May 6, 2010Taking a break to stroll through Kensington is one of the many pleasant benefits to living and working in the inner city. You can browse the shop windows, read the posters for upcoming events, maybe stop for a coffee or a cupcake. On warm sunny days, you might plunk yourself down with your cup o’ joe or Funky Monkey smoothie in the brick-lined plaza on 10th Street. From your perch on the planters, you can watch the world go by, often to the accompaniment of guitars, bongos and the occasional bagpipe.
However, there have been complaints citing “undesirable behaviours” and even illegal activities in the plaza, located between the Roasterie and Booster Juice. There is also concern from residents and organizations that the decreasing attractiveness of the physical space reflects poorly on the community.
David White of the Community Planning Committee has mixed feelings about this quasi-public space. On one hand, he says, the 10th Street plaza “is a vibrant gathering space and…a great representation of the eclectic mix of people living and visiting our community.” However, he admits that the plaza can also be overwhelmed with large groups of people and difficult to navigate.
There is growing community support to encourage the impacted businesses and property owners to improve the plaza’s design, in order to enhance the friendliness and accessibility of this prominent local space.
David Wilson at HSCA feels the plaza “is designed for people to hang out.” He muses, “I moved to Sunnyside because I identified with the [plaza] crowd….people [there] may look different, but a lot of them are really nice people.” Kerri Treherne also wants any design changes to take all plaza users into account—residents, visitors, patrons and adjacent businesses. Possible improvements could include chairs and tables, redesigned planters, or fenced patios.
So, gentle Readers, what do you think? Do you have any concerns about the 10th Street plaza? If so, how would you improve the space for everyone? Please leave your comments below, email them to hscaplanning@msn.com or drop off a letter to Kerri at the community association.
Read a comment on this article here:
Hello,
I am a resident of Sunnyside and have a few comments about the article hang out Heaven or Local blight. I agree that this plaza with its community of people who hang out there was one things that attracted me to the neighborhood. It is great to have spaces in the community where people gather to enjoy a cup of coffee, enjoy the sun, read a paper and to enjoy eachothers’ company. I would not want to live in a community that discouraged these types of gatherings. I do have to say, though, that the plaza needs to be better maintained just in terms of cleanliness. The first weekend after moving to sunnyside my partner and I headed down to the plaza to get a cup of coffee and check it out. I have to say that I was really dissapointed by how dirty the area was/is. I think that if there is anything that needs to be improved it is the litter – 90% of which is cigarette butts. I sat down on one of the brick planters and was disgusted to see that littered all over the ground and in every available crack between bricks in the planters there were cigarette butts. To be honest, I rarely go back to that area just because it is so dirty . I think that keeping the place clean and encouraging those who use the space to throw butts in the trash rather than all over the ground would be the best first step in making it a more agreeable community spot.
Regards,
Katie Rasmussen
: 
Well, it is dubbed the “loser pit” for a reason. Myself, I am not bothered by the people who hang out there and peddle their crops. I kinda like the hippy-vibe that the area has.
It is looking very dumpy though and really should have an overhaul of its planters and benches. And for god’s sake someone empty those garbage cans so they don’t just flow out onto the sidewalk. Common sense I know but …. you know what they say about common sense right?
To provide context, I have lived in Hillhurst-Sunnyside for over ten years, and would love to make it a long term ‘home’ community. I work in the the neighbourhood, purchase most of my groceries at Sunnyside Market, and use the local businesses a priori exo-community business options. It seems that this community has enhanced my life-experience. It has influenced my personality, behaviour, and all that I create.
The 10th street courtyard appears to have established itself as an authentic example of social reality. One which creates and maintains the expression of culture within a community, and includes all potential demographics. For instance, such a social space maximizes potential connections between seemingly disparate individuals, thereby strengthening the communal/communicative nature of the neighbourhood. Suggested readings include Jane Jacobs, Buckminster Fuller, or any intelligent analysis of inner city communities in North America. As such, the 10th street courtyard ‘socio-mimetic node’ is an excellent indication of a thriving inner-city community. Absence of such ‘nodes’ seems to necessarily indicate a lack of community, let alone one which thrives.
In light of the above, the only local blight seems to be the utter lack of commitment this neighbourhood (I.E. WHCA, HSCA, local BRZ, individuals, small businesses, et cetera) has in sincerely attempting to establish a healthy, intimate and reasonable relationship between the community and the cities’ police association. Having the ‘odd’ officer (think about that) technically confront a social space and hassle its citizens vis-a-vis profiling is ineffective, absurd, and dangerously counterproductive. Such unreasonable and uncivil behaviour diminishes trust, and reinforces alienation — via resentment and fear — between a community and those responsible for ensuring the freedom and rights of said community. Again, read any analysis of community/authority relationships, or any history of 20th century social insurrections. Successful and healthy relationships between police associations and communities only occur when such associations are an internal aspect or facet of a community. Attempting to externally impose order on a culture inevitably leads to its demise. ‘Loving’ something to death doesn’t make the corpse any more lively.
A long term commitment to officers working in the neighbourhood (IE regular ‘beat’ officers) will diminish alienation between the community and the police. In a committed scenario officers come into a relationship with the community, thereby allowing them (as individuals) to more reasonably assess social spaces, and the situations within. Having the officers ‘sign in’ to a neighbourhood (IE committing to the local space for a multi-year term) strengthens and enhances trust between the social group and the designated authority within the group. In such a relationship, individuals charged with the responsibility of authority in a culture quickly come to recognize problematic individuals, just as they come to recognize the community. Bear in mind the implications of this statement. ‘Community’ designates a set number. Within community there may be ‘problem’ individuals – yet their set number is so small that it sets them apart from the community. Having police ‘live’ within the community will allow them to easily recognize the set anomaly, and handle such set as is required.
Thank you for posting this article. Objective and clearly written, it has aroused in me a greater sense of community. I hope others will continue to post their opinions, as the neighbourhood in question is full of potential to be a cultural gem for the future of this fine city. Many of us who live and work in the neighbourhood have been told by tourists that this area (Hillhurst-Sunnyside, Kensington and 10th) reminds them of areas in larger, older, trans-national urban centers. Hopefully the City itself will recognize this, and afford to us policing more in keeping with what this neighbourhood deserves.