A Space For Us: Re-Imagining Downtown – An EC3 Cultural Incubator

Peterborough has long embraced the extraordinary beauty of the heritage buildings that grace its downtown and the value and significance of both their architectural and social history. These buildings are the “jewels in our crown” and so are the dozens of artists, curators, writers, and gallerists who live and work there.  Numerous restaurants, bars and pubs housed in these spaces are well established venues for a wealth of musicians, poets, performance artists, painters and photographers to present their work and build their practice. People gather in the downtown to socialize, make, see and respond to art works.  Arts, culture and heritage interact in a fluid and organic way that fosters innovative thinking and creative mastery when people live and work together in this kind of environment.

We know we need more housing densification in the downtown and we need a variety of housing to support all different kinds of citizens who need and want to be part of the downtown experience.  How can we make this happen?  Can we plan ahead, work in advance with developers and not-for-profit organizations and social enterprise initiatives.  Who’s in charge?  What actions can we take to manage demographic shifts and population growth?  How do we support artists and protect our unique heritage?

Electric City Culture Council gathered a panel of experts to Evans Contemporary on June 1, 2017 from across the province to speak on this issue and engage in a community conversation about how Peterborough can move ahead.

The panel was moderated by Michael Gallant, design principal and architect at Lett Architects, and was composed of:

The event was recorded and edited for podcast distribution by Ayesha Barmania for Peterborough Independent Podcasters.

Listen to the podcast

Add https://projects.ptbopodcasters.ca/feed/podcast/spaceforus to your podcast player of choice to download and listen to this event on the go.