The City of Nanaimo is asking its citizens how they think the city should evolve over the next decades. REIMAGINE NANAIMO set up booths last weekend and will again this weekend to answer questions and hear ideas about the city’s future.
REIMAGINE NANAIMO is a team put together by the city and has been operating since July 2020. The idea is to engage with residents “to create a collective vision and road map for our future City.”
Ideas have already been suggested: “focusing on the attraction of green businesses such as companies that manufacture solar panels, an expansion of the E&N multi-use trail, greening of the Pioneer Plaza downtown, and an additional, inclusive destination playground for residents and visitors alike,” the City said in a media release on Friday.
This is just Phase One of three for the taskforce, where the focus is gathering as many ideas as possible from Nanaimo’s residents. The pop-up booths are a big part of that.
Councillor Ben Geselbracht said, “Every person in a community should have a chance to share their thoughts, ideas and feedback for how their community grows. REIMAGINE NANAIMO is an important chance for members of our community to influence how our city evolves as we live, work and play over the next 10–25 years!”
Phase One has been extended until the end of November, with Phase Two, the “Exploring Options” phase, tabled for the winter. Phase Three is set for Spring 2021 and deals with development of the plans.
The City is calling for survey submissions in the form of the REIMAGINE NANAIMO Ideas Questionnaire, due by November 30. There are six short questionnaires on six different topics: How We Adapt & Stay Green, How We Connect & Play, How We Care, How We Work, How We Move, and How We Live.
REIMAGINE NANAIMO is even offering a Creative Community Contest, where the winner receives a $500 gift card to one local Nanaimo electronics store, bike shop, or grocery store. The contest asks for submissions on how you picture Nanaimo in the future within the six themes listed above. The submissions can be in almost any creative form, including drawing and painting, digital illustration and photography, video, or poetry.
Scheduled times for this weekend’s booths are Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25, noon–4 pm at Nanaimo North Town Centre and University Village Shopping Centre, respectively. More information, along with the questionnaires, can be found at www.getinvolvednanaimo.ca/reimagine-nanaimo.
