City to host public workshops to generate ideas for ‘Hub Project’
In September of 2018, the City of Kingston announced plans to “enliven” the intersection at Princess and Division Streets, and now they’re looking for ideas.
‘The Hub Project’ is a City initiative aiming to improve the intersection – an area known locally as The Hub – through public art and other design elements. A public engagement initiative intended to connect neighbourhoods through art, ‘The Hub Project’ is meant to take in input from the public on how to revitalize the area.
With that in mind, the City will host two public workshops to generate ideas for the Project. The workshops will be led by the Crazy Dames, a consulting trio that specializes in urban planning, place-making, and cultural engagement. The Crazy Dames work with people to “fund creative ways to design public spaces,” according to the City of Kingston.
“We hope to have conversations with residents, businesses, property owners, artists and arts organizations, and other key stakeholders from across Kingston, especially those who live in the Sydenham, Williamsville and King’s Town districts who are closely connected to Princess and Division Streets about how public art and design can energize and improve this intersection,” says Danika Lochhead, manager of arts and sector development with the City of Kingston.
“Active and lively public places are what makes a city a vibrant place to live and visit. We need your input to re-imagine this intersection in ways that connect these neighbourhoods and creates an interesting gateway to Kingston’s downtown.”
The workshops will take place on Wednesday, Mar. 6, 2019 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., and on Thursday, Mar. 7, 2019 from 3 to 5 p.m. Both workshops will be held in the lower hall at The Spire (82 Sydenham Street), and will include conversations about public art and hands-on activities that will be used to generate ideas and themes for public art that could be features in the intersection, the City said. Light refreshments will be served. Pre-registration by email is appreciated. Contact [email protected] to reserve your space.
Those who are unable to attend can share ideas online at GetInvolved.CityofKingston.ca/Hub.
The City has received financial support from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario Main Street Revitalization Initiative to support this project, which is intended to meet three major objectives of the City of Kingston’s Public Art Master Plan that includes: creating vibrant public spaces; providing access to art in under-serviced areas of the city; and connecting art and history to tell Kingston stories.
Here’s a very expensive way to change the face of the ‘Hub’. Pull-down, re-face or otherwise modify the major eye-sore in Kingston, Princess Towers.
The only real hope we have is to encourage some developer to buy a few properties to the west of the towers and build a multi-story complex of an intriguing design that might compete for the eye so at least those entering Kingston from the west would not have their first impressions be that dull, white blight and possibly add elements that the public bring forward to ‘enliven the area’ .