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Strong Towns Nanaimo Applauds City Council’s Bold Move Towards Eliminating Parking Minimums Downtown

Strong Towns Nanaimo Applauds City Council’s Bold Move Towards Eliminating Parking Minimums Downtown

OasCity: 17th Annual Urban Issues Film Festival

OasCity: 17th Annual Urban Issues Film Festival

2024 Bicycle Film Festival

2024 Bicycle Film Festival

Strong Towns Nanaimo Presents Our Parking Reform Strategy To Council

Strong Towns Nanaimo Presents Our Parking Reform Strategy To Council

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Strong Towns Nanaimo Articles

Want to learn more about urbanism in Nanaimo? Choose an article below and start your Strong Towns journey! Articles range from walkable neighbourhoods to transit and active transportation.

Strong Towns Nanaimo Applauds City Council’s Bold Move Towards Eliminating Parking Minimums Downtown
Strong Towns Nanaimo
features parking

Strong Towns Nanaimo Applauds City Council’s Bold Move Towards Eliminating Parking Minimums Downtown

Strong Towns Nanaimo is celebrating City Council’s landmark decision on parking mandates in the downtown core. In a decisive vote, Mayor and Council voted 8-1 to begin the process of eliminating off-street minimum parking requirements for all uses in the Downtown Primary Urban Centre. Staff have been instructed to begin drafting changes to the Parking Bylaw in order to make this a reality. Council will likely have a vote in January according to normal rules for amending bylaws.

Patchwork Infrastructure Is Not Enough: Opal Road And Country Club Centre
Strong Towns Nanaimo
features planning infrastructure

Patchwork Infrastructure Is Not Enough: Opal Road And Country Club Centre

A traffic calming measure installed to reduce through traffic inadvertently created new hazards and community frustration, highlighting the need for holistic, interconnected planning. The City of Nanaimo is now applying these lessons to the Country Club Urban Centre Mobility Upgrades project, aiming to create a safer, more integrated transportation network.

Becoming Multi-Modal: Nanaimo’s New Bikeshare
Strong Towns Nanaimo
opinion transportation cycling

Becoming Multi-Modal: Nanaimo’s New Bikeshare

I'm optimistic about Nanaimo's transportation future. New mobility options, like bike lanes, e-bike share, and the Hullo Ferry help flesh out our transportation system.

Building A Vibrant Downtown Starts With Pedestrian-Friendly Infrastructure
Strong Towns Nanaimo
features streets safety

Building A Vibrant Downtown Starts With Pedestrian-Friendly Infrastructure

A response to the recent op-ed in the Nanaimo News Bulletin. Narrow lanes and pedestrian-friendly improvements on Terminal Avenue and Nicol Street enhance safety, boost local economies, and promote environmental sustainability.

Expanding Our Housing Options
Strong Towns Nanaimo
features housing policy

Expanding Our Housing Options

This article is the first in a series following the changes in our city relating to housing. Check back in later to see what Nanaimo has been doing to make Missing Middle Housing possible.

Nanaimo Residents Keep Dying On Our Roads
Strong Towns Nanaimo
features roads safety

Nanaimo Residents Keep Dying On Our Roads

Four Nanaimo residents have already died from vehicular collisions, and it’s only May. Many factors determine if a person hit by a vehicle survives, but building safe streets is by far the most important thing we can do to make our streets safe.

People-Oriented Places Are Better For The Planet (And Our Wallet)
Strong Towns Nanaimo
features climate sprawl

People-Oriented Places Are Better For The Planet (And Our Wallet)

Sprawling out often means consuming land, misusing resources, and forcing residents into private cars. Building denser cities with people in mind can contribute to a reduction in greenhouse emissions while also improving the lives of residents.

Why Plant Street Trees?
Strong Towns Nanaimo
features greenspace trees

Why Plant Street Trees?

Planting street trees goes beyond enhancing the streetscape's beauty; it offers various advantages. Besides creating an aesthetically pleasing environment, street trees contribute to safety by guiding traffic and creating a physical barrier between pedestrians and vehicles. They foster community well-being, encouraging outdoor activities, reducing driving, and increasing neighborhood pride. Additionally, urban street trees help lower energy costs by providing shade, potentially saving households up to 35%.

