Vancouverism

Last updated

Vancouver city skyline view Concord Pacific Master Plan Area.jpg
Vancouver city skyline view
Vancouver high-rises often sit on top of a commercial or residential podium. Vancouver podium building 1.JPG
Vancouver high-rises often sit on top of a commercial or residential podium.

Vancouverism is an urban planning and architectural phenomenon in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is characterized by a large residential population living in the city centre with mixed-use developments, typically with a medium-height, commercial base and narrow, high-rise residential towers, significant reliance on mass public transit, creation and maintenance of green park spaces, and preserving view corridors. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] The architect Bing Thom described Vancouverism this way: [7]

Contents

It's a spirit about public space. I think Vancouverites are very, very proud that we built a city that really has a tremendous amount of space on the waterfront for people to recreate and to enjoy. At the same time, False Creek and Coal Harbour were previously industrial lands that were very polluted and desecrated. We've refreshed all of this with new development, and people have access to the water and the views. So, to me, it's this idea of having a lot people living very close together, mixing the uses. So, we have apartments on top of stores. In Surrey we have a university on top of a shopping centre. This mixing of uses reflects Vancouver in terms of our culture and how we live together. [8]

An important aspect to note is that Vancouverism is an ideal that was developed in Vancouver but is not present in all regions of the city. Additionally, while outlying regions of Metro Vancouver, such as Surrey, have adopted aspects of these ideals, they did not originate outside the city of Vancouver.

Vancouver has been repeatedly ranked among the most livable cities in the world. [9] An article in San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association has taken note of Vancouver's approach to new development and view corridors and asks if San Francisco should pursue similar direction. [3] However, Vancouver's planning process has come under criticism for its unpredictability, lengthy approval process, lack of transparency, lack of public engagement, the repetitiveness of the built forms it produces, and the potential for the process to involve corruption. [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]

Background

Vancouverism developed in part as a product of Vancouver's geographical context. Wedged between the sea, mountains and the border with the United States, the Greater Vancouver Regional District partnered with the area's municipalities to encourage controlled development. Early recognition that British Columbia's farmland would be engulfed by sprawl led to the establishment of the Agricultural Land Reserve in the 1970s. This assisted in containing and intensifying development throughout the Vancouver metropolitan area and the Fraser Valley. [1]

Architect Arthur Erickson is credited by some with developing the concept that became Vancouverism in the mid-1950s, in a never-realized development called "Project 56". [17] Many of the principles were incorporated into the development of the West End. The city's planning department, under the direction of Ray Spaxman in the 1980s, began to expand on the concepts, many of which were brought into fruition with the development of the former Expo 86 lands along False Creek and Yaletown.

Another person who is credited with influencing Vancouverism is Jane Jacobs, author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities . [18] Brent Toderian, the former head of Planning for the City of Vancouver says of Jacobs: "There isn't a person or book more influential in creating 'Vancouverism' than Jane and The Death and Life ... I know what she means about people misunderstanding density – that's why we emphasize density done well rather than density as a mathematical exercise. [But] people 'round the world praise Vancouver's livability, and she had a big hand in it." [19]

Aesthetics

One principle associated with Vancouverism, as evidenced by planning policy, involves protecting "view corridors". Vancouver's "View Protection Guidelines" were approved in 1989 and amended in 1990, establishing height limits to protect views of the North Shore Mountains. This approach, while credited with preserving the city's scenic backdrop, has been criticized for lessening visual interest and failing to represent the city's contemporary image. In response, Council commissioned a "Skyline Study" in 1997 which concluded that Vancouver's skyline would benefit from the addition of a handful of buildings exceeding current height limits, to add visual interest to Vancouver's skyline. [20]

A study found that opportunities for such buildings were restricted due to a limited number of large development sites in the downtown. [21] Eight years later, five of the seven sites identified for higher buildings had been planned or developed. The tallest of the new buildings is the Living Shangri-La hotel/residential tower, which was completed in 2008, and stands 201 metres (659 ft) [22] tall (62 stories). [23]

Overhead SkyTrain tracks are visible in some parts of Vancouver and the surrounding area. TransLink SkyTrain departs Stadium-Chinatown station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.png
Overhead SkyTrain tracks are visible in some parts of Vancouver and the surrounding area.

