TURNOUT: Rethinking Community Spaces in Downtown Calgary

This one-day symposium program includes an input by the Downtown Safety Leadership Table with panel and discussion in the morning and keynote on the broader context of homelessness together with social design innovation and topic lead breakout discussion geared towards actionable transformation in the afternoon.

By bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders, the symposium seeks to foster collaboration, promote understanding, and lead to comprehensive solutions for the social crises in downtown areas.

Keynote Speaker - Jill Pable

The keynote address will be delivered by Jill Pable a professor with the Interior Architecture & Design Department at Florida State University and the creator of Design Resources for Homelessness. The address will focus on how like never before homelessness is a visibly overwhelming crisis in many urban areas, creating stress for people in need, workers, residents and governing leaders alike. These tensions arise in part from the very different life situations, perceptions and needs of diverse groups that mix in the urban environment. The presentation will summarize practical research findings on the perceptions and needs of unhoused people, a necessary starting place to confront urban tensions about place and physical architecture. The presentation will also describe architectural case studies from other cities that successfully respond to these issues