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10 Reasons to Love Vancouver

As part of Vancouver’s 125 anniversary, Vancouver Magazine has come up with 125 things that make the city unique. I’ve picked ten of my favourite (in no particular order):

Marine Building. Flickr photo by bulliver

Because the Marine Building got restored, not demolished.

Because our first council had foresight

Vancouver city council was inaugurated on May 12, 1886. In their first piece of business, the 10 aldermen, led by a real-estate-baron mayor (Malcolm MacLean), resolved to ask the federal government for use of an area designated a military reserve (in case of American invasion). Ottawa agreed, and two years later, Lord Stanley—Canada’s governor general at the time—dedicated those 1,001 acres to “the use and enjoyment of peoples of all colours, creeds, and customs, for all time.” In 2008, we renewed our lease on Stanley Park—99 years for $1. It’s the best land deal in the country, for one of the world’s great urban parks.

Because we export our approach to planning all over the world.

Because Darlene Marzari killed “urban renewal”

Back in 1968, the city was working on a plan: move thousands of people out of their Strathcona homes and flatten everything south of Prior Street to make way for a 30-foot-high, 200-foot-wide, six-lane freeway from Highway 1 to Burrard Inlet downtown. The roadblocks: area residents, many of them Chinese Canadians; Mike Harcourt, then a 25-year-old storefront lawyer who would become Vancouver’s mayor and then B.C.’s premier; and Darlene Marzari, a London School of Economics grad who’d been hired by the city’s planning department to find new homes for the Strathcona evictees. In community meetings, Marzari came to see that this “urban renewal” would be a disaster. She switched teams, helping lead opposition to the project, then went on to serve 10 years as an NDP MLA. Vancouver remains the largest metropolis in North America without a city-core freeway.

Because we have the longest automated light-rail rapid transit in the world.

Because the “W” stands for “we”

Former city councillor Jim Green, the hat-wearing Southern gentleman who’s championed the Woodward’s housing project since its infancy, points out that his master-planned housing baby has no equal on the planet. The 536 kitted-out condos offset the 200 social-housing units in a balancing act that lured the city’s yuppies further east than ever before. The mix of housing brings folks from every walk of life together on a single city block. The biggest surprise to come out of this social experiment? Nothing went wrong. The sidewalk did not split open to swallow Woodward’s, and 6,000 people pass through its courtyard every day. One block down, 10,000 to go.

Because Car-Free Day turned into a city-wide party.

Because the city’s a smorgasbord

Your best friends are a Chinese-Caucasian couple? Your son’s pal in high school was Rwandan? You spent an evening at a Catholic church hall when your niece’s best friend threw a lavish Filipino birthday party? You shop at a mall (Park Royal) owned by an Ismaili Muslim family on land leased from the Squamish First Nation? The city was settled by Natives, named by the British in a region explored by the Spaniards, and built up in its early years by a Jewish mayor, Chinese entrepreneurs, Punjabi millworkers, and Japanese fishermen. It has the least segregated neighbourhoods in Canada and the highest proportion of interracial couples. Sushi, bánh mì, and pho for all!

Because anyone can have the perogi dinner at Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral.

My name is Yuri after all!

Because you can’t get a Big Mac on Granville Island

Cement trucks, fresh produce, a cutting-edge art school, hand-dyed scarves—not the mix you’ll see at any accountant-planned mall. Granville Island is an only-in-Vancouver special, a government-initiated plan (kudos to onetime Liberal cabinet minister Ron Basford) to create a festival marketplace on what was once a sandbar, re-using old industrial buildings and banning chain stores. Locals and tourists alike pour in to the city’s one McDonald’s-free zone to buy handmade brooms or cut flowers, silver earrings or the latest cookbook, attend dance performances, have a beer, let their toddlers feed the seagulls, listen to buskers, pick up seafood just off the boat, and then head home, perhaps on one of the toy-like ferries that chug across False Creek.

Read the entire list here.

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March’s Top Posts

Here are my top posts in order of unique page views from March 2011. Overall, I had 3,277 visitors and 11,122 pageviews.

Did you catch-all of these posts the first time around? If not, here’s chance to read what others have found most interesting over the past month.

Is your favorite post in this list? Let me know in the comments section.

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April’s Top Posts

Here are my top posts in order of unique page views from April 2011. Overall, I had 1,869 visitors and 8,857 pageviews. This was a bit down from other months as I was preparing to move to Vancouver and was not able to post as often.

Did you catch-all of these posts the first time around? If not, here’s chance to read what others have found most interesting over the past month.

Is your favorite post in this list? Let me know in the comments section.

