smart Canada unveils eye-catching installations in Vancouver as part of the ongoing smart city project
smart Canada recently unveiled another element of its multi-faceted, thought-provoking mission to improve urban environments across Canada. The first phase of the smart city project reclaimed a derelict alleyway in downtown Toronto, cleaning it up with beautiful art installations from well-known local talent. The results have been admired and enjoyed by neighbourhood inhabitants since its completion earlier this year.
The next stage of the smart city project was recently revealed in Vancouver, and its innovative and eye-catching approach attracted a lot of attention by visually demonstrating one of the many unique and highly compelling attributes that makes the smart fortwo an ideal downtown vehicle.
At the centre of this latest initiative was the notion that the compact dimensions of the smart fortwo take up far less room than other vehicles. With this in mind, smart Canada created a variety of entertaining inner-city sanctuaries that matched the exact dimension of the space-saving difference, using the available area to install fun elements that made the environment more beautiful and more enjoyable for everyone. These downtown havens included a Muskoka Chair and sandbox near West Georgia Street and Homer Street, a tetherball court in the Tinsel Town Courtyard, and a bird bath and greenspace in the Library Courtyard.
Each station was placed in a prominent location and featured a plaque that identified an actual smart fortwo owner who made the space available for urban dwellers as a direct result of his or her decision to drive a smart fortwo. In every case, the outcome was a beautiful environment in a small, unexpected place that would have otherwise been taken up by a vehicle if the owner had made the decision to drive something other than a smart fortwo.
"The fuel efficient and fun smart fortwo offers every owner from coast-to-coast numerous benefits, but it is in congested urban environments where the smart fortwo truly shines," said Tim A. Reuss, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Canada. "The compact dimensions, advanced safety systems and nimble handling make the smart fortwo an ideal downtown vehicle. This latest element of the transformative smart city project captured the essence of the brand and the true spirit and overall mandate of the program through the beautification of precious inner-city space. By reclaiming land that would otherwise be used to park larger vehicles and returning it to the city’s inhabitants to enjoy, we demonstrated yet again that smart is a catalyst for change that challenges the status quo while providing a truly unparalleled intelligent transportation solution."
smart Canada has already recognized many creative concepts from the collection of more than 1,000 ideas that have been submitted to date through its monthly awards. Winners have all been drawn at random, and each one received a set of smart WeSC headphones and $250. The search for additional initiatives to implement will continue, and city dwellers from across the country are urged to continue to share their own ideas about how they would beautify their respective communities.
To make a suggestion, Tweet @smartCanada and #thesmartcity with ideas, or visit www.thesmartcityproject.ca – the interactive online hub for the program. In the next major phase of this ongoing project, smart Canada will award $50,000 to fund a project to help turn someone’s vision into a reality. In addition, the person who submits the selected idea will also receive an all-new smart ebike.
Further information about the smart fortwo can be found online at www.media.mercedes-benz.ca, www.smart.com, facebook.com/smartCanada and twitter.com/smartCanada.
