Interested in hosting a Living Streets event? Here’s how
Living Streets events are fun, low-cost and easy to organize. They can be accommodated on most public streets, including in residential areas or streets that connect commercial districts, neighbourhoods and public parks. They may be organized by community organizations, municipalities or groups of individuals.
We encourage you to think about introducing others in your neighbourhood or on your street to the fun of placemaking by planning a Living Streets event for 2017.
The events free to those who attend. Of course, there are logistics to plan out – and some costs. You will need some funding, though much of what you plan may be offset by stakeholder contributions, in-kind support and/or a micro-grant available through our program.
Hosting a Living Streets event can be broken down into four steps.
Check out this Living Streets Summary for a two page overview of this past year’s Living Streets program and the general steps involved. Or contact us at livingstreets@victoriaplacemaking.ca for more information.
Download the Complete Living Streets Guide
Download the Living Streets Guide.
Want to move forward on your Living Streets event? The Living Streets Guide provides detailed information about how to pick and plan your route, ideas for activities, event logistics and requirements, and how to promote and document your event. See the Resources section below for specific information on how to host an event in your municipality, checklists and more.
Register your event
Once you’ve got an idea of when and where your Living Streets event might take place, let us help support and promote it by registering your event by sending your name, contact info and event name and time to livingstreets@victoriaplacemaking.ca. Even if some of your details are still to be worked out, by registering your event near the start of your process you can access our assistance and the community of other people also working towards hosting an event in the year ahead.
As your event progresses, it is then possible for you to update information. By registering, you may also apply for one of the limited number of micro-grants available to support the Living Streets program this year. Contact us for more information. If you receive a grant, you will be expected to complete a short evaluation of your event.
Resources
- Living Streets Guide: The complete guide to organizing and hosting a Living Streets event in the Capital Regional District.
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Living Streets Summary: A handy two-page summary of Living Streets and the general steps involved in hosting an event.
- Micro-Grants: As a way to support community associations, business networks and organizations interested in planning and organizing a Living Streets event, the Greater Victoria Placemaking Network is offering a number of micro-grants to help support new events come to fruition in 2017. These small grants can help you offset direct costs, such as permit fees, for your planned event. Contact Emmy Marshall-Hill at livingstreets@victoriaplacemaking.ca.
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Permit and Road Closure Information and Process by Municipality: The following provides information on obtaining permits and road closure permission by municipality within the Capital Regional District. Note that we will be updating this information on an ongoing basis: Missing an area or have have updates to this list? Please contact livingstreets@victoriaplacemaking.ca.
- Central Saanich – First contact Ruby Shea, Executive Administrative Assistant at the District of Central Saanich, at 250.652.4444 to provide an update on your idea. Then send a letter of intent to Mayor and Council at municipalhall@csaanich.ca for their consideration and an initial conditional approval and request they forward to Police. They will send a response with next steps and the conditions that need to be met – one of them will be liaising with the Police (Traffic and Safety).
- Colwood – Check out the City of Colwood’s online information regarding event permits and planning within its area.
- Esquimalt – Head to the Town of Esquimalt’s online information about its special event permit application process and event funding application.
- Highlands – Email your request to Tina Neurauter, Corporate Officer for the District of the Highlands, at tneurauter@highlands.ca. In your email include proposed date, time, location and map. The District will then follow up with you.
- Langford – Special event road closures for the City of Langford are approved through a report/letter of intent submitted to Mayor and Council. To start the process, first email the City of Langford’s Deputy Clerk Lindy Kaercher (lkaercher@cityoflangford.ca) with your proposed event date, time, location and map. Then fill out Bylaw 33 Highway Use Permit Application (which is used for both special event and construction-related road closures).
- Metchosin – Contact District of Metchosin staff for more information via Lisa Urlacher at cao@metchosin.ca. A traffic management plan would be required, potentially hand drawn if a smaller event.
- North Saanich – Contact the District of North Saanich’s Sarah Fairbrass, Administrative Assistant, at 250.655.5480 or SFairbrass@northsaanich.ca regarding event permits and to request the Special Event Permit Application.
- Oak Bay – The Town of Oak Bay provides information online about how to hold a Special Event or Block Party within its area.
- Saanich – The District of Saanich provides an online Special Event Permit Application Form for events in its area.
- Sidney – The Town of Sidney provides an online Special Event Permit Application for events in its area.
- Sooke – Contact Susan Dyble, Development Service Clerk (sdyble@sooke.ca) for information on hosting special events within the Town of Sooke. The Town also provides this online Special Event Application.
- Victoria – Head to the City of Victoria’s online information regarding hosting Special Events and Block Parties.
- View Royal – Detailed information for the Town of View Royal is still being finalized. Contact Emmy Marshall-Hill at livingstreets@victoriaplacemaking.ca for more information.
- Non-Municipal Permit Processes – For information regarding special event processes within the region’s Aboriginal communities or unincorporated Electoral Areas, please contact Emmy Marshall-Hill at livingstreets@victoriaplacemaking.ca.
- Victoria Regional Transit System – For proposed events that may impact or be adjacent to transit routes in the Victoria Region, please contact BC Transit at 250-385-2551 and ask to speak to the Victoria Operations department.
- Sample Traffic Management Plan – Most Special Event permit processes will ask for a map or drawing showing how you are planning to lay out your site and manage traffic (through the location of barriers or traffic marshals, etc.). The drawing below shows an example of what a traffic management plan might look like for a small event.
- Sample Noise Exemption Form – In addition to managing traffic, some communities may request information on how you intend to manage noise from your event or may request that you apply for a Noise Exemption. This is a sample from the City of Victoria.
- Living Streets News Release – Sample news release for the overall launch of the Living Streets program.
Contact
We are here to help! We will assist you in arranging logistics, publicity, programming and funding, as well as taking the necessary precautions to ensure the events are safe and well programmed.
Contact Emmy Marshall-Hill for more information about the Living Streets program.
livingstreets@victoriaplacemaking.ca
