Looking for a good gift idea? Here’s a book for those who are curious about this constantly changing city. (All of us, no?) What better title than “The Changing City – Architecture and History Walking Tours in Central Vancouver”
Historian John Atkin and City Hall numbers guy Andy Coupland have in fact given Vancouver a gift with this handy guide to recent development, some front-and-centre, some out-of-the-way and quirky, including landscape design and public art – all in historic context. There are probably more than 400 sites covered, about half ‘historic’ and half ‘contemporary’ – and really, everything in between. (John Mackie provides more background in this piece in The Sun.)
Even better, John and Andy have produced a website – changingcity.ca – to keep up to date with the recent development, like this work of public art – Garde Temps – by Tania Ruiz Gutierrez that was intended to be an Olympic piece and finally appeared under the Cambie Bridge.
The architecture is grouped into precincts within the central area, including neighbourhoods like Chinatown and Fairview – perfect for a stroll that is sure to open your eyes by explaining how things came to be.
In fact, probably like John and Andy, I often wonder why people aren’t more curious about the place in which they live. So in that sense, this book is perfect for anyone at all, not just those with an interest in the built form.
You can order it from Steller Press on the web site, or even from an actual bookstore.
