Project History
Since its inception in 2015, Redesign Rupert has sought to bring together industrial stakeholders, citizens, local businesses, and community partners to discuss new ideas for civic growth and development in Prince Rupert, BC. Redesign Rupert started as a response to growing LNG speculation in the area. The first phase of the Redesign Rupert project entailed an 18-month community engagement process that surveyed the community asking two important questions: “What makes Prince Rupert a great place to live?” and “What changes would you like to see in Prince Rupert in the future?”
During 18 different community events, the Redesign Rupert team collected over 2,000 responses, out of which three main themes emerged: downtown revitalization; waterfront development & access; and improved access to human capital, skills upgrading, and professional development. These high-level themes, if addressed, have the potential to improve both the local economy and quality of life for all residents in Prince Rupert.
In 2016, the Redesign Rupert team contracted a design firm to conduct a public engagement to reimagine the Prince Rupert’s downtown and waterfront. The final 17-foot long map was revealed in February of 2017, providing a vision of the future development of shared public areas. Over their 4-day intensive process to create the designs, the design team, led by the Planning Partnership, held over 20 meetings, including three public presentations. A presentation of the designs and a graphic of the 17-foot map are linked below:
In 2018, Redesign Rupert entered Phase II, working with industrial stakeholders, community partners, and local businesses to address the challenges identified in Phase I. The current iteration of Redesign Rupert is about acting on the information collected in Phase I and forming strategic partnerships to deliver key initiatives that support community revitalization.