Guide to Building and Celebrating Your Neighbourhood’s Identity

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Contents

Why is your Neighbourhood’s Identity Important? Before You Get Started

Finding Your Neighbourhood’s Stories Neighbourhood Communities 6 Neighbourhood Names 7 Neighbourhood People 8 Neighbourhood Places & Features 9

Sharing Your Neighbourhood’s Stories (and making new ones!) Events 12 Print Media 13 Digital Media 14 Art 15 Signage 16

Summary of Resources Finding Photos 18 Research 18 Online Historic Maps 18 Helpful Books 18 Media Production 19 Event Supports 19 Signage 19 Funding 19

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Why is your Neighbourhood’s Identity Important? Old or new, small or large, every neighbourhood has a story to tell and an identity to celebrate. Whether you are an individual or a group, this guide will support you to discover your neighbourhood’s stories, create new ones, and celebrate a shared identity that will bring neighbours together and connect them to where they live.

Neighbourhood Identities

• Strengthen bonds between you and neighbours;

• Help to connect people to where they live;

• Build pride in neighbourhood and community;

• Are a great way to grow your neighbourhood’s community and deepen the relationships;

• Help all neighbours, especially new ones, feel like they belong;

• Help your community to share a common vision for the future; and

• Help the local economy and small businesses in your neighbourhood.

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Before You Get Started If you have a clear vision for a project that will require City of London approvals or support, it is a good idea to connect with staff early on to make sure you receive the correct information before you get too far along with your project. Please send an email to neighbourgood@london.ca or call 519-661-5336 to discuss your project and get connected to the appropriate staff.

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Finding Your Neighbourhood’s Stories

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Neighbourhood CommunitiesDoes your neighbourhood have a neighbourhood or community group? If yes, then you may want to connect with the group if you haven’t already. This could help with the next steps of the process. Keep in mind that not all groups will be able or willing to support your project. If there is no community group to your knowledge, then you may want to start one before moving forward. Lots of neighbourhood groups get started with social media. Having an easy way to communicate with your neighbours will make finding your neighbourhood’s stories much easier.

Finding a neighbourhood’s communities (or starting your own!):

• Check NeighbourgoodLondon.ca to see if your neighbourhood has a group already;

• Search online and on Facebook to see if your neighbourhood has a group you can connect with;

• If not, you may want to start one yourself. Creating a Facebook group is fairly easy;

• Creating a more formal neighbourhood group takes more work and if you want to go that route, check out this guide;

• If none of this sounds like your kind of thing, that’s fine! This work is not necessary, just helpful.

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Neighbourhood NamesWhat’s your neighbourhood called? For some this is easy, but others may not have an agreed-upon name.

• If you aren’t sure either way, a good place to start is NeighbourGoodLondon.ca. Check the map on the homepage, or the list of neighbourhoods. Keep in mind that this is not a complete or official list; the information on the site was provided by residents so some areas of the city may be missed.

• If you don’t find your neighbourhood on the site and aren’t sure what it’s called, you’ve got some work to do.

• Finding a neighbourhood’s name: o Talk to long-time residents and ask them what they call it; o Go to your nearest library and ask if they know its name; o Go to the London Room at the Central Library and ask them if they can help find a historical name for your neighbourhood; o Search online or make a social media post to see if someone knows what it’s called; o Email neighbourgood@london.ca to see if someone at the City of London can provide some assistance.

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Neighbourhood HistoryNow it’s time to play some Q&A! How old is your neighbourhood? How did it get developed? What are the milestones in your neighbourhood’s evolution? What are some good stories that take place in your neighbourhood? What are some of the most notable buildings in your neighbourhood?

Researching a neighbourhood’s history:

• Talk to long-time residents to learn what they know and record conversations to create an oral history;

• Go to your local library or the Central Library’s London Room to see if anything has been published or archived that shares your neighbourhood’s history;

• Search online for old maps, plans or documents;

• Post the question on social media to see if anyone in your network knows something;

• See the list of resources at the end of this document for more research suggestions.

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Neighbourhood PeopleA big part of a neighbourhood’s identity are the people who made it, lived there, and live there now. Learning about these people and documenting their stories will form a big part of your neighbourhood’s overall identity.

Learning about a neighbourhood’s people:

• Look for Original Occupant Signs;

• Collect Oral Histories by interviewing long-time residents;

• Conduct online or library research (see list of books at end of document);

• Ask neighbours if they have old photographs that they might be willing to let you scan.

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Neighbourhood Places & FeaturesWhat are the key places that make your neighbourhood unique? Old houses, parks, natural areas, businesses, schools, malls, streets, public art, laneways, whatever! Every neighbourhood has places that are special and full of stories.

Getting to know a neighbourhood’s places:

• Make a list of all the special places in your neighbourhood;

• Learn about how they came to be and what makes them unique through online, oral, or library research;

• Look into the names of places (where did the street names come from? What, or who, is the namesake of the parks?);

• Look into the history of your own house, or the history of older historic buildings;

• Document and collect the stories of these places;

• Take photos and make a map of these places;

• Search for old photos online at: o Historypin o Vintage London o London Public Library’s Historic Photo Collection.

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Sharing Your Neighbourhood’s Stories (and making new ones)

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EventsEvents are a great way to meet your neighbours and celebrate identity. There are tons of types of events. You could hold a BBQ in a park, a street party, a porch concert, or a garden tour. You could re-enact a historical event or produce a play or reading about something in your neighbourhood’s history. You could bring people on an historic tour of your neighbourhood. You could curate an exhibit of old photographs taken in your neighbourhood. You could host a neighbourhood story open-mic. You could arrange a speaker to come and talk about something that happened in your neighbourhood, or something else your creative mind comes up with. These events at first can be used to build your community and share its stories. If the event is well-received and becomes a regular occurrence, then it will become part of your neighbourhood’s identity. Just think, 50 years in the future, someone will be doing research about their neighbourhood and learn about this event that used to happen—yours! In this way, events are a way to share and create your neighbourhood’s identity.

