Placemaking in progress!

Here at the GVPN, we are excited to see Placemaking in Progress at the corner of Richmond and Richardson Streets in Victoria. The three faith-based communities of St Matthias Anglican Church, Abbey Church and the Emmaus Community share a vision of creating great gathering spots that bring neighbours together and encourage connections with the general community. Community members are working together to enhance an accessible outdoor green space. Volunteers have designed a labyrinth and are putting shovels to the earth for installation and placemaking. This phase of the project was made possible with funding from the City of Victoria’s My Great Neighbourhood Grant program. 

The busy corner sees a lot of foot traffic as Richardson Street is a BC Transit bus route, while both two- and four-legged neighbours often visit the long north grassy area. The overall aim is to develop places which are accessible to both the parish and community at large; facilitate safe interactions; be ecologically conscious; and have low maintenance responsibilities which are shared. The labyrinth on the lawn is made with contributions from folks aged 6 to 84 from a number of communities.  

This placemaking work represents the first of a three-phase project to improve the under-utilized church grounds. In the coming months, there are plans for benches and accessible picnic tables, welcoming signage and a Little Free Library. In the design of phase one, the partners are consulting potential site users, including members of the general congregation, current users of other Church facilities, immediate neighbours and existing users such as dog-walkers and parents, to help build a sense of local community ownership. GVPN and community members look forward to the future of placemaking here!