CITY SPACES – URBAN STRUCTURE

L​‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‍‍‍​AB ASSIGNMENT 9 CITY SPACES – URBAN STRUCTURE OVERVIEW: North American downtowns have seen extensive post-war urban change, followed by a repositioning of their downtowns to compete in the new ‘experience’ and ‘information’ economy. Downtown Kitchener lends itself to an excellent case study to trace the re-urbanization efforts that have and continue to take place over the past decades by both public and private investors. Since the year 2000, downtown Kitchener has been following a custom-tailored re-urbanization concept. The downtown core was divided into four districts that follow slightly different re-urbanization paths and goals: Civic District, Market District, City Centre District, and Innovation District (formerly the Warehouse District). With the redevelopment of the latter into a high-tech and innovation hub, Kitchener has established itself as an innovative economic driving force in Canada: some observers even speak of Kitchener as the “Silicon Valley of the North”! In this lab assignment, we will focus our attention exclusively on the Innovation District as we take a virtual field trip through downtown Kitchener. Using Google Earth, you will virtually travel to downtown Kitchener and take a tour of the Innovation District, a part of the Central Business District (CBD). You will conduct an inventory of the re-urbanization of land with the aid of a digital map (KMZ file). You will collect field notes concerning your observations of the downtown landscape which will provide the foundation you will need for answering a series of questions relating to downtown urban change. One purpose of this exercise is to introduce you to the way in which geographers observe the landscape and draw conclusions from this observation in the field. This is a vital skill for geographers – but spatial awareness and ‘reading the landscape’ help in all aspects of life: should you buy a house in this neighbourhood, start a business in this area, or let your children attend this school? The answers are hinging on your ability to properly assess your surroundings and interpret the context correctly. LEARNING OUTCOMES: By the end of Lab 9, you will: Practice observing the landscape and draw conclusions from this observation in the field; Gain experience conducting an inventory of the re-urbanization of land with the aid of a map; Be able to identify the different re-urbanization types including new-wave piggy backing, adaptive reuse, and redevelopment; and Reflect on how the internal structure of a city influences its function. LAB ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS: Step 1: Start your virtual field tour. You will use Google Earth and the files provided to complete your field tour. Download the Lab 9 Virtual Field Tour – Downtown Kitchener KMZ file found in the Lab Assignment 9 folder. Be sure to save it somewhere you will be able to find it (i.e., your Desktop). Use your internet browser to navigate to Google Earth and ‘Launch Earth’’ (you can also use the Google Earth application if you already have this on your computer). From here, navigate to the ‘Projects’ icon. On the left side of the screen, there is a black vertical navigation bar, which includes icons (descending from the top) representing menu, search, voyager, I’m feeling lucky, projects, map style, and measure distance and area. In this image, there is a red rectangle around projects with a red arrow pointing to it. The map itself is focused over Minnesota and Wisconsin. Figure Lab9-1: Projects Icon on Google Earth. Screen capture by Reining. A new window will appear and prompt you to make a new project. Click ‘Open’ and ‘Import KML file from computer’. Locate the Virtual Field Tour KMZ file you just downloaded. This image shows a globe, with the following words underneath: Make a new project. Create beautiful presentations by marking places on the globe. The choices then are available underneath of: Open project from Google Drive; Import KML file from Google Drive; and Import KML file from computer. There is a red rectangle with an arrow pointing to Import KML file from computer. Figure Lab9-2: Sustainable Development Report Dashboards 2019. Screen capture by Reining. When you open the KMZ file, you should see six red pins, labelled Location #1-6. These are your tour stops which correspond to the field notes table you will complete in Step 2. Note: make sure you follow the steps above. Simply downloading the KMZ file and opening it will not work and produce an error message (unless you already have the application). Google Earth is a powerful tool that allows you to explore from all angles, zoom in and out, and get right down to street view. Take advantage of this as you collect your field notes. It is really the next best thing to b​‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‍‍‍​eing able to explore the area in-person! Step 2: Collect your field notes. Visit the six pins marked on the map. As you tour around, complete the table titled Lab 9 Field Notes Table – Downtown Kitchener found in the Lab Assignment 9 folder. I have included an example in the first row to help guide you. For re-urbanization type, you have three options to choose from: New-Wave Piggy Backing, Adaptive Reuse, or Redevelopment. More information on each type is provided below to help guide you. You can also go back and look at some of the re-urbanization examples provided in Lesson 11. NEW-WAVE Piggy-Backing: a really big and recent expansion to an existing building that serves to significantly increase the useable space on a site (HINT: Is the building an obvious mix of old and very new, and of sizeable proportions?). It would NOT simply be a small new entry way attached to an old building or a new glass atrium section carved into the middle of an existing building for added light/design/aesthetics. Instead, look closely for large areas of expansion on the top of an old building where the brick colour may change slightly because a floor was added in the last 10-15 years; or maybe you can spot an addition attached to the side of an old building that looks like it was added very recently. Note: older additions and/or expansions made many years ago (look at the age of the building materials) would not be considered NEW-WAVE piggy-backing. Adaptive reuse: a change in the use of a structure/building, typically from commercial/industrial to residential, that can result in greater density (HINT: Process of adapting old buildings for new purposes other than those initially intended). Redevelopment: the wholesale change or conversion of an area, often involving some form of land assembly and/or building demolition (HINT: Does the building look modern and new?) After identifying the building name, its current function and choosing a re-urbanization type(s) by listing the appropriate letter(s), add only 2 different points (use concise bullets) under the “observations” column that validate your choice of re-urbanization type. This means simply ‘saying what you see.’ Two of the six locales do exhibit two of the re-urbanization types (e.g. two types of re-urbanization occur together on one site) and you are required to identify BOTH types that apply to that location. NOTE: For locale 5, I have already provided you with the building name, so that’s a freebie. HINTS: Ways to tell which re-urbanization type it is when you are ‘in the field’. Read the descriptions of each category carefully The age of the building (Is it old or new looking? Older buildings often have the age inscribed on the corner stone or above the main entry) The façade type (exterior material on building) Size of the building (large or small) The number of windows (old factories had many windows to allow natural light in) Historic Landmark Preservation (plaques with dates on historic buildings or original names may still appear at entrances or sides of buildings to preserve heritage) Look at building add-ons! You can tell the difference between a new façade (exterior) and an old one – look carefully to find the re-urbanization type of re-development (HINT: Does the brick or windows change on any of the buildings from older to newer at the top?) Step 3: Reflect on your field trip. Answer the following questions about your virtual field trip and the functionality of the Innovation District in downtown Kitchener. Include your field notes table and your responses to these questions in your assignment submissions. Include your Field Notes Table from Step 2 in your assignment submission. (12 marks: 0.5 marks for each cell in the table.) Identify and explain which type of re-urbanization activity (A, B, or C) appears to be the most prevalent in downtown Kitchener and comment on why you think this one activity is the most frequent type. Make reference to the information in your table and any other background information you acquired to support your choice. (3 marks: 0.5 for the correct type and 2.5 for your explanation.) Identify and explain one reason why you think the current function of the six locations complement one another. In other words, what is it that makes these sites so integrated? What makes them work so well together for the benefit of all users in the Innovation District? HINT: Think about our discussion of the downtown in Lesson 11. (4 marks: 1 for identifying a reason and 3 for explaining it.) THE STRUCTURE OF YOUR ASSIGNMENT: Your responses should be numbered, single-spaced, 12pt font, Times New Roman with proper paragraph structure, spelling, and grammar. Note: IF you use external sources in this assignment, you are expected to cite th​‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‍‍‍​is material using APA referencing style with in-text citations.