WE’RE HIRING!

Position: Researcher + Data Analyst Intern
Organization: Common Space Coalition
Locaiton: Toronto, remote
Eligibility: 30 years old or younger
Role: PT (2.5 days a week), 14 weeks pending further funding

About Common Space Coalition:

We are a newly established non-profit organization whose goal is to combat systemic racism in landscape architectural professional practice through activism, lobbying, and research activities.  We seek to engage in a professional, positive, and transparent relationship with community groups and our professional bodies. 

The primary focus of our activities is to facilitate opportunities for placemaking, awareness, and practice surrounding anti-racism and the built environment. We aim to forge cross-disciplinary relationships using principles of design activism, to support the creation of equitable, accessible, decolonized, and inclusive public space. 

The Coalition was created after a letter demanding action on racial injustice in landscape architecture was sent to the CSLA and OALA, in the immediate aftermath of the murder of George Floyd in early June. The letter was distributed as an editable document that received feedback from landscape architects across Canada, and gained 120+ signatures.

The project you’ll be working on:

As a small, independent research and design incubator, we have received funding to hire a Research / Data Analyst Intern to support our latest project, the Common Space Directory. The goal of the Directory is to develop a free, public, interactive, map-based catalog of community organizations, activists, social movements, and proposed developments to bridge the divide between professional design practice, policy-makers, developers, and communities on the ground. 

Providing community groups with access to an online interactive engagement platform will support the amplification of their voices and document their work, ideas, and concerns in real time, serving as a means to engage with landscape architects and our fellow ‘city-builders’. Once we have established a database of community organizations,  needs, and initiatives, we will promote this project to landscape architects and allied professionals to advocate for increased engagement with the local communities in which their projects take place. 

*Please note that due to the requirements of funding from the Government of Canada, we are only able to hire Canadian citizens aged 30 and under. Mentorship and regular check-ins will be provided as part of our responsibility to you. The role is classified as remote as per pandemic restrictions.

Roles and Responsibilities:

  • Researching instances of community groups, activism, development proposals, etc. based in Toronto and, ultimately, Ontario, and accurately translating / compiling the information into a user-friendly map software (Social Pinpoint platform)

  • Monitoring community activity on the Social Pinpoint boards and maps, supporting community activity, and generating engagement by reaching out to groups and promoting the interactive map tools

  • Submitting weekly progress summaries (via zoom meetings with us) on your research + cataloguing work, and of the community activity on the interactive maps

  • Researching potential neighbourhoods, towns, and cities for future cataloguing activities

  • Infrequent social media posts on CSC’s Instagram and LinkedIn as pertaining to your research, with support from a social media mentor

  • Attend sub-committee meetings with partner community organizations (might be outside of regular working hours)

The successful candidate will possess the following qualities:

Hard skills

  • Academic background in urban planning, landscape architecture, urban design, community planning, and/or participatory planning

  • Have their own computer (and internet)

  • Ability to manage their own time, well-organized, and goal-oriented with check-ins at minimum twice a week

  • Tech savvy and able to learn the ins and outs of Social Pinpoint, a user-friendly online mapping software, quickly and easily

  • Strong research skills and experience is a must. This can include academic or professional research roles

  • Strong writing, reading comprehension, and communication skills

Soft skills

  • Familiar with principles of social, racial, climate, and environmental justice

  • Acquainted with community engagement, participatory planning + design, activism and how to navigate these circles

  • Interested in research that can help build community engagement over time

  • The ability to effectively engage and communicate with people of all backgrounds over the phone, Zoom, or GoogleMeet

Bonus qualities:

  • Social media savviness is a plus (Instagram) 

  • Experience in fundraising or drumming up press is a plus, but not necessary

  • Experience with ArcGIS, GISPro

What we’ll provide:

  • Mentorship opportunities and a supportive work environment 

  • Being part of a research project that can change the way landscape architects, architects, and urban designers practice professionally

  • $18 an hour 

Please send your resume to commonspacecoalition@gmail.com and a very brief cover letter telling us why you are interested in the role, and how you think both parties - candidate and hiring organization - can support each other’s goals.

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