Transportation Infrastructure

Vancouver's street grid is finely-meshed, with mid-block lanes, which has allowed the city to easily densify and promotes walkability. [24] The overhead, visible, grade separated SkyTrain transit system is an integral part of the aesthetic of Vancouverism.

Planning process

One of the circumstances allowing the development of Vancouverism was the discretionary planning process implemented by the city. The planning process of Vancouver is based on collaboration by aligning the development goals of the city prior to determining the particular actions for individual drivers. [25] Following the extended public outcry over a freeway and development program known as Project 200, Vancouver voted The Electors' Action Movement (TEAM) into power. TEAM ran on a platform of implementing more stringent design criteria and oversight to city developments. Development along South False Creek is the ideal urban form advocated by TEAM. The South False Creek development is characterized by low-density, mixed use and mixed-income residential properties with a high level of access to amenities. As well as favouring the urban form found along South False Creek, TEAM implemented significant reforms to the planning process. Discretionary planning allows the automatic approval of small developments that conform to the existing building codes. Larger projects are subject to the design review of the planning department. The planning department is empowered to make decisions that will force developments to conform to certain design guidelines.

Sustainable development

Sustainable development refers to solutions that not only benefit the present population, but also the future generations as well. This type of development requires looking at the consequences of decisions, which lead to solutions, and the consequences of those consequences too. Vancouver planners have been looking ahead of their current problems and solutions for decades. An example of this foresight can be seen in Vancouver's zoning regulations maintaining set-backs and sight-lines; and rejecting the downtown freeway, in which the city sacrificed initial gains for smaller long-term benefits and neighbourhood preservation—a trade-off that benefit current residents and later generations as well. Current issues revolve around finite energy sources and their impacts on the environment. These problems have led Vancouver to outline a growth strategy that considers the environment and community.

Criticism

Vancouver's planning process and Vancouverism have been widely criticized, including by prominent members of the planning and architectural communities in Vancouver, such as Patrick Condon, Scot Hein and Bing Thom, for a variety of reasons. Development potential on a site is typically divided into two categories, "outright" and "discretionary". Outright development is clearly defined in terms of use, height, and floor area and can proceed along a faster track than discretionary; however, the outright development potential is less than the discretionary track. Outright limitations may include lower height, less floor area, more restrictive uses, and larger setbacks.

A developer can exceed the outright potential by negotiating with the Planning Department over the limitations on categories that have been identified in the various planning controls at the discretion of the Director of Planning . [26] [27] As noted above, this negotiating process gives the Planning Department significant leverage to negotiate design concessions or public benefits from developers; however, it does have numerous downsides, including:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smart growth</span> Urban planning philosophy

Smart growth is an urban planning and transportation theory that concentrates growth in compact walkable urban centers to avoid sprawl. It also advocates compact, transit-oriented, walkable, bicycle-friendly land use, including neighborhood schools, complete streets, and mixed-use development with a range of housing choices. The term "smart growth" is particularly used in North America. In Europe and particularly the UK, the terms "compact city", "urban densification" or "urban intensification" have often been used to describe similar concepts, which have influenced government planning policies in the UK, the Netherlands and several other European countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoning</span> Government policy allowing certain uses of land in different places

In urban planning, zoning is a method in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into "zones", each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a single use, they may combine several compatible activities by use, or in the case of form-based zoning, the differing regulations may govern the density, size and shape of allowed buildings whatever their use. The planning rules for each zone determine whether planning permission for a given development may be granted. Zoning may specify a variety of outright and conditional uses of land. It may indicate the size and dimensions of lots that land may be subdivided into, or the form and scale of buildings. These guidelines are set in order to guide urban growth and development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">False Creek</span> Inlet in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

False Creek is a short narrow inlet in the heart of Vancouver, separating the Downtown and West End neighbourhoods from the rest of the city. It is one of the four main bodies of water bordering Vancouver, along with English Bay, Burrard Inlet, and the Fraser River. Granville Island is located within the inlet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yaletown</span> Place in British Columbia, Canada

