This probably means you.
From the re:place team.
A humble call to help us with suggestions for the our newest initiative Urbanists Guide to Vancouver – an online list of off-the-beaten path places, events, products, etc. that we want to have live for visitors in town for the Olympics and local urbanists who want to know what’s happening in and around the city.
… what we want to compile is a pretty comprehensive list of off-the-beaten path places, events, products, etc. that most people may not be aware of, but that reflects a more balanced concept of what this city is all about.
How? Simple. Just post a comment, or if you’re not a comment-type person, send your suggestions to info@regardingplace.com. Please include any supplementary information – i.e. links, websites, etc. – and a short description of why you think this should be included in the Urbanists Guide.
We’ll be gathering the suggestions and information until Wednesday, January 27th and release the final edited list in time for the Olympics. We’ll also give you regular updates as we develop our initiative further. In the meantime, please help us out and drop us a line.
A few things.
First, the transportation system itself is something urbanists would have an interest in. I visited about three weeks ago and rode all of SkyTrain and the Seabus, and spent a lot of time admiring the multimodal nature of the systems there, especially at Waterfront Station and at the waterfront itself with the frequent seaplane flights.
Second, the culture of Vancouver is something that is a major draw, especially for those of us on the south side of the border. While Chinatown has a quaint edge to it at times, a real must for any urbanist (as well as any foodie!) is Richmond, now conveniently accessible from the Canada Line. It also has some interesting implications for the future of suburban areas in other cities. See here:
http://www.route99west.com/addendum/2010/01/overeating-in-richmond-bc.html
http://www.route99west.com/addendum/2009/12/future-of-beaverton.html
http://civics21.org/2009/12/vancouver-bc-transportation-suburban.html
The one street I wanted to explore but did not was Broadway, which I understand is a very vibrant, pedestrian scaled area. It looked naturally appealing from SkyTrain, and I suspect that a tourist randomly riding the system would be very likely to stop and look around there. If it is indeed a likely stop, information about the community and what can be found there would be advisable.
Lastly, personally, I’m a book buying addict, and I just lucked into staying near Pender & Richards, where there is not one but three good used book stores. Are there more in the city? People may want a change of pace from all the glitzy sports related activities, and a city’s bookstores are its riches.
Here are the things I miss about Vancouver, now that I live on the Island: good Greek food – especially the roast lamb shoulder at Maria’s Taverna on West 4th; the baguettes at Pattisserie Bordeaux at West 10th and Alma; walking and shopping along West Broadway from Larch to Alma, with a good long stop at the International Wine shop near Safeway; rep cinemas, especially the Broadway, the Ridge, and the Pacific Cinemateque; Kerrisdale – a wonderful example of how to put a micro-West End in a largely suburban location; the West End – who knew that high density could be so leafy, quiet and safe; hanging out at English Bay near Denman and Davie on a summer evening – Vancouver’s true public square; the entire seawall footpath all the way out to Towers Beach – is there anything else like it on the planet?; the Commodore Ballroom; the Railway Club; the Gyoza King on Robson; Benny’s Bagels on Broadway; dinner at the Raincity Grill; Tatlow Court – why don’t we make more of these wonderful residential courtyard projects?; the view of the city and English Bay from West 9th near Jericho Hill – superb; Granville Island (Project for Public Spaces can’t be wrong); Chinatown on Saturday morning when the fish are fresh and the streets packed; the Marine Building; Harbour Green Park – great new things can be added to cities … and on…. and on…
As a landscape architect and park planner whose heart is in Vancouver but my body is bound in New York (for now), there are a few things that stand out from my recent trips to Vancouver.
One would be the sky. Here in New York the sky is something you see very little of and never really have to think about because the odds that you actually have a view of it are quite slim, whereas in Vancouver, the sky is an amazing ever-changing backdrop which has the ability to make a certain place within the city feel very different at different times. For example, Denman and Davie at EB on a sunny afternoon is a completely different place on a foggy morning, both in function and aesthetics (whereas the plaza outside my office is always the same, come wind, rain or sun). The influence on the physical structure of the city of Vancouver by the weather is profound in my view, and one of the reasons I love Vancouver.
Another interesting thing to me is not just the seawall itself, but how the seawall changes from neighborhood to neighborhood, reinforcing the sense of place as one moves through (on?) it… the separated bike/pedestrian lanes through false creek, winding around cafes and benches to a complete separation of bikes and pedestrians along English Bay to Stanley park, and on to coal harbor… nothing beats a great edge, and nothing beats a nice bike ride – so what could be better than biking along the edge?