Active 18 is an association of community residents and business owners that advocates for sustainable development in Ward 18. It is a voice of the community in collaboration with elected officials, the developers, the architects, and landowners in the West Queen West Triangle to define and convey what residents want to see.
Active 18 formed primarily to oppose the development proposals in the Triangle [an area bound by the proposed buildings were too big, too close together, public space on the site was inadequate and more importantly, they were taking away hubs from artists.
Active 18 organized public meetings and workshops to debate ideas and sketched their desires. They argued their vision at the OMB, in the end the final decision went in favour of the developer.
Since the OMB fight, A18 has kept the pressure on the city to do Area Studies and worked on a secondary plan – a planning tool with legislative powers to influence the future of development in the neighbourhood. They have secured the Carnegie Library for the Theatre Centre, obtained space for an affordable Media Art Hub, negotiated successfully for park space/commons and continued to hold neighbourhood design workshops and advocate proactively for the community.