Yaletown is an area of Downtown Vancouver, Canada, bordered by False Creek and Robson and Homer Streets. Formerly a heavy industrial area dominated by warehouses and rail yards, since the 1986 World's Fair it has been transformed into one of the most densely populated neighbourhoods in the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunset Beach (Vancouver)</span> Beach in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Sunset Beach is an urban beach park on English Bay situated in the West End neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is part of the city seawall system and is bisected by a multi-use path for bicycling, walking, and skating that connects to the adjacent Vancouver Aquatic Centre and Burrard Street Bridge. The park is maintained by the city government and includes public washrooms, concession stands, an off-leash area for dogs, and a False Creek Ferries dock. Between May and September, lifeguards are posted at the beach.

Larry Beasley, CM is an internationally known urban planner. Formerly Co-director of Planning for the City Of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada, he is largely credited with the transformation of its downtown core along New Urbanism lines, known as Vancouverism or "The Vancouver Model".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Sullivan</span> Canadian politician, Mayor of Vancouver

Sam Sullivan is a Canadian politician who served as the MLA for Vancouver-False Creek. Previously, he served as the Minister of Communities, Sport, and Cultural Development with responsibility for Translink in the short-lived BC Liberal government after the 2017 election, as well as the 38th mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and has been invested as a member of the Order of Canada. He is currently President of the Global Civic Policy Society and an adjunct professor at the UBC School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Green (Canadian politician)</span> Draft evader and politician

Jim Green was an American-Canadian who was a longshoreman, taxicab driver, community activist, non-profit housing developer, municipal politician, university instructor and development consultant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mixed-use development</span> Type of urban development strategy

Mixed use is a type of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning classification that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to some degree physically and functionally integrated, and that provides pedestrian connections. Mixed-use development may be applied to a single building, a block or neighborhood, or in zoning policy across an entire city or other administrative unit. These projects may be completed by a private developer, (quasi-)governmental agency, or a combination thereof. A mixed-use development may be a new construction, reuse of an existing building or brownfield site, or a combination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Olympic Village</span> Residential development in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

The Vancouver Olympic Village (VVL) is a neighbourhood and Olympic Village built by Millennium Development Group in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, originally built for the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics.

The EcoDensity Initiative was officially launched in 2006 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in conjunction with the World Urban Forum. The initiative was a response to deconcentration of urban land use due to urban sprawl. The initiative used density, design and land use as catalysts towards livability, affordability and environmental sustainability. Some of the program's objectives were to reduce car reliance, deliver more efficient urban land use, improve green energy systems and build a resilient and adaptable community. In high-density urban areas, utilizing the existing infrastructure and transit and community amenities tends to lead towards a more sustainable and livable state. Accordingly, EcoDensity was designed to strategically enhance densification with the primary aim of efficiently structured neighbourhoods, denser urban-patterns and increased affordable housing.

A community benefits agreement (CBA) in the United States is a contract signed by community groups and a real estate developer that requires the developer to provide specific amenities and/or mitigations to the local community or neighborhood. In exchange, the community groups agree to publicly support the project, or at least not oppose it. Often, negotiating a CBA relies heavily upon the formation of a multi-issue, broad based community coalition including community, environmental, faith-based and labor organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Swanson</span> Canadian politician, activist, and writer

Jean Swanson is a Canadian politician, anti-poverty activist, and writer in Vancouver, British Columbia. She represented the left-wing Coalition of Progressive Electors on Vancouver City Council as one of Vancouver's 10 at-large city councillors from 2018 to 2022.

Patrick Condon is a Canadian politician, landscape architect, and professor.

The gentrification of Vancouver, Canada, has been the subject of debate between those who wish to promote gentrification and those who do not.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Gillespie (developer)</span> Canadian real estate developer

Ian Gillespie is a Canadian real estate developer. In 1992 he founded Westbank Projects Corp. based in Vancouver, British Columbia, which now has more than $25 billion of projects completed or under development. The company is active across Canada and expanding into the United States with projects including residential, rental, affordable housing, office, retail, hotels and public art.

