PLACEMAKING & IDENTITY

INTRODUCTION
Okotoks is over 100 years old with a unique history and identity. Okotoks’ name is derived
from “ohkotok”, the Blackfoot First Nation word meaning “stoney”, which may refer to Big
Rock, a large glacial boulder west of the town1. The CyArk 500 Challenge, an international
project to digitally preserve and create awareness of some of the world’s most significant
cultural heritage sites identifies the Okotoks Erratic as one of the most unique historical
resources in Alberta2. The Sheep River valley contains numerous other sites important to
local Indigenous people. After settlement, Okotoks flourished as a small-town centre for
sawmilling, oil, and transportation. The population began to grow significantly in the 1970s3,
transforming into the Okotoks we know today with over 29,000 people, a charming, walkable
downtown heart, and a strong sense of community.

However, car-oriented neighbourhoods and a cold winter climate can be challenging to

create active, vibrant public spaces that bring people together all year-round.

1 The Canadian Encyclopedia. Okotoks. Available: http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/okotoks/ Last Accessed: April 6, 2018.
2 Government of Alberta. 2015. Okotoks Erratic among CyArk 500 most significant cultural sites. Available:
https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=37659F0EBEDD3-A21E-C1C3-BF3610AA910BD1EA Last accessed: April 19, 2018.
3 The Town of Okotoks. Our Historic Past. Available: https://www.okotoks.ca/culture-heritage/museum-archives/our-historic-past. Last Accessed: April 6,

2018.

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The Okotoks’ Community Vision states: “Neighbourhoods are connected, fostering a

sense of community among residents. Design and architecture create places that reflect
neighbourhood culture. Community gathering spaces are animated and anchor
neighbourhoods. Streets are lively and engaging places, where people can move around
in a safe and inclusive environment.”

How can we create great places that strengthen Okotoks’ identity and bring people
together?

WHAT IS PLACEMAKING?

Placemaking is a people-centered approach – this means designing places for people

and not cars, and thinking about how people will experience a place with all five
senses1.

A “sense of place” is what makes certain places unique and memorable and makes
people want to spend time there. This can be encouraged through planning, zoning,
and neighbourhood design – but a key part comes from the community itself and the
people who live there. Placemaking can also be a partnership with private, public,
and non-profit organizations, working together to shape public spaces through
design, infrastructure, art and culture. Sometimes places are permanent, like a
public plaza or park, and other times, they may be a temporary like a block party,
pop up art exhibition, or community garden on a vacant lot.

KEY PRINCIPLES OF PLACEMAKING

The diagram below shows some of the key elements that contribute to a great
place.

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Image Credit: Project for Public Spaces

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TRENDS AND CHALLENGES IN OKOTOKS

• Okotoks has great places. Places like downtown Okotoks, Elma Street, and the
Sheep River Valley are all strong pieces of the identity and character of Okotoks.

• Okotoks has great events. Events like Light Up Okotoks attracts 20,000 people to
participate and spectate every year, transforming our main street into a celebration
space and bringing the community together.

• Car-oriented neighbourhoods can be a challenge. Many neighbourhoods in

Okotoks are car-oriented and do not have a unique feel or identity.

• Winter can be a challenge – and an opportunity. Okotoks is a winter town, and it

can be hard to get people outside during the winter months. But embracing winter
can support thriving public spaces and social opportunities year-round. Okotoks
already has outdoor skating rinks and toboggan hills in neighbourhoods around town
and the Light Up Okotoks festival kicks-off the holiday season.

OBJECTIVES
To address these trends and challenges, Okotoks can work towards the following objectives:

1. Continue to strengthen the downtown as the walkable ‘heart’ of the community with
a range of shops and services, housing, and public spaces.
2. Work with local First Nations and encourage community creativity and support local
residents, businesses, and groups to create engaging and lively places and spaces that
reflect all of Okotoks history and culture.
3. Design places for people rather than cars.
4. Provide quality public spaces for gathering and socializing throughout Okotoks.
5. Integrate public art into public spaces.

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BIG IDEAS
To support engaging public spaces that reflect
Okotoks’ identity, the Town can explore a wide WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT
range of policies and partnerships. YOU THINK!

The following provides a range of options to Complete the survey online at

spark discussion about the best way forward for okotoks.ca/MDP or attend the
Okotoks. It is not a complete list of options and no Public Event, May 12th at Foothill
decisions have been made at this point. Centennial Centre from 10am –
2pm time to share your thoughts
Winter Town Strategy. To support more on the future of Okotoks.
activity year-round, Okotoks could develop a
Winter Town Strategy. This could include
design guidelines for winter safety, comfort, and maintenance, and identify key events and
activities to bring people together to celebrate the season.

Retrofit Existing Spaces. The Town

can encourage creative re-use of
existing spaces and buildings through
direct investment, grants and tax
incentives to bring vibrancy to drab or
underused spaces and/or celebrate
local arts, culture, and history (like the
creation of the Heartland Café in what
used to be the Baptist Church in
Okotoks, built in 1902).

Pilot Projects. Pilot projects can be an Alley-Oop, Vancouver.

easy way to test out new public space
ideas to see how people like them. They Photo Credit: http://urbanyvr.com/alley-oop-more-awesome-now-award
allow people to experience space in a
completely different way and show
them how different spaces can be enjoyed. For example, a temporary chalk bike-lane trial, a
temporary closure of a public street for a community event like ‘car-free days’, or a new
public space with seating, landscaping, and opportunities for events and entertainment.

Design Competitions. Design competitions can unleash the creativity of people in and
outside of Okotoks to create amazing places. It is a great way to generate unique ideas to
activate space in any location. For example, Winnipeg hosts an architecture competition
every year to build creative and unique warming huts along a skating trail on the Red River.

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CASE STUDY – BIG IDEAS IN ACTION

NEW YORK – PLACES FOR PEOPLE

As New York City’s transportation

commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan
transformed the streets of New
York from car-centric to dynamic
spaces for pedestrians and people
on bikes.

Using an inexpensive tactic of

painting spaces for people, she
created plazas and bike lanes in the
most congested areas of the City.
The result was reduced congestion,
increase in foot traffic and
improved economic returns for
businesses.

Before and after images of Times Square, NYC

Photo credit: Julio Palleiro/NYC DOT.

LA PÉPINIÈRE – SEASONAL PLACEMAKING IN MONTREAL

La Pépinière are facilitators and incubators of public spaces. This organization creates
temporary installations that celebrate things that are uniquely Montreal.

These installations are hosted throughout different seasons to help to bring community
together year-round and celebrate local arts and culture.

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