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A Brief History of Urbanism in North America: 1910-1919

The second decade of the twentieth contrite saw urban planning become increasingly codified and professionalized. Here are some key events:

Wacker’s Manual of the Plan of Chicago 1912

Screen shot 2011 03 21 at 2.58.19 PM A Brief History of Urbanism in North America: 1910 1919 Charles Henry Wacker was a second generation German American who was a businessman and philanthropist. In 1909 was appointed Chairman of the Chicago Plan Commission by Mayor Busse. He held the position until 1926. As chairman, he championed the Burnham Plan for improving Chicago. He also believed that Chicago would fulfill its destiny as “the center of the modern world,” only if its youth were well-educated in the far-reaching goals of the city’s plan.*

As such, in 1912, Wacker published Wacker’s Manual of the Plan of Chicago (by Walter D. Moody) for use in public schools. The text was adopted as an eighth-grade textbook by the Chicago Board of Education and was required reading for all eighth-grade public school students until 1924. This is the first known formal instruction in city planning below the college level. It offered students a basic understanding of the history and function of cities and taught the importance of planning as a civic responsibility.

Hadacheck v. Sebastian 1915

A Brief History of Urbanism in North America: 1910 1919 In Hadacheck v. Sebastian, 239 U.S. 394 (1915), the Supreme Court of the United States held that an ordinance of Los Angeles prohibiting the manufacturing of bricks within specified limits of the city did not unconstitutionally deprive the petitioner of his property without due process of law, or deny him equal protection of the laws.

The case is significant because it is the first time the Supreme Court approved the regulation of the location of land uses. The brickyard was prohibited because it was causing adverse health effects in LA. In its decision the Court noted that: “There must be progress, and if in its march private interests are in the way they must yield to the good of the community.”

Cities in Evolution 1915

Sir Patrick Geddes was a Scottish biologist, sociologist, philanthropist and pioneering town planner. He is known for his innovative thinking in the fields of urban planning and education. Geddes is also considered by some to be the father of regional planning for introducing the concept of ‘region’ to architecture and planning. He is also known to have coined the term conurbation.

In 1915 he wrote Cities in Evolution : An Introduction to the Town Planning Movement and to the Study of Civics. The book was an essay on the growth of cities emphasizing preservation of historical traditions, involvement of the people in their own betterment and the rediscovery of past traditions of city building.

Eutopia, then, lies in the city around us; and it must be planned and realised, here or nowhere, by us as its citizens—each a citizen of both the actual and the ideal city seen increasingly as one.

—Cities in Evolution

First Full-Time City Planner 1916

Harland Bartholomew was the first full-time planner employed by an American city: St. Louis. Although a civil engineer by training and disposition, Harland’s career started just as automobile production was taking off, industrial development was booming and urban population was rapidly growing. The challenges and opportunities brought about by these factors inspired the invention of new community concepts and required the development of new approaches to planning transportation in cities. These challenges called for a hybrid of engineering and sociological skills. Bartholomew possessed both.

Bartholomew created new methodologies and new designs and concepts known as comprehensive planning which made contributions that remain relevant to urban planning in North America today—for good and for bad. Due to his groundbreaking work he is often described as the father of North American city planning. His legacy in urbanist circles is mixed, however, as he pushed for widened streets and strict Euclidean zoning.

Bartholomew passed away in 1989, a few months after his 100th birthday.

First Zoning Ordinance 1916

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Best of Yurbanism: Best of the Rest

As I mentioned on Monday, I’m taking a Reading Break this week. In lieu of new content, please enjoy this selection of some of my most read and shared miscellaneous posts.

R. Crumb: A Short History of America

20100903133941874793000000 o Best of Yurbanism: Best of the Rest

Robert Crumb’s ‘Short History of America’ series is an urbanist classic. (First in a three post series)

How I stack up on the ‘BBC’ Reading List

There is a meme (re)circulating around Facebook recently. It asks readers to look at a list of 100 books compiled by the BBC.

House for Sale in Central Phoenix

A posting promoting the sale of my house in central Phoenix’s Melrose on 7th District, complete with pictires The house is currently under contact.

A Mallrat Repents

Malls R Us is a provocative documentary that looks at North America’s love affair will the mall.

Gary Vee should stick to Video Blogging

Skip reading Crush It!. Instead listen to the audio version, or better yet, watch his video blog, where Gary REALLY shines.

