Join Angela and Amanda in conversation about the Sea2City Design Challenge (Sea2City). In our session we will go over:
- How decolonization was viewed, supported and the outcomes that emerged.
- Engagement and communication goals and tactics related to youth and artists.
- How to intentionally foster internal collaboration and flexibility on team projects.
Sea2City yielded three key outcomes. First, it successfully decolonized the language of coastal planning, recognizing the interconnectedness of land and water and challenging the colonial approach that treats water as separate. Second, the project generated a positive and bold future vision for the False Creek shoreline, centering Indigenous voices, values, and aspirations alongside community needs. Lastly, it produced implementable site concepts and pilot projects that were refined through public engagement, showcasing novel decolonized ideas that had not been previously considered in a Canadian urban setting.
The project also offered three significant engagement takeaways. Firstly, the involvement and guidance of Host Nation representatives and cultural advisors were foundational to the project's outcomes, fostering an open and collaborative work environment. Secondly, engaging youth and the arts community was crucial, given the disproportionate impact of climate change on young people. Their inclusion and utilizing art as a platform facilitated accessible discussions on complex adaptation issues. Finally, collaboration and mainstreaming were identified as essential for effective coastal adaptation, emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary collaboration, integrating engagement across City departments, programs, policies, and plans, and involving the public at large.
Time Zones
- 01:00 pm - 02:15 pm Eastern
- 12:00 pm - 01:15 pm Central
- 11:00 pm - 12:15 pm Mountain
- 10:00 am - 11:15 am Pacific
About the presenters:
Angela Danyluk is the Senior Environmental Specialist at the City of Vancouver. As the senior biologist for the City, Angela works across disciplines on projects and programs related to ecology, adaptation and sea level rise. Her practice includes systems thinking, creating policy, project management, engagement, and bringing people together. Angela has a BSc in marine biology and an MSc in ecological restoration and governance. She is a Registered Professional Biologist with the BC College of Applied Biology. Angela lives on the unceded traditional homelands of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations where she enjoys arts & culture, hiking and taking photographs of wildflowers.
Amanda Mitchell (she/her) is a public engagement trainer, coach and specialist with over fifteen years experience designing processes that meaningfully involve public voices in municipal policy decisions. Known for her creativity, Amanda has spent her career working with local governments on sustainability related policies. She is currently at the City of Vancouver advising engagement work under the Climate Emergency Action Plan. As a licensed IAP2 Global Learning Pathways trainer, Amanda delights in working with professionals to build their engagement skills. She has taught courses in BC, Canada, and Sweden and has helped establish a community of practice for Canadian municipal public engagement practitioners.
In her spare time, Amanda can be found outside, exploring the coast in her foldable kayak, the city by bike and trying to pet all the dogs. She is grateful to live in East Vancouver on the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
