but it’s unknown what repeated freeze-thaw cycles might have on their survival rates and the fitness of offspring, says Brent Sinclair, an assistant professor in the University of Western Ontario’s department of biology.”

Links to both articles:

Winter Wildlife Hibernation – The Guardian

Wildlife and Nature At Risk: The Star

Photo Taken From the Guardian Article (Original Photograph: Arterra Picture Library/Alamy)

City Council Meeting

There is an important City Council meeting on Monday, January 23 beginning at 5:30pm.  There are a variety of topics but the two getting the most attention are the changes to the condominium conversion policy (CR12-4)and the report back on alternatives to demolition for the apartment block on 1755 Hamilton Street (CM12-1).

It would be great to see people come down to the Council Meeting.

Migrating Landscapes

Greetings to RUE readers in the Paris of the Prairies, Saskatoon!  I want to let you know about an exhibition that opened on Thursday, January 20th called Migrating Landscapes.  You should go see it.

The exhibition is presented by the combination of Jae-Sung Chon, a Winnipeg architect and educator, and the firm 5468796 Architects, to create Migrating Landscapes Organizer (MLO). 

The exhibition features young Canadian architects responding to the landscape imagined by MLO with dwelling designs that carry cultural meaning. The hope is to create an installation, a new landscape, which will include the diverse experiences of Canadians through the eyes and lives of young architects, designers and artists (like RUE friend and contributor Hilarey Cowan who is currently exhibiting in the Saskatchewan competition!) 

A May 9, 2011 Canada Council for the Arts press release suggests:

“Migrating Landscapes” will act as a forum for young Canadian architects and designers to investigate, provoke, document and expose the unique manifestations of cultural memory that overlay Canada today.

Another exciting aspect of the exhibition is that it will be Canada’s submission to the 2012 Venice Biennale in Architecture. 

The exhibition contains regional competitions across the country; with the Saskatchewan competition running from January 20th to February 11th at the Mendel Art Gallery. 

For more perspective on Migrating Landscapes, check out this post and video from Cityzen Urban Lifestyle Blog for their short interview with Pina Petricone of Toronto’s Giannone Petricone Associates Inc.

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Queen City Tenants Association

 

Tuesday night was the first AGM for the Queen City Tenants Association Inc. (QCTA).   Around a dozen people came to the event, braving the coldest night of the year so far. 

The group advocates that all Regina citizens have access to appropriate and affordable housing.  At the meeting, the board and membership adopted a set of bylaws including the group’s vision, goals and values.

The group’s vision is as follows:

3.1. The Queen City Tenants Association Inc. is non-profit, non-partisan and

3.1.1. Promotes solutions for tenants

3.1.2. Increases awareness if tenant/landlord rights, responsibilities and obligations

3.1.3. Provides educational materials for tenants and the homeless

3.1.4. Advocates on behalf of Regina residents facing housing challenges 

Some of QCTA’s goals include establishing whistleblower protection for tenants, creating minimal standards for rental housing properties and opposing a base tax rate for housing properties. 

Generally, the QCTA values collective decision-making, being community and needs driven and accountable.

 

The second part of the meeting featured a presentation by Dale Beck of the Office of Residential Tenancies (ORT) (If you have questions about your rights as a tenant or landlord click on the link above, call ORT in Regina 787-2699 or toll-free in Sask 1-888-215-2222 or email queries to: ORT@gov.sk.ca).   

Mr. Beck spoke about the Office’s efforts at conflict resolution between landlords and tenants.  The hope is that the information provided by the website and staff can inform the both parties of their rights and responsibilities, so they can resolve conflicts together, without mediation. 

There has been a reduction in the amount of mediation that Mr. Beck’s office goes through.  He noted, however, even with the reduction, over 60 000 phone calls came into the office in 2010.  With 6 800 applications, 80% of which were initiated by landlords, for resolution. 

Dr. Beck went on to talk about some of the rights and responsibilities of tenants and landlords legislated by the government of Saskatchewan.

The QCTA plans to have 4-6 meetings a year with special gatherings on specific topics or for fundraising in addition.  Full memberships will cost five dollers, with associate memberships also available.   