Complete communities is an urban and rural planning concept that aims to meet the basic needs of all residents in a community, regardless of income, culture, or political ideologies through integrated land use planning, transportation planning, and community design. While the concept is used by many communities as part of their community plan, each plan interprets what complete community means in their own way. The idea of the complete community has roots in early planning theory, beginning with The Garden City Movement, and is a component of contemporary planning methods including Smart Growth.

Environmental, ecological or green gentrification is a process in which cleaning up pollution or providing green amenities increases local property values and attracts wealthier residents to a previously polluted or disenfranchised neighbourhood. Green amenities include green spaces, parks, green roofs, gardens and green and energy efficient building materials. These initiatives can heal many environmental ills from industrialization and beautify urban landscapes. Additionally, greening is imperative for reaching a sustainable future. However, if accompanied by gentrification, these initiatives can have an ambiguous social impact. For example, if the low income households are displaced or forced to pay higher housing costs. First coined by Sieg et al. (2004), environmental gentrification is a relatively new concept, although it can be considered as a new hybrid of the older and wider topics of gentrification and environmental justice. Social implications of greening projects specifically with regards to housing affordability and displacement of vulnerable citizens. Greening in cities can be both healthy and just.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OneCity Vancouver</span> Political party in Canada

OneCity Vancouver is a municipal political party in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 2014 by independent activists and former members of the left-wing Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE), including David Chudnovsky and Rafael Joseph Aquino; Aquino was OneCity's first candidate to run for public office.

Colleen Hardwick is a Canadian politician and film-maker in Vancouver, British Columbia, who served on Vancouver City Council from 2018 to 2022. Hardwick is the daughter of former Vancouver alderman Walter Hardwick, and granddaughter of former Vancouver park commissioner Iris Hardwick.