Strong Towns Nanaimo Supports the Te'Tuxwtun Project
Strong Towns Nanaimo
letter public hearing redevelopment

Strong Towns Nanaimo Supports the Te'Tuxwtun Project

Our group sees the development partnership of Te’tuxwtun as an opportunity to add to the increasing vitality and diversity of the Harewood Neighbourhood.

One Step Forward, Two Giant Steps Back
Strong Towns Nanaimo
features infrastructure roads safety

One Step Forward, Two Giant Steps Back

Despite Nanaimo's own design and safety guidelines advocating for minimizing conflicts between drivers and vulnerable road users, the outcome of the Fifth Street project falls short of creating a truly complete street. The hope remains that future projects, such as the Bruce and Fifth Complete Streets initiatives, will address these concerns and provide safer, more accessible infrastructure for all residents.

Transit is Good, Actually
Strong Towns Nanaimo
features transit livability

Transit is Good, Actually

The proposed transit exchange in Nanaimo is essential for promoting equity, economic prosperity, and environmental sustainability. Investing in the exchange enhances Nanaimo's livability and productivity. Opposition may not represent the thousands who rely on buses daily. Supporting this initiative aligns with a vision for a more inclusive and accessible city.

Nanaimo's Increasing its Housing Options: New Zoning Reform
Strong Towns Nanaimo
features housing engagement

Nanaimo's Increasing its Housing Options: New Zoning Reform

Nanaimo plans to amend its zoning bylaws to allow more “missing middle” housing. Fill out the survey and have your say! Survey ends on September 29th, 2023. The survey contains a section for each of the four proposed initiatives and will take approximately 5 to 15 minutes to complete, depending on which initiatives you would like to provide feedback on.

Nanaimo's Missing Middle
Strong Towns Nanaimo
features housing gallery

Nanaimo's Missing Middle

A collaborative project with Sidewalking Victoria! Exploring Nanaimo’s diverse missing middle housing; townhomes, rowhomes, walk-ups, dingbats, duplexes, and everything in between! Our best neighbourhoods are those that contain a wide variety of housing forms.

Narrow Lanes are Safer
Strong Towns Nanaimo
features safety roads

Narrow Lanes are Safer

Recent comments made by a Councillor highlights common misunderstandings and myths about road safety. Strong Towns mean safe streets for all, including drivers and pedestrians.

Nanaimo in Motion
Strong Towns Nanaimo
features mobility transportation

Nanaimo in Motion

Exciting new active transportation corridors are sprouting up throughout our town, reflecting a shift in Nanaimoites' mindset regarding transportation. Furthermore, it is evident that city staff are wholeheartedly dedicated to enhancing our streets for the benefit of all residents.

Pickup Truck Popularity and Road Safety
Strong Towns Nanaimo
features safety cars

Pickup Truck Popularity and Road Safety

More Canadians are buying trucks over sedans every year. Let’s look at the numbers to see how “safe” trucks really are on our roads.

Roundabouts, Fast Ferries, and Downtown Density
Strong Towns Nanaimo
news transportation infrastructure

Roundabouts, Fast Ferries, and Downtown Density

There are loads of changes coming to Nanaimo! The Mary Ellen roundabout is now complete in the North End. The Hullo fast ferry is slated to launch in June. And, Nanaimo city council approves new low-rises and condos downtown.

BC Eliminates SF Zoning
Strong Towns Nanaimo
news housing

BC Eliminates SF Zoning

Upzoning all of British Columbia will help increase housing diversity, improve housing affordability, and enhance walkability in our cities while preserving neighbourhood character.

Excitement Grows as Work Continues on the Mary Ellen Drive Roundabout
Strong Towns Nanaimo
news infrastructure

Excitement Grows as Work Continues on the Mary Ellen Drive Roundabout

The roundabout is already seeing use! Drivers and pedestrians can now safely leave the once-notorious Woodgrove Crossing parking lot.

You Don't Need a License to Walk
Strong Towns Nanaimo
features cars pedestrians safety

You Don't Need a License to Walk

We need to rethink how we talk about car accidents involving pedestrians in Nanaimo. Pedestrians are seen as obstacles for drivers who are often driving too fast and are too distracted along roads that are all too wide.