Thinking about Neighbourhood Hubs

As demographics shift it is becoming clear that school buildings can have uses that extend beyond the typical public school program.  Neighbourhoods have many needs and school buildings can be a wonderful place to create community based hubs that offer a wide range of services to the general public.  Finding renewed and expanded life for schools is one way to ensure the legacy of public buildings.

The City of Vancouver will be hosting a conference on this very topic on April 6, 2008.  This is a great opportunity to join in the dialogue about how we can make public schools even better.

Think Schools is a one-day conference on how citizens across the city can develop a vision for renewing schools, so as to leave our children and our neighbourhoods with a legacy of iconic public buildings that serve as community hubs for Vancouver.

Think Schools will feature a keynote address from Seattle School Board Building Excellence Program Manager Don Gilmore who will share solutions that helped preserve and renew his city’s public school buildings. Mr. Gillmore has 30 years experience in facilities planning, design, and budgeting and construction management.