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Vancouverism

Does Vancouverism work elsewhere?

City planners around the world are simulating Vancouverism in their projects. The city of Vancouver generated this new concept in urban city design and renewed its fading inner city by creating thin residential towers on a pedestal comprised of townhouses and stores to promote downtown street life. Citizens sold their suburban dream homes to become a part of the high-density neighbourhood in the inner city. This dramatically boosted the downtown population, making it vibrant and more livable, with opportunities to create an efficient transit system.

Here are a few examples of how Vancouver resists urban norms:

1) City planning decisions are shielded from interference by the mayor and city councilors, which allows for long-term initiatives rather than basing it on more votes in the next election.
2) There are no highways within its borders
3) In return for public amenities, such as parks, schools and community centres, higher density is granted to housing developments
4) It is the youngest and also the fastest-growing North American city. This 'more people, the better' principle is considered to be a major drawback according to traditional urban standards.

Think about where you live. Do you think Vancouverism will work in your city? What are the advantages and disadvantages? If you were a city planner, which would you advocate: density or sprawl? Tell us what you think.

NAME	COMMENTS
Christine Leadman Submitted: Wednesday, June 21, 2006	I believe that intensification can only be achieved in certain cities if there is a comprehensive plan to include recreation, community centres, greenspaces, public spaces and amenities to support the families moving into a city core. We also need municipalities to be consistent with their planning processes.
Mac Anderson Submitted: Tuesday, May 30, 2006	I think it is very possible in other places also. I beleive that people will respond to the right kind of urban planning. Especially now with factors such as long commutes and higher fuel prices. The higher density living spaces must be attractive, have the ammenities including shopping and low crime rates to compete with suburbia. If that is the case they can compete very well. There will always be some to resist this, but if downtown parking also gets more expensive and difficult this also works in conjunction. Even in places like sprawling Calgary, there are microcosims of this phenomenon. Parks and otehr green spaces must keep up.
Geoff Senichenko Submitted: Tuesday, April 25, 2006	I believe that densifying cities, like in Vancouver, has to be the way to go. We need to get away from sprawl and designing cities around the automobile to be sustainable. Cars and sprawl cause pollution, our farmland and wildlife habitat to be paved over. With peak oil hitting right now, the price of gasoline continuing to climb and acceleration of global warming, we'll have no choice but to densify anyways, so might as well start planning now. Designing livable healthy communities focused around public transit, biking and walking only makes sense. The Los Angeles type urban design experiment simply doesn't work. Thanks, Geoff Senichenko Vancouver, BC
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