PLACEMAKING & IDENTITY
INTRODUCTION
Okotoks is over 100 years old with a unique history and identity. Okotoks’ name is derived from “ohkotok”, the Blackfoot First Nation word meaning “stoney”, which may refer to Big Rock, a large glacial boulder west of the town1. The CyArk 500 Challenge, an international project to digitally preserve and create awareness of some of the world’s most significant cultural heritage sites identifies the Okotoks Erratic as one of the most unique historical resources in Alberta2. The Sheep River valley contains numerous other sites important to local Indigenous people. After settlement, Okotoks flourished as a small-town centre for sawmilling, oil, and transportation. The population began to grow significantly in the 1970s3, transforming into the Okotoks we know today with over 29,000 people, a charming, walkable downtown heart, and a strong sense of community.
However, car-oriented neighbourhoods and a cold winter climate can be challenging to create active, vibrant public spaces that bring people together all year-round.
PAPER 6 OF 8 The Okotoks’ Community Vision states: “Neighbourhoods are connected, fostering a sense of community among residents. Design and architecture create places that reflect neighbourhood culture. Community gathering spaces are animated and anchor
neighbourhoods. Streets are lively and engaging places, where people can move around in a safe and inclusive environment.”
How can we create great places that strengthen Okotoks’ identity and bring people together?
WHAT IS PLACEMAKING?
Placemaking is a people-centered approach – this means designing places for people and not cars, and thinking about how people will experience a place with all five senses1.
A “sense of place” is what makes certain places unique and memorable and makes people want to spend time there. This can be encouraged through planning, zoning, and neighbourhood design – but a key part comes from the community itself and the people who live there. Placemaking can also be a partnership with private, public, and non-profit organizations, working together to shape public spaces through design, infrastructure, art and culture. Sometimes places are permanent, like a public plaza or park, and other times, they may be a temporary like a block party, pop up art exhibition, or community garden on a vacant lot.
KEY PRINCIPLES OF PLACEMAKING
The diagram below shows some of the key elements that contribute to a great place.
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Image Credit: Project for Public Spaces
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TRENDS AND CHALLENGES IN OKOTOKS
• Okotoks has great places. Places like downtown Okotoks, Elma Street, and the Sheep River Valley are all strong pieces of the identity and character of Okotoks.
• Okotoks has great events. Events like Light Up Okotoks attracts 20,000 people to participate and spectate every year, transforming our main street into a celebration space and bringing the community together.
• Car-oriented neighbourhoods can be a challenge. Many neighbourhoods in Okotoks are car-oriented and do not have a unique feel or identity.
• Winter can be a challenge – and an opportunity. Okotoks is a winter town, and it can be hard to get people outside during the winter months. But embracing winter can support thriving public spaces and social opportunities year-round. Okotoks already has outdoor skating rinks and toboggan hills in neighbourhoods around town and the Light Up Okotoks festival kicks-off the holiday season.
OBJECTIVES
To address these trends and challenges, Okotoks can work towards the following objectives:
1. Continue to strengthen the downtown as the walkable ‘heart’ of the community with a range of shops and services, housing, and public spaces.
2. Work with local First Nations and encourage community creativity and support local residents, businesses, and groups to create engaging and lively places and spaces that reflect all of Okotoks history and culture.
3. Design places for people rather than cars.
4. Provide quality public spaces for gathering and socializing throughout Okotoks.
5. Integrate public art into public spaces.
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BIG IDEAS
To support engaging public spaces that reflect Okotoks’ identity, the Town can explore a wide range of policies and partnerships.
The following provides a range of options to spark discussion about the best way forward for Okotoks. It is not a complete list of options and no decisions have been made at this point.
Winter Town Strategy. To support more activity year-round, Okotoks could develop a Winter Town Strategy. This could include
design guidelines for winter safety, comfort, and maintenance, and identify key events and activities to bring people together to celebrate the season.
Retrofit Existing Spaces. The Town can encourage creative re-use of existing spaces and buildings through direct investment, grants and tax incentives to bring vibrancy to drab or underused spaces and/or celebrate local arts, culture, and history (like the creation of the Heartland Café in what used to be the Baptist Church in Okotoks, built in 1902).
Pilot Projects. Pilot projects can be an easy way to test out new public space ideas to see how people like them. They allow people to experience space in a completely different way and show
them how different spaces can be enjoyed. For example, a temporary chalk bike-lane trial, a temporary closure of a public street for a community event like ‘car-free days’, or a new public space with seating, landscaping, and opportunities for events and entertainment.
Design Competitions. Design competitions can unleash the creativity of people in and outside of Okotoks to create amazing places. It is a great way to generate unique ideas to activate space in any location. For example, Winnipeg hosts an architecture competition every year to build creative and unique warming huts along a skating trail on the Red River.
WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!
Complete the survey online at okotoks.ca/MDP or attend the Public Event, May 12th at Foothill Centennial Centre from 10am – 2pm time to share your thoughts on the future of Okotoks.
Alley-Oop, Vancouver.
Photo Credit: http://urbanyvr.com/alley-oop-more-awesome-now-award
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CASE STUDY – BIG IDEAS IN ACTION
NEW YORK – PLACES FOR PEOPLE As New York City’s transportation
commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan transformed the streets of New York from car-centric to dynamic spaces for pedestrians and people on bikes.
Using an inexpensive tactic of painting spaces for people, she created plazas and bike lanes in the most congested areas of the City.
The result was reduced congestion, increase in foot traffic and
improved economic returns for businesses.
LA PÉPINIÈRE – SEASONAL PLACEMAKING IN MONTREAL
La Pépinière are facilitators and incubators of public spaces. This organization creates temporary installations that celebrate things that are uniquely Montreal.
These installations are hosted throughout different seasons to help to bring community together year-round and celebrate local arts and culture.
Before and after images of Times Square, NYC Photo credit: Julio Palleiro/NYC DOT.
