New Book: “Public Realm The New Makers Handbook” by Michael Von HausenBooks on how to create and support good urban design and public space are hard to find. There is a…
Not Brutal But Hostile: Artist Sarah Ross Addresses Hostile ArchitectureBrutalism or Brutalist design came out in the mid 20th century as a blocky concrete style with lots and lots…
The Iconic Vancouver Special: Alex Saar’s Latest Lego HackDesigner Alex Saar is a local creative genius blending in current culture and the popular lego toy. When the Barge…
A Green Party Vision for Our Housing FutureHere’s the Green Party’s housing platform. Here are three points from it: Implement a simple menu of repeatable building forms,…
Former City of Vancouver Senior Architect Ralph Segal on Broadway & Vancouver Plans: A Rejection of Core Vancouver Planning Principles?Ralph Segal was the senior architect/urban designer/development planner in charge of the Planning Department’s Urban Design and Development Planning Centre…
Is this the Updated “Vancouver Special” of Richmond Hill Ontario?Sixty years ago if you wanted to build a detached house in Vancouver you were limited by square footage on…
The Return of the Corner Store?Ah, the romance of the corner store. Like the Wilder Snail in Strathcona: Or Le Marche in Mt. Pleasant:…
Paris: Favourite FlowersSo much of Paris looks the same – beautiful, majestic, harmonious but mostly of Lutetian limestone (known as Paris stone). …
The Transformation of Rue de RivoliThe first in a series on contemporary urbanism in European cities. The Rue de Rivoli is one of the…
Nathan Edelson on the Broadway Plan: “Vancouver Needs More False Creek Souths”On May 31, Council concluded the public hearing in the Broadway Corridor Plan and will be deliberating on the plan…
Ralph Segal, City of Vancouver’s Former Chief Urban Designer on the Broadway PlanIf you worked at City Hall in the 1990’s and 2000’s, you knew Ralph Segal. He was the senior architect/urban…
A Solution to Broadway Plan Stalling: Phase, Prioritize & Evaluate Affordable Rental HousingEarlier this week Viewpoint Vancouver posted about the Broadway Plan which has a broad brush approach to upzoning eight blocks…
Mount Pleasant Residents Bristle Against Park Board Plans for Local Outdoor PoolHere we are in Vancouver, a city that is basically surrounded by water but we have few outdoor pools in…
The Vancouver Plan: More Housing, But Less Talk about How We Get ThereNearly four years ago in pre-pandemic times, the newly minted Vancouver City Council members publicly expressed how important the Vancouver…
Dec. 19, 2022Vancouver’s “Dinosaurs Against Fossil Fuels” (DAFFS) Way Ahead of Their TimeSandy James Planner