People's overall impression of a place is usually based on a whole lot of things. Some big, some small, some obvious and others that are much more subtle or subliminal. It could be something that makes them feel comfortable or uneasy, but they aren't sure just what it is that creates that feeling.
So, people's impressions of Yellowknife are based on a whole lot of factors and if you want them to have a favorable opinion, you have to work on them all. Also, what affects one person may not affect someone else. This is true for residents and for visitors and let's face it we have a lot of visitors wandering around and they see the town through their own perspective.
At Somba K'e plaza, I love the Christmas lights and the fact that summer and winter events can be held there. That is the good news, but the experience is spoiled a bit by some of the signage. In front of city hall there are a number of angle parking spaces. The ones towards the RCMP station are for visitors or people having business at city hall. Then there are a few for people visiting the park.
Then starting before the little log cabin and going all the way to the dirt parking lot, there are a row of spots and several signs proclaiming them to be: “Private Parking Only. Violators will be ticketed and towed at owner's expense.”
Whoa! The person who designed those signs obliviously got out of the wrong side of the canoe. That street is part of city property and as such belongs to all the people of Yellowknife. The city may somehow have given someone the right to park there but there is no reason to get nasty about it. I find the signs very off putting, disturbing and they must give visitors a negative impression of Yellowknife and city hall. What I find especially disturbing about this, is that these spots seem to be only used sporadically and only during the work days.
Imagine if the signs read instead: “Greetings. Unfortunately, these spots are reserved. So Please don't park here from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday. At all other times, they are yours to use. Thank you and enjoy our wonderful city. Signed by “whoever has those spots.”
Now, wouldn't that sign be much nicer and friendlier. Wouldn't it make you feel better. As my great grandma would say “Mind you Ps and Qs and don't forget to say, Please and Thank You."
Another place that bothers me quite a bit would be City Hall Council Chambers. The CCC is a very weird place.
When I walk into that room, I feel like I am walking into an interrogation chamber of the Spanish Inquisition. The mayor and council all sit in a row of big throne like chairs on a raised dais. It suggests the high and mighty are looking down at the accused. To add to this illusion, they have great big picture windows behind them. So, in the daytime, with the light coming in, they are in silhouette and hard to see and at night they have a big ominous black backdrop behind them. It is a little scary.
The administrator and clerk sit below, facing the public. So, you have to talk over their heads, to address the mayor or city council. That is considered rude and disrespectful in some cultures. The rest of administration is lurking in a corner, but you seldom get a good look at them because the public is sitting in cheap plastic chairs on the other side of the room.
The optics, the not so subliminal messaging, the Feng Shuai and the vibes of the room are just horrible. That room really needs a make over and the fact that everyone seems comfortable with the way it is, bothers and baffles me. How a room is laid out is very important regarding how you plan to use it. It also sends people messages and makes they feel comfortable and welcomed or down right uneasy. I think that most political arenas, could use a bit of a makeover, because the way they are laid out is not user or public friendly.
So, to make people more at home and comfortable, we should all look around the city and think of ways to make it less abrasive. Keeping the place cleaner and litter free would certain improve everyone's impressions of the city and their quality of life.