They say that when something is meant to be, you begin to see signs of it everywhere; life begins to push you in the direction you are supposed to go. I can certainly attest to this phenomenon in my experience with urban design. Once I discovered how strong my interest was in this field, I [...]
Is rapid transit a key factor to unleashing a city’s economic potential? A new report from accounting giant KPMG indicates that this is certainly the case for Vancouver, British Columbia’s Broadway Corridor. The Corridor is a ten-kilometer stretch of roadway that spans the length between historic Commercial Drive and the largest university in Vancouver, the [...]
Vancouver, British Columbia consistently ranks as one of the “most livable“ cities in the world. However, what is frequently ignored about Canada’s most livable city are the multiple suburb municipalities that surround it. The Metro Vancouver region is composed of twenty-two municipalities and a population of just under two million people, many of whom work and [...]
Vancouver, British Columbia can only be described as picturesque; mountain framed and seaside, the city begs to be photographed and experienced by tourists and locals alike. Along with the gorgeous scenery and temperate climate has arisen a high demand for real estate in the downtown peninsula, which has gradually resulted in a real lack of [...]
How can city streets be better used to create a sense of community and engage locals in conversations about public space? That’s the question that The Vancouver Public Space Network (VPSN), a grassroots organization focused on public space issues, sought to explore during their four week “Lunch Meet Series“ last summer. Each Thursday during July 2012 [...]
Just months prior to the 2010 Winter Olympics, Vancouver authorities proudly announced the opening of “The Canada Line,” Canada’s only fixed link between a major city and its international airport. The rapid transit train, which runs primarily underground between Vancouver’s city center and the outlying suburb city of Richmond, takes only 25 minutes to move [...]
Ultimately, the real strength of The BLDGBLOG Book is Geoff Manaugh’s skills as a compelling storyteller. As Manaugh delves into the world of Landscape Futures in the fifth and final chapter of his book, the reader is simultaneously immersed in the floating canal city of London A.D. 2109 and in the Cloud City that hovers [...]
Chinatown is one of Vancouver, British Columbia’s original four neighborhoods. Located at the neck of the downtown peninsula, the district holds particular historical and cultural importance. In the past several decades Chinatown has seen a mass exodus of retailers and residents as Chinese communities have become more developed in Vancouver’s suburban cities. Recognizing the importance [...]
Although frequently ignored in mainstream discourse, the City of Vancouver, British Columbia sits on unceded First Nations’ land. Years of systematic neglect have transformed Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhood, now called the Downtown Eastside (DTES), into essentially an urban reserve. The DTES, historically home to marginalized groups, is the single poorest postal code in Canada. Despite the [...]
Often nicknamed the “City of Glass” for its towering downtown condominiums, it is hard to imagine that Vancouver, British Columbia used to be a dense cedar and hemlock forest hosting one of the most active above-ground water drainage areas in the Northwest. More than 100 years after the first European settlers arrived on Canada’s West [...]
At the eastern edge of downtown Vancouver, Canada remains the elevated viaducts of a freeway system that never came to be. In the 1960s, after a display of public engagement that has become legend in Vancouver, a proposed expressway was successfully opposed making Vancouver one of the only cities in North America without a major [...]
By 2020 all residents of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada will live within a five-minute walk of a park, greenway, or other green space. This goal may seem far-fetched but the creators of Vancouver’s Greenest City Action Plan (GCAP), along with community supporters, are finding interesting methods of making this dream a reality. The city’s Neighbourhood [...]
What does it take to become the world’s greenest city? Officials in Canada’s west coast city of Vancouver, British Columbia think they have the answer and plan to achieve this status by 2020. Using a variety of transportation measures, building codes, and urban design techniques, Vancouver is set to lead the world in sustainable living. [...]
A big Global Site Plans welcome to our newest blogger, Courtney McLaughlin from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Courtney McLaughlin is completing her undergraduate degree in Communication Studies at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. An avid traveler, her interests are public space modification in Canadian cities and sustainable urban planning. As an aspiring landscape [...]
