Placemaking and Placekeeping
In addition to creating a community that supports diversity, inclusion and equity, Ted Rogers School of Management is working to make spaces that are truly for and by the school at large.
Placemaking is an approach to public space design that places social innovation and local communities at the heart of the planning process, with the aim of shaping healthier and more equitable public spaces, as we continue to towards making education inclusive and accessible—where every voice is valued, and every perspective is treated as a vital contribution to the collective learning experience.
Research
Placemaking was top of mind for researchers from The Ted Rogers School of Management and The Creative School who teamed up earlier this year to examine how placemaking affects behavioural intentions across a variety of disciplines and techniques, such as architecture, interior design, installation art and even signage.
Placemaking is about making sure that the physical space on campus is more than just classrooms and offices, making it an inclusive space for all faculty, staff and students.
Award-winning space for students
The Ted Rogers Student Society EDI committee initiated the EDI Well-Being Space. The multi-purpose room, located on the 7th floor (TRS 1-045), is available for students, staff and faculty to pray, meditate, reflect, bereave, or find quiet space.
Inclusive dining at Ted’s Kitchen
The placemaking approach extends to the dining experience at Ted's Kitchen. Through TRSM community consultation, students, staff and faculty expressed their wishes for on-campus affordable meals made using better quality ingredients and more meal options to accommodate dietary requirements and religious dietary restrictions.
As a result, halal, kosher, and dietary-friendly options are now available at Ted's Kitchen (located on the 7th floor). There is a separate fridge and preparation station for Kosher food, and certificates display that food has been prepared with ingredients sourced from halal-certified butchers. Affordable $3 meal options are also available.
Tracing the history of Indigenous entrepreneurship in Canada
Through Indigenous art, we aim to honour the role that Indigenous entrepreneurs played in shaping the nation’s economic history and celebrate all those who laid the foundation for what would eventually become the Canadian economy. In September 2022, a 16’ birchbark canoe built by Todd Labrador, Mi’kmaq artisan in Nova Scotia was brought to Ted Rogers School to begin to trace this history through art installations.
Indigenous Healing Garden
In the literal heart of the Ted Rogers School is the outdoor courtyard, an almost 12,000 sq. ft. slice of green space.
In 2021, the school launched a project to transform the courtyard into an Indigenous healing garden. By incorporating Indigenous knowledges around the healing power of nature, we strive to cultivate an environment of intercultural respect and collaborative learning, while also creating usable greenspaces and addressing growing concerns over student health and wellness.
In 2022-2023, plans for the garden moved forward with a design concept. The plans include a pergola with integrated art, a food garden with grandparent stones, a reflecting pool, a birch grove with medicinal planting, totem art, a rain garden, a shade garden and a sacred circle with tables, desks, seating and art. The design responds to the need for opportunities to be involved with the garden, such as growing food for the cafe, as well as herbs, medicines and plants for traditional crafts and ceremony.