The end of last semester was a busy one for the Capstone Urban Sustainability students. On November 15 they had a presentation from Kevin Cahill, the Speakers Bureau Coordinator for KW’s Toastmasters clubs on “Building Connection Through Communication.” The students learned how best to open and close a public speaking engagement, techniques to address the fear of public speaking, methods of preparation and practice and the use of body language.
The students spent the remainder of the Fall semester working on their responses to the City of Cambridge Request for Proposal (RFP). They then presented a draft version of the RFP to the instructors and City representative, April Souwand, and received valuable feedback. Their presentations went very well as the students showed their newly acquired Toastmasters skills and brought forward innovative and exciting ideas. The students then revised their ideas based on the feedback given and delivered a final Response to the RFP on December 16.
After a much deserved winter break, the students came back to class on January 3 and had group feedback meetings on their Responses to the RFP with the CUSP instructors and April. The groups all had really interesting ideas and are focusing on different areas in the city of Cambridge.
Heritage Urban Planning (HUP) Consulting is focusing their attention on properties in Galt along Water St. N, Grand Ave N. and Melville St. N. They are working to connect their project to the “Back to the River” focus of Cambridge development. They plan to work with the neighbourhood Business Improvement Association and to create innovative promotional packages that the City can use to engage commercial and industrial property owners.
The IVY Consulting group is also working in Galt on Water St., but will target the South side. They are focusing on efficiency and time management for City staff by engaging with volunteers. They will be proposing a digital engagement process that shows real promise. IVY plans to create a versatile approach that the City could use in other areas of Cambridge.
Castlewood Consulting is also working in Galt, but will be focusing on the area around the Ainslie Terminal. This group chose to use a cutting-edge property streamlining process around the proposed LRT routes. Castlewood is focusing on cost-effective incentives for engaging industrial and commercial property owners.
Legacy Consulting is going to do their outreach in the community of Preston. This group’s focus is on relationship building with the property owners and highlighting the rich history of the heritage of the families that were integral to the development of this area. Legacy wants to engage with the property owners through community events.
Great Lakes Heritage Consultants will be working in the area of Hespeler and has created a unique four-step process for streamlining properties. This group will be working directly with the Hespeler Company of Neighbours, a local group that preserves and promotes the history of the area. Great Lakes plans to engage the property owners through community development and promotion of the local economy.
Moving forward this semester, we plan to take a few more field trips to Cambridge to visit the community of Hespeler and also to explore the City’s archives. The students will be working hard to implement their proposed ideas over the next few months of the course. We are all looking forward to the outcome of these student projects.