 

 

Prairie Spruce Cohousing

On January 9, 2012, 31 people attend a meeting of the Prairie Spruce Cohousing Inc (see the New Prairie Spruce Cohousing blog) at the United Way, 1440 Scarth St.  (There will be another housing related meeting at the United Way at 7pm on Tuesday, January 17th, of the Queen City Tenant’s Association.  See prairiedog.) Some of those people were retirees looking to age in place with a stable, friendly, community around them for support.  Others were children, along with their parents, who likely had little idea what the meeting was about.  That age difference is a part of cohousing, a kind of intentional neighbourhood, that these Reginans are looking to build together. 

Cohousing is about residents designing a community that meets their needs with an emphasis on close co-operation, skill sharing, diversity and environmental stewardship, all guided by group consensus.  There are community resources like, a community centre, kitchen, library, car-share, workshop etc, that help reduce the space needed for individual dwellings.  Working cooperatively also allows for a critical mass of people to work on gardening, home repairs, cleaning and other work. 

Dieppe and Haultain closed

The Regina School Board voted, Tuesday night, to close Dieppe (4 for, 3 against) and Haultain (5 for 2 against) at the end of this school year.   

You can read more from Leader Post, News Talk and CBC.

Lara Quintin and Bill Gray came forward to represent Eastview neighbourhood and ask that Haultain be spared.  Many of the arguments made by them, and Trustee’s Beck and Andersen will be familiar.

What I found more interesting were the arguments for closure.  Those who voted for the closures spoke about system wide equity, responsible financial planning, busing as a way to combat tardiness and belief in RBE’s program of structural innovation.   Trustee Dr. Young commented that the changes structural innovation will bring, collaborative teaching  and learning groups, will make large schools feel like small ones.

In reference to Haultain, Dr. Young also spoke to demographic and poverty data, saying that many neighbourhoods now face social issues.  The geographic challenges with Haultain were addressed, with Trustee West particularly haunted by that factor (though he voted for closure) but those for generally felt the students would receive a better education elsewhere.

It was also clearly stated that the board was not in the business of community building rather educating children was their primary concern.  This is certainly fair, but also firmly plants the school board in an education silo.  I believe the Board wants to work with others, communities, the city and province, businesses and so on, but you can’t tell that from some member’s statements. Quite the opposite.

It is clear that those who voted for the closures were well prepared, had read imput from a variety of sources and been privy to a great deal of information.  Of course those voting against had the same advantages.  There are two different visions at the moment and that makes for an interesting board. 

 Probably the last thing the Dieppe and Haultain communities are thinking about right now is having an interesting board.  It was a very sad meeting for the many families in attendance.

 

School Board Meeting

The decision to close Haultain and/or Dieppe schools will take place at the Public School Board Office (1600 4th avenue) tonight at 7pm. 

The two motions for closure, on the agenda tonight, are as follows:

1) That Dieppe School be closed at the end of the 2011-12 school year and that its attendance area be consolidated with that of McLurg School; with all current regular Kindergarten to Grade 8 pupils (and their siblings) attending Dieppe School to be eligible for transportation (in accordance with established procedures) to either McLurg School or Walker School commencing with the 2012-13 school year; and

2) That Haultain School be closed at the end of the 2011-12 school year and that its attendance area be consolidated with that of Glen Elm School; with all current regular Kindergarten to Grade 8 pupils (and their siblings) attending Haultain School to be eligible for transportation (in accordance with established procedures) to either Glen Elm School, McDermid School or Imperial School commencing with the 2012-13 school year

You can see the agenda here.

For past posts on the closure of Dieppe and Haultain see here, here and here.

Tiny Houses

I saw a piece on tiny house on the BBC last week.  I think dwellings like these could be important in developing the soft density that was talked about during Design Regina last fall.

In some ways, technology is able to shrink entertainment products like music, books and movies down to ‘I’ this and Android that devices, most of which are thinner than a paper back novel.  Add to the storage capability the multiple functions these machines provide (TV, Film, Radio and communication) and you start to see where the space-saving can begin. 

I doubt most people will see tiny houses as primary dwellings but as a carriage house, or even mobile home for vacations.   

One name in tiny house building is Tumbleweed, who build all sorts of cute and colourful little places.  Here’s a peppy youtube video from them:

 

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