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[Peter] Spearey’s position was created last year to raise the profile of urban design in the city. The Journal sat down with Spearey before the Friday awards gala to get his perspective on the winners, urban design and the challenges facing Edmonton.
Peter Spearey, lead urban designer for the City of Edmonton in the newly redeveloped Rice Howard Way in Edmonton Thursday Oct. 26, 2017. DAVID BLOOM / POSTMEDIA
Q. These awards have been given out six times now, every other year. What do you hope they will achieve?
A. They’re intended to celebrate achievements in urban design and by doing so, elevate the conversation around the value of urban design and its role in city building.
There can be a misperception of what urban design is. My sense is that urban design is often perceived as being decorative or lipstick on a pig. Urban design is really about improving the value of the places we inhabit in the city, making sure they’re vibrant, inclusive, and places people want to spend time in.
That’s not to say there’s no role for iconic buildings in a cityscape. It’s just that urban design is preoccupied with how those buildings work on the outside, the experience of being in the public realm.
Full interview:
http://edmontonjournal.com/news/ins...ws-the-crowd-in-edmontons-urban-design-awards