City Talks: Public Spaces

What is the role and value of public space in a growing and evolving city like Victoria?  How do we maintain and upgrade our existing public spaces to meet changing needs and conditions downtown?   Why has Victoria consistently floated ambitious new public space plans only to see them shelved or fall apart? Does the city’s template of small boutique or token public spaces at every new development really sufficient to meet the city’s needs?

Join us on December 2nd for an engaging panel discussion covering questions like these, and more! We'll be hearing from Peter Johannknecht of Cascadia Architects, Scott Amos of Monkey C Interactive, and Jeff Bray of the Downtown Victoria Business Association as they explore these topics together.

Peter Johannknecht - Cascadia Architects

Peter Johannknecht is a registered Architect (in BC and Germany), a LEED accredited professional, certified Passive House Designer and is a founding Principal with Cascadia Architects Inc.

Born and educated in Germany, Peter moved to Victoria in 2005. He trained with firms in Hamburg, Salzburg Austria, Vancouver BC and had his own firm in Paderborn Germany before moving to Canada where he had accepted a job opportunity with Perkins + Will, working on the Dockside Green Development in Victoria. He later joined the Vancouver firm HCMA and was part of their expanding Victoria team, gaining valuable experience on various public sector projects.

In 2012 Peter founded Cascadia Architects with Greg Damant. His involvement brings a strong international design aesthetic, integrating environmental sustainability and attention to detail.

Scott Amos - Monkey C Interactive

If you catch Scott on the rare occasion that he can find his business cards, you’ll see his title is “Mostly Harmless Mad Scientist.” – The first part, of course, is a nod to writer Douglas Adams. The second is something that he can’t avoid.  His studio is full of antique radios, projectors and cash registers, reclaimed parts of forgotten technology, bits and pieces of broken old machines. If it’s got chunky buttons, beefy dials, or has the perfect glint of shiny, he’ll dissect and rewire it, adding lights and circuitry, to create the hardware for Monkey C’s interactive sculptures.

Jeff Bray - Downtown Victoria Business Association

Jeff joined the Downtown Victoria Business Association, first as the interim Executive Director in November 2017. He joined the association permanently in April 2018.

Jeff Bray grew up in Vancouver, B.C. After graduating from UBC, he embarked on a 13-year career with the BC government. In 2001, Jeff was elected the MLA for Victoria-Beacon Hill. More recently, Jeff was the Manager of Government and Regulatory Affairs for Shaw in BC. Community-oriented, Jeff is the Co-Chair of the Coalition to End Homelessness, Former Vice-Chair of the Royal BC Museum Foundation, Former President of the Former MLA Association of BC, and Former Vice-President of the North Quadra Community Association.

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