If you’ve got an idea on how to liven up public spaces in downtown New Westminster, now is a good time to make it happen.
The Downtown New West BIA has partnered with the City of New Westminster on a new place-making program that invites individuals, businesses and not-for-profits to submit proposals for unique and innovative activations in public spaces in downtown New West. The program has several goals: to foster activities in public spaces that are safe, welcoming and inclusive; to build community by encouraging people to connect with each other in public spaces; and to test new ideas and help identify/remove barriers that discourage activations of public spaces.
“I am beyond excited. I would love to see some really unique, innovative ideas. I would love for people to submit things we have never even thought of doing here,” said Kendra Johnston, executive director of the Downtown New West BIA. “It’s open to anyone, but I’m mostly excited to see what local residents might come up with.”
The BIA is no stranger to activating public spaces, having organized events like the Columbia StrEAT Food Truck Festival and Fridays on Front.
“I would say the biggest is fostering social connections,” Johnston said of the benefits of activating public places. “We see it all the time at Fridays on Front. People who are new to New West and are making friends, or are running into people they haven’t seen in years.”
This year, the Downtown New West BIA will fund three projects for up to $3,500 each, with the funds going toward the cost of producing the events. This could include materials, artists’ fees, insurance, marketing, equipment rental and supplies, but excludes liquor purchases or charitable donations.
“I feel like we put a lot of work into it and have done a lot of experimenting and figured out what works in the context of our mandate and our goals, and we’d love to encourage others to do the same thing,” Johnston said. “Often we hear from people that they don’t have the resources, they don’t have the money mostly, but also, they don’t know how. We have a template that we can share and can support people through figuring out how to do that.”
In addition to providing funding for the project, the Downtown New Westminster BIA will provide promotional support and guidance in acquiring the necessary city permits for the events.
“There are lots of great organizations in the city that activate spaces and do cool things, but there seems to be an appetite to do more, more, more from local residents,” Johnston said. “The idea was to encourage other people to activate public spaces.”
The deadline to submit proposals is March 25. Details can be found at downtownnewwest.ca/Public-Space-Activation-program.
While locations like Westminster Pier Park and Hyack Square are potential venues, Johnston said the BIA welcomes proposals for all kinds of locations.
“There’s lots of little nooks and crannies in terms of public spaces in the downtown, so we would encourage people to take a walk around and envision what they would like to do and where,” she said. “We are open to all kinds of spaces.”
Pop-up dance parties, family-friendly events and art installations are potential ideas, but the sky’s the limit.
“We are hoping people come up with ideas we haven’t even thought of,” Johnston said. “That’s one of the goals – we hope people really surprise us with what they come up with.”
