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Since 2013, the City of Toronto Planning Division has held an annual, month-long public outreach program called Planners in Public Spaces (PiPS). With a municipal bureaucracy that, at times, feels divorced from the direct, everyday interests and needs of Toronto residents, PiPS aims to bridge the gap between City planners and the people they serve. The event series began as an initiative by the City of Toronto's Chief Planner, Jennifer Keesmaat, with the planning division setting up booths in public places across the city to directly engage residents and address their concerns first-hand.
This year, the program is set for a major expansion, as a new partnership with Raconteurs (a storytelling event series) sees PiPs become a more interactive and intimate platform. In addition to the new storytelling series, PiPS will continue to host booths across public parks, farmers markets, festivals, and community events throughout the city. For the first time, these initiatives will take place year-round, as the previously month-long series now becomes a permanent fixture in public life.
The 2015 season kicks off at 7 PM on June 17th at the Tranzac Club on 292 Brunswick Avenue, with the inaugural storytelling event—themed 'Neighbourhoods'—set to feature eight personal narratives from members of the community, who will talk about how the neighborhoods they call home have impacted their lives. The inaugural event will also feature personal stories from two members of the Planning department, with City Planner George Pantazis, and Chief Planner Jennifer Keesmaat, set to talk about the neighborhoods that have impacted them.
Leading up to the storytelling event, a City planner will be hosting a booth (opening at 6 PM), with members of the community invited to engage their public servants directly with any questions or concerns.
PiPS was founded with the goal of 'Bringing planners to the people,' ultimately seeking to engage the City in a more community-oriented urban planning mandate, where the perspectives and concerns of residents are a foremost civic priority.
More information about PiPS can be found on the City of Toronto's official website here, with the full schedule for the 2015 season set to be posted soon.