NeighbourGood London has lots of ways to support events:

• Neighbourhood Events Guide

• Neighbourhood Event Booking

• Equipment Lending Program

• Neighbourhood Small Events Fund

• Outdoor Movie Nights

• Block Party in a Box

• Neighbourhood Event Team

Potential Costs include renting a space, renting equipment, decorations, refreshments, and promotion.

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Print MediaNow that you have collected some great stories and pictures, you could create some kind of print media. People love tangible items that connect them with their past. If you don’t have the skills or know-how to do it, try tapping into your local community for someone who does. And it doesn’t need to be fancy; keep it simple! To cover the cost of printing, you could ask members of your community to pre-order their copy. Newsletters, posters, pamphlets, zines, and books are just a starting point. There are many more options. Be creative and use your imagination!

Learning about and creating Print Media:

• What’s a zine?

• Zine Fiends: Monthly Zine Club (London Public Library)

• Canva.com—free poster design tool

Potential Costs include research, writing, design, printing, and distribution. The City of London encourages the fair selection and payment of artists and historians.

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Digital MediaThere are lots of ways to share stories and images digitally. You could use social media, create a Google map, video, podcast or even a website.

Here are some resources for learning about and creating digital media:

• Create your own GoogleMap using Google: My Maps;

• Take digital media tutorials on Lynda.com—free with your library card;

• The LABS at the London Public Library Central Branch has audio and video production equipment and support;

• Search: “how to make a website/video/podcast” in your search engine of choice and you will find lots of supportive resources and how-to guides.

Potential Costs include scanning of images, hosting and domain name of website (ongoing annual cost), video production and web design.

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ArtDo you have artistic skills? Is there an artist in your neighbourhood? Why not create some kind of art that includes your neighbourhood’s stories and shares them in a beautiful and inspiring way? This could be public art, like a mural or mosaic, or it could be an exhibition, collage, poem, story, painting, installation, song, or performance. Don’t feel limited by this list; art can be whatever you want it to be!

Finding artistic inspiration and guidance for your project:

• Hold an Art Exhibit at your local library branch, a neighbourhood business, or a neighbour’s garage;

• Do a call-out for neighbourhood artists to see if someone wants to take what you have collected and create something with it;

• Paint a Bell Box in your neighbourhood, or a visible wall. Painting a Bell Box requires permission from Bell Canada. If you are interested, email neighbourgood@london.ca to learn more about the process.

Potential Costs include art supplies, exhibition space, and artist’s fees. The City of London encourages the fair selection and payment of artists and historians.

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SignageSigns can be a great way to build awareness of your neighbourhood’s identity. There are also regulations, by-laws, and policies involved in putting signs on public property. There are a few options for you to explore but keep in mind this route will take a large amount of time and resources.

Learn more about signage programs in London:

• Commemorative Street Name program;

• Original Occupant Signs;

• The London Public Library’s Historic Sites Committee;

• Community Information boards;

• Neighbourhood entrance signs;

• Cultural Heritage Interpretive Signs.

Potential Costs include research, writing, design, printing, installation, ongoing maintenance. The City of London encourages the fair selection and payment of artists and historians.

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Summary of Resources

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Summary of ResourcesFinding Photos• Historypin• Vintage London Facebook Page• University of Western Ontario Archives• How to Research Older or Historic Buildings• London Public Library’s Historic Photo Collection• Heritage Conservation District Studies

Research• Ivey Family London Room at the London Public Library• London and Middlesex Historical Society• Middlesex Centre Archives• Library and Archives Canada• University of Western Ontario Archives• NeighbourGood London• City of London

Online Historic Maps• Fire Insurance Plan Holdings• Historical Maps of London, ON: 1800-1900• 1926 Geodetic Survey

Helpful Books• Fragments from the Forks, Brock & McEwan• Geranium Tour booklets• The North and the East, John Lutman• The South and the West, John Lutman• The Historic Heart of London, John Lutman

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• London’s 150 Cultural Moments, Vanessa Brown & Jason Dickson• 100 Fascinating Londoners, edited by Michael Baker & Hilary Neary• London Street Names: An Illustrated Guide, Baker & Neary• The Naming of London Streets, Harriett Priddis• Putting Down Roots: A History of London’s Parks and River, Pat Morden

Media Production• Zine Fiends: Monthly Zine Club • Canva.com• Google My Maps• Lynda.com• The LABS

Event Supports• Neighbourhood Events Guide• Neighbourhood Event Booking• Equipment Lending Program• Neighbourhood Small Events Fund• Outdoor Movie Nights• Block Party in a Box• Neighbourhood Event Team

Signage• Commemorative Street Name• Original occupant signs• London Public Library’s Historic Sites Committee

Funding• Neighbourhood Small Events Fund• Neighbourhood Decision Making• Community Arts Investment Program• Community Heritage Investment Program

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We’d Love to Hear From You!If you have any questions about this guide, would like to discuss your ideas, tell us about your project, or learn how the City of London can support your work, please email or call us at:

neighbourgood@london.ca | 519-661-5336

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For more information about this guide and other NeighbourGood London programs:

www.neighbourgoodlondon.ca neighbourgood@london.ca519-661-5336

Check out our website for helpful links to templates and examples at: www.neighbourgoodlondon.ca