Putting a Neighbourhood on the Map
The Dundas West Resident's Association was situated in an area known more for what it was not than what it was:
- Not the hip and upcoming Junction
- Not trendy Roncesvalles Village
- Not beautiful High Park
- Not the well-established Bloor West Village
It was on no mental map or radar screen.
Even the name "Dundas West" didn't belong to it or locate it, because Dundas West is a long meandering street thrat crosses many communities and defines none. The community struggled for more than a year trying to come up with a name until as volunteers we took the matter in hand.
To make progress, we brought two things to the table: a process that would invite, channel and leverage community engagement and suggestions and some creativity in naming.
Key to the process was the development of a naming target and scoring system based on factors like "A nice place to live," "Interesting shops," "Tells people where we are" and "Connects with some feature of the area."
The Team
Naming Strategy, Community Facilitation and Name Creation: Harry H. Cornelius, Sideren Inc.
Identity Design: Katalin Kovacs