References

  1. 1 2 Short, Michael J. (2012). Planning for Tall Buildings. New York: Routledge. p. 169. ISBN   978-0-415-58107-3.
  2. ↑ Hiller, Harry H. (2012). Host Cities and the Olympics: An interactionist approach. New York: Routledge. p. 157. ISBN   978-0-415-52241-0 . Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Chappell, Jim (November 1, 2003). "Vancouver's View Corridors: Should San Francisco adopt similar guidelines?". SPUR. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  4. ↑ Boddy, Trevor 16.2, 2004, U.C. Berkeley journal "Places."
  5. ↑ Boddy, Trevor (September 20, 2005). "INSIGHT: Vancouverism vs. Lower Manhattanism: Shaping the High Density City". ArchNewsNow.com. ArchNewsNow. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  6. ↑ Beasley, Larry (2019). Vancouverism. Vancouver: On Point Press. ISBN   9780774890311.
  7. ↑ "Past Podcasts – CBC Radio". CBC News. Archived from the original on June 21, 2008.
  8. ↑ Sharma, Ian Alexander Narasimha (2012). "On the Edge: Redevelopment Projects at the Urban-Marine Interface in Vancouver, BC". University of Washington. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Vancouver The Most Livable City In North America: Economist". The Huffington Post. August 28, 2013. Retrieved January 24, 2014. Vancouver may be the best place to live in North America, but it has yet to recover from a Vancouver Island highway closure that dropped it to third in the world in 2011.
  10. ↑ Crawford, Tiffany (January 22, 2019). "Vancouver housing second least affordable in world: report". Vancouver Sun.
  11. ↑ Daily Hive (March 28, 2019). "Vancouver ranked North America's 2nd least affordable city for housing".
  12. ↑ Connolly, Joannah (January 21, 2019). "Vancouver now ranked 'second-least affordable' global housing market". Vancouver Courier.
  13. ↑ Patrick Condon and Scot Hein (July 19, 2019). "Hard Questions about Vancouver's New Affordability Approach". The Tyee.
  14. ↑ Condon, Patrick (August 14, 2017). "Learning from Vancouver: Housing Affordability & the Myth of Supply-Side Densification". The Planning Report.
  15. ↑ Lee, Marc (May 2016). "Getting Serious About Affordable Housing" (PDF). Policy Alternatives.
  16. ↑ Pearson, Natalie (July 13, 2018). "Vancouver's One-Two Punch Is Expensive Homes and Low Wages". Bloomberg.
  17. ↑ "Vancouver's architectural style in spotlight at London exhibit". CBC News. June 23, 2008.
  18. ↑ Wood, Daniel (June 7, 2012). "Vancouver's density debate pits Sullivanism versus the ideas of Jane Jacobs". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved June 11, 2012. She is why international experts come to Vancouver to study its renowned livability. She's the mother of Vancouverism.
  19. ↑ Wikens, Stephen (May 6, 2011). Jane Jacobs: Honoured in the breach. Globe and Mail Retrieved on: May 13, 2011
  20. ↑ "Downtown Vancouver Skyline Study". Special Council Meeting Minutes. City of Vancouver. April 7, 1997. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  21. ↑ "General Policy for Higher Buildings" (PDF). City of Vancouver. May 6, 1997.
  22. ↑ "Vancouver High-rise buildings (in feet)". Emporis Buildings. Archived from the original on April 18, 2005. Retrieved February 6, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  23. ↑ "Living Shangri-La, Vancouver". Emporis Buildings. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  24. ↑ City of Vancouver (2020). TRANSPORTATION 2040 (PDF). p. 22.
  25. ↑ RGS Goals and Strategies. Metrovancouver.org (July 29, 2011). Retrieved on 2014-04-12.
  26. ↑ City of Vancouver (June 19, 2018). "Broadway Plan" (PDF).
  27. ↑ City of Vancouver (November 14, 2017). "CD-1 Bylaw" (PDF).
  28. ↑ BC Chamber of Commerce (2014). "REMOVING UNCERTAINTY FROM COMMUNITY AMENITY CONTRIBUTIONS".
  29. ↑ Adam, Mattinson (April 2015). "DEALING WITH DENSITY: AN EVALUATION OF DENSITY BENEFIT INCENTIVES IN THE METRO VANCOUVER REGION" (PDF).
  30. ↑ Daily Hive (September 27, 2018). "This is how architects and builders wait in line at Vancouver's building permit office".
  31. ↑ Vancouver Sun (March 8, 2017). "Vancouver to test ways to speed up approval of development permits".
  32. ↑ Vancouver Sun (December 2, 2016). "City of Vancouver looks to reduce building permit waits as citizens suffer".
  33. ↑ Community Association of New Yaletown (January 2015). "Supreme Court: Vancouver Development Process Unfair, Illegal".
  34. ↑ Punter, John (2003). The Vancouver Achievement: Urban Planning and Design. Vancouver: UBC Press. p. 295. ISBN   0774809728.
  35. ↑ Kimmett, Colleen (September 21, 2007). "Birth of EcoDensity Backlash". The Tyee.
  36. ↑ Pablo, Carlito (August 21, 2013). "Planning process for Vancouver's Marpole district sparks community backlash". The Georgia Straight.
  37. ↑ O'Connor, Naoibh (August 20, 2014). "Residents RAMP up suit against City of Vancouver". Vancouver Courier.
  38. ↑ Zeidler, Maryse (February 13, 2018). "Vancouver approves plan to revitalize northeast False Creek". CBC News.
  39. ↑ Smith, Charlie (February 28, 2012). "Rize Alliance proposal in Mount Pleasant receives a thumbs up from Vancouver city staff". The Georgia Straight.
  40. ↑ Lupick, Travis (February 16, 2016). "West End residents lose court challenge that aimed to block 21-story tower". The Georgia Straight.
  41. ↑ Condon, Patrick (July 14, 2014). "Vancouver's 'Spot Zoning' Is Corrupting Its Soul". The Tyee.
  42. ↑ Connolly, Joannah (December 14, 2018). "Many Metro Vancouverites describe real estate sector as corrupt: poll". Vancouver Courier.
  43. ↑ CBC News (December 13, 2018). "37% of Metro Vancouverites think real estate market is 'extremely corrupt': report".
  44. ↑ Canadian Press (May 13, 2019). "Why criminals look to Canada to launder their money through real estate". Vancouver Sun.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.