MR Design Charrette: A Dynamic Community Event at our Slokker Discovery Centre

On June 14th and 15th, our team had the pleasure of hosting a special event at our Discovery Centre in the beautiful Orion building. Known as an MR Design Charrette, the event was an engaging and interactive way to gather input from our residents on their preferences for the Municipal Reserve (MR) space concepts.

What is a Municipal Reserve?

A municipal reserve is a piece of land designated by the city through subdivision for public use, including parks, recreation, and schools. For Aspen residents, this particular MR is an appealing 0.19-hectare park intended to serve our community.

The Planning Phase

At Slokker, we truly value community involvement and resident input. To generate interest in this special gathering, we sent over 700 emails to Aspen residents and through the Springbank Hill Community Association. We also prepared 100 envelopes with flyers and personally delivered them throughout the neighbourhood. This face-to-face effort allowed us to connect with the community and share more details about the event.

We also promoted the event on social media and ran geo-targeted ads to reach more area residents. We received over 30 RSVPs initially, but the enjoyable atmosphere attracted more than 70 attendees over the two days. Neighbours and families came together, and we openly welcomed all walk-ins.

Highlights of the Event

We hosted this event as a casual open house where community members could select their favourite MR concept out of three proposals, crafted by our talented landscape architect. Members were also encouraged to share their own creative ideas. Friendly conversations with our Slokker representatives, our landscape architect, and city representatives allowed us to gain valuable insights into community member preferences and ideals.

The event was made even more enjoyable with delicious snacks, drinks, and prizes for adults as well as gifts and an art zone for kids to dream up their ideal park. We were impressed with so many creative art submissions! Every child was a winner, and our landscape designer selected three standout winners. This fun activity engaged the children and was entertaining for all ages.

Gathering Feedback

Our team, including our landscape designer and project managers, enjoyed explaining each concept to guests, guiding them through the voting process, and collecting feedback. Everyone showed genuine interest in the exciting developments ahead.

And the Winner Is...

Concept #2 wins! It received the most community approval and the greatest number of positive responses. Neighbours also filled our feedback forms with fantastic ideas for us to consider. We are thrilled to see that Aspen residents are involved in creating a vibrant and welcoming community for all.

The MR Design Charrette was a fantastic event that brought our Aspen community together to shape the future of our municipal reserve space. Thank you to everyone who participated and made this event a great success.