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Reading Week (aka Spring Break for Nerds)

Mr. T in DC on Flickr

So far, 2011 has been a crazy busy year for me. To help manage, I’m going to borrow a page from my college days and take a ‘Reading Week.’ A close cousin of Spring Break, Reading Week allowed students to get caught up with their readings and assignments before their midterm exams (of course most of us treated it as a regular Spring Break, returning to classes more tired than ever).

During my Blogging Reading Week, I’m going to take a step back from creating and curating and refill my intellectual tanks. I have a stack of books beside my bed that I need to read. I also have several miscellaneous projects to complete.

In the meantime, I will be posting a series of links to my most popular posts to give you all a chance to get caught up on what I’ve written over the past year.

I’ll be back on March 21st, mentally refreshed, intellectually refilled and ready to re-engage with you all.

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TED 2011, JR’s Wish, and Phoenix

1192812735 2 TED 2011, JRs Wish, and Phoenix Yesterday, I have the privilege of attending a simulcast of TED 2011 at the Trinity Cathedral in downtown Phoenix. The simulcast was hosted by my friend, Bob Diehl. Bob is the organizer of the upcoming TEDxScottsdale. The Valley was one of over 70+ TEDx cities around the world that gathered to watch the simulcast.

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out in 1984)as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader. From TED:

The TED Conference, held annually in the spring, is the heart of TED. More than a thousand people now attend, the event sells out a year in advance, and the content has expanded to include science, business, the arts and the global issues facing our world. Over four days, 50 speakers each take an 18-minute slot, and there are many shorter pieces of content, including music, performance and comedy. There are no breakout groups. Everyone shares the same experience. It shouldn’t work, but it does. It works because all of knowledge is connected. Every so often it makes sense to emerge from the trenches we dig for a living, and ascend to a 30,000-foot view, where we see, to our astonishment, an intricately interconnected whole.

It was an amazing event. I’m a TED junkie, who is constantly downloaded TED talks, so I was very familiar with the format and quality of talks before walking in to the screening room. However, there was something special about seeing the event unfold live and witness the behind the scenes interactions that unfolded between the incredible presentations. More importantly, it was great to watch the event surrounded by a community of people and be able to discuss and debate the often contreversial issues presented during the talks.

While there were too many highlights to discuss here (I spent nearly two hours talking to my wife about what inspired me last night), there is one highlight that In wanted to bring to your attention—this year’s TED prize winner.

The TED Prize

The TED Prize is awarded annually to an exceptional individual who receives $100,000 and, much more important, “One Wish to Change the World.” Designed to leverage the TED community’s exceptional array of talent and resources, the Prize leads to collaborative initiatives with far-reaching impact.

The Winner

img jr ins TED 2011, JRs Wish, and Phoenix JR owns “the biggest art gallery in the world.” He exhibits in the streets of the world, catching the attention of the people on the street, not the dedicated museum visitors. His work mixes ‘Art and Act’ and looks at issues of commitment, freedom, identity and limit.

His work has become a worldwide phenomenon with exhibits in sites around the world from Rio de Janeiro to Jerusalem and Amsterdam to Africa.

You can find out more about JR and hos work on JR’s website.

JR’s Wish

I wish for you to stand up for what you care about by participating in a global art project, and together we’ll turn the world…INSIDE OUT.

Watch JR’s work, be inspired and find a story to share:

The Plan

Create a large-scale participatory art project that transforms messages of personal identity into pieces of artistic work. Everyone will be challenged to use black and white photographic portraits to discover, show and share the untold stories and images of people around the world. These digitally uploaded images will be made into posters and sent back to the project’s co-creators for them to exhibit in their own communities. People can take part as an individual or in a group; posters can be placed anywhere, from a solitary image in an office window to a wall of portraits on an abandoned building or a full stadium. These exhibitions will be documented, archived and viewable virtually.

Calling Phoenix to Action

As part of the above project, JR has offered the opportunities for communities to get together and take part as a group, focusing on a central issue or statement. I think this would be a natural fit for Phoenix. Not only do we have a surplus of empty buildings and blank walls around town, we have several prominent human and social rights issues to make a statement about.

If you are interested in participating with me in bringing INSIDE OUT to Phoenix, Please email me and let me know what issues you would like to see addressed or statement you would like to make. My email is yuri@yurbanism.com

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February’s Top Posts

What a month. Thanks to an unexplained (but definitely welcome) surge in views for the Los Angeles at Twilight video and—more recently—the mention of my Urban Infographics post by Allison Arieff at GOOD.is, the site shattered all sorts of records this month.

But before we get into the stats, here are my most read posts in order of unique page views from February 2010:

February’s Top 10

Did you catch-all of these posts the first time around? If not, check them out now!

Site Stats

Visