As reported on Global News, city officials are giving a little boost to an area of downtown Edmonton that’s not looking quite itself.

Churchill Square is under construction. The wading pool and other features are getting an upgrade, and popular summer festivals have moved elsewhere because of the work.

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But the city is using the changing face of the central square as an opportunity — adding six different “Instagrammable walls” to the construction hoarding.

“We have to make places accessible — and to the extent possible, beautiful — while they’re under construction, not just as an end state,” said Kalen Anderson.

“This is an important people place that will welcome thousands of people over the coming summers, but even right now, it’s an important place to be. So it brings a little bit of beauty, a little bit of humility to the space.”

Anderson is the director of The City Plan, which is Edmonton’s long-term plan for accommodating and best serving the city as it grows from 1 million to 2 million people.

The six colourful walls display six words that Edmontonians selected as values that are important to them as the city grows and changes.

“The values are kind of our touch points for [The City] Plan,” Anderson said.

“It’s what Edmontonians have told us they care about and what we need to really energize around as we prepare this plan, and then it’s going to be implemented over the coming years, so it’s about thriving and creating and preserving.”

The six values are: belong, live, thrive, access, preserve and create.

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