When experiencing the glory of a double row of street trees in fall, it’s a good time to give thanks to those who had the vision to realize the city we have today.
Give thanks to the landscape designers of the 1970s, beginning with Cornelia Oberlander and her allee of trees along Hornby next to Robson Square. Or, as above, the double rows along Georgia Street from the park to Cardero – a consequence of the Greening Downtown study of 1982 (by the Toronto firm of Baird/Simpson in collaboration with Hotson/Bakker).
Approved by council in the 1980s; planted, development by development, in the 1990s; only maturing now, with the final blocks still to come.
This is a spectacular example of architecture as art and art that creates delight in our everyday lives. This is my favourite urban setting in all of Metro Vancouver.
How timely, given the Globe & Mail piece today on how Vancouver is losing its tree canopy to development. No surprise that Richmodn has the lowest %:
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-cities-like-vancouver-need-to-do-more-to-protect-their-trees/