A Local Ambition to Promote a Local Solution: Redesigning Community Development &
Planning for All Citizens
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Reviewed by Michael X. Yue
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OVERVIEW
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Complete Streets for Prince Rupert (CS4PR) is an emerging initiative in Prince Rupert, BC to integrate safe, accessible, and enjoyable streets for all ages, abilities, and modes of transportation within the local community. This nonprofit organization is supported by local volunteers who are trying to make a difference in their community by promoting environmental sustainability, social equity, local accessibility, community cohesion and safety to all Ruperites.
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CS4PR VISION STATEMENT
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We envision a city where people of all ages and abilities (i.e., children, adults, elders and people with mobility impairments), are safe crossing the street on foot, by wheelchair or walker; are comfortable accessing schools, businesses and community hubs by bike, scooter or skateboard; are comfortable taking the bus and where people who drive or ride motorcycles can arrive at their destination safely.
We envision a transportation system that enhances public health and social equity, is environmentally sustainable, and is good for our local economy.
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An Interview with Chris Lightfoot
CS4pr Intersection Improvement Project
CS4PR proposed a pilot project to the City of Prince Rupert for a practical, low-cost, and short-term improvement strategy to enhance community accessibility, cohesion, and safety for all citizens in Prince Rupert. Historical anecdotes and data of suggest that road safety revisions are needed , with over 84% of Ruperites feeling unsafe and concerned about the current road infrastructure (The Northern View, 2017). Through strategic and optimized infrastructure community planning, three intersections (1st, 2nd, and 3rd Ave.) within Prince Rupert were prioritized for redesign. Through the influence and practice of tactical urbanism, more active and preventative strategies such as curb extensions with high visibility and reflectivity may be a viable and practical solution to mitigate pedestrian-vehicle collisions.
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Self-Reflection
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It was great to have a chance to reconnect with Chris during the interview; he not only a social entrepreneur, but a colleague and a friend as well. He is a passionate and motivated Rupertite who is striving to make the place he calls home more inclusive, accessible, safe, and collaborative on a personal, social, cultural, economic, environmental, and holistic level. This grassroots movement was established when he saw a need for safer road conditions for people living in Prince Rupert. In year of 2017, 11 pedestrians were struck by vehicles, which lead to a fatality of a local member within the community (The Northern View, 2017). This anecdote and statistic permeated in Prince Rupert, with many people actively showing a need and solution to remedy future pedestrian-vehicle collisions in their local community.
The nonprofit CS4PR initiative is an awareness organization which are proposing local solutions for local safety. Initial proposal of this idea to the City of prince Rupert was positively acknowledged, aligning with the Hay 2.0 city model to the Redesign Prince Rupert project. CS4PR awareness has been progressively more known to local Ruperites, with strong anecdotal support. Despites CS4PR strong emphasis to decentralize around funding investment need for the project from the City of Prince Rupert, the potential implementation timeline to pilot a trail phase has been slow. At this moment, CS4PR is awaiting approval for their Intersection Improvement Project demonstration for the upcoming Summer Fest event in Prince Rupert. Once the approval is formally confirmed, external fundraising will be required to meet the cost set-up of this pilot project. Even though there are no funding grants available from the City of Prince Rupert, Chris remains optimistic about the achievable funding targets needed for this excursion.
The success in this emerging initiative is strongly supported by associate community action organizations and individuals within the vibrant city such as Transition Prince Rupert, Lions International, Rupert Runners, Chucky's Cycle Shop, and Advantage Print & Design. Chris believes that communities should be mindful of tactical urbanism to better reflect the values and well-being of their community to their environment.
I believe that the positive progression of CS4PR is an exemplar of how self-determination, resilience, community involvement, innovation, motivation, and entrepreneurship can lead to positive growth which extends beyond values which are personal. Not only is CS4PR is trying to improve the safety, accessibility, transportation efficacy, community, and sustainability of Prince Rupert, it also improves the quality of life for all individuals. This seven-minute interview with Chris has helped me redefine what it means to be an entrepreneur: to embrace, collaborate, and lead towards positive change into the uncertainty of life, regardless of pre-existing obstacles which may seem daunting.
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digital signature
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Yue, M. X. (2019). A Local Ambition to Promote a Local Solution: Redesigning Community Development &
Planning for All Citizens. TeacherMrYue. Retrieved from https://teachermryue.wixsite.com/mysite/cs4pr-entrepreneurship.
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