One of the city’s jobs is to engage the public. What are their strategies and why aren’t they working. Are there more effective strategies?

Communication….. There is and can be more passion from the people if we felt our voices were being heard and then acted on.

Engaging local groups and rethinking the way government seeks public consultation would be great. Most people i know don’t have a relationship with their counsellor. It would be nice, but i’m pretty sure it ain’t happenin.

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Alex Pierson, your illustration is an awesome piece of graphic art. Where can we see more of your work?

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To the baffled RS: I applaud the city if in fact it does block attempts to place a wall of tall buildings in front of the harbour. St. John’s only needs hotels because people come here to visit, live, or do business in a city that is many ways unique in Canada. What makes it unique? The physical and cultural appeal of the downtown is a key factor. We have to protect that, and that is the municipal government’s job.

There is an unnecessary conflict here. St. John’s has lots of room for commercial development without it having to ruin the downtown area. Some planning by the city, imagination on the part of developers, and positive engagement by citizens could allow other areas to be commercial centres in a way that would dovetail well with the downtown’s role.

I’m not talking about box stores in inaccessible locations. Consider the current re-planning of Pleasantville as one opportunity. I envision a high-density commercial and residential area with tall buildings higher up on the hill that don’t block views (but have them!).
Add in the green space, bike paths, walking paths and so on that make the area appealing already. Throw in some lake-side restaurants, a town square, and a focus on people rather than cars and we can have something magical there.

That’s only one idea. I challenge everyone in the city to envision how we might make it better and post your ideas here.

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St John’s will let the big box stores suck the life from the city, but won’t allow a hotel to cover an ugly vacant lot on Water St because it’s too high (http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2009/02/12/harbour-hotel.html) Baffling.

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