Graffiti street, greenhouses, basketball courts – Winnipeg Free Press

When Macie Pangilinan, a Grade 6 student at Inkster School, was tasked with designing a more equitable and sustainable downtown Winnipeg, she had to Google what those words meant.

Now, she not only understands their meaning but has created a project, using Minecraft’s open-world video game software, that reflects them: an alleyway for street artists to safely and legally share their work.

“It was inspired by a graffiti street in Ghent, Belgium, where you could graffiti legally,” Pangilinan said. “It stopped a ton of graffiti in Belgium, so if it worked for them, maybe it could work for us.”

Pangilinan is one of 300 Winnipeg students from six city divisions who were asked in April to envision a downtown that moves Winnipeg forward without leaving anyone behind.

Students gathered at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights Tuesday to showcase their projects through the Level-Up Winnipeg building challenge. Using Minecraft, the students envisioned greenhouses, mental health centres and more in their virtual rendering of downtown Winnipeg.

A partnership between the City of Winnipeg, Microsoft and schools across the city, Level-Up Winnipeg models similar projects tested out in larger cities. As the City of Winnipeg embarks on CentrePlan 2050 — its long-term downtown investment plan — it viewed it as a chance to hear from future voters.

“The city joined on because this is a worldwide, global initiative that Microsoft is working on,” Karin Kliewer, a planner with the City of Winnipeg said. “We thought it would be great to integrate what the students produce and their ideas into our public engagement with CentrePlan.”

In the packed atrium, cardboard cutouts of timeless Winnipeg icons rendered into Minecraft characters were displayed in front of the podium. The museum’s Level 1 Gallery previewed a rotation of student creations projected onto the walls.

Other participants, such as James Nisbet Community School student Daniel Casiano, carried physical models around the museum’s atrium to share with fellow students. The Grade 6 student’s model featured an e-games centre, soup kitchen, farm and, to top it off, a cake to feed the city.

“The soup kitchen is for people who don’t have food,” Casiano explained. “The farm is for harvesting free food (since) some people can’t pay for their own food.”

Mayor Scott Gillingham, inspired by the students’ people-centred ideas and consideration for downtown residents, learned several lessons throughout the duration of Level-Up Winnipeg, including what an NPC (non-playable character) is.

“You have shown, through your projects, from basketball courts, to greenhouses, to mental health facilities, to grocery stores, to parks, that you understand the mission of urban planning,” Gillingham said. “It’s about moving forward together, with people at the centre, without leaving anybody behind.”

Many of the participants live outside the inner city. As part of the project, the students explored downtown through Google Maps and on-site in the Exchange District, the area around the legislature, and Thunderbird House on Main Street. In their travels, they encountered prominent Manitoba figures, from Louis Riel to the Golden Boy.

Chris Heidebrecht, a school and classroom support teacher with the Louis Riel School Division, believes connecting students to their downtown will spark lasting interest.

“It’s important for everyone in our city to understand that while downtown is a destination for those that don’t live there, it also has its own thriving and important community,” Heidebrecht said. “What we were finding from the submissions was that almost every student thought about the people who live and spend time there as well.”

After a select group of students presented their projects to the crowd, they all had the opportunity to share their visions for a better downtown through post-it notes and star stickers. More dog parks, shelters and bike paths were among the many suggestions.

By the time Winnipeg’s CentrePlan 2050 wraps up, the students will be in the middle of their careers. While not all of them will become urban planners, integrating their ideas will ensure the city models the future they envision Kliewer said.

“It’s important to get to know the space that you’re in, and it’s important to really understand your city and to see how you can contribute to city building as you grow older,” Kliewer said.

A selection of student projects will be sent to the City of Winnipeg’s planning department to inform CentrePlan 2050. Heidebrecht believes it’s a learning opportunity for students and city staffers alike.

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“Knowing that ideas they contributed might actually make it to the mayor’s office and even have the potential to be built or put into action motivates them to learn,” Heidebrecht said.

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