Neighbours Meet

27 august 2013 Carnagie Centre. Members of the Resident’s Association of Mount Pleasant met with members of the Carnagie Community Action Project to compare notes about their involvement in the community planning process with the City.

Stephen Bohus chronicled the activities of the Mount Pleasant Implementation Committee (MPIC). He included references to the City’s use of imprecise language. Words and phrases somehow seem to change without explanation to reflect the interests of the development community while down-playing directions singled out by residents as identified in the Mount Pleasant Community Plan (2010). He also presented the Mount Pleasant Charrette Plan a self-directed effort by members of the MPIC documenting an alternative planning method and methodology for the intensification of their neighbourhood.

On Social Housing…

In response to a question about whether or not local residents should pull out of the Downtown Eastside planning process, and a lack of desire to sign or approve the city’s product, the discussion centred on the advantages of staying engaged; not approving or supporting a city product that did not reflect local values; and help was offered for producing an alternative plan like in Mount Pleasant.

Finally, there principles in community planning used as the core values for the self-directed Mount Pleasant Charrette Plan were illustrated using local examples and discussed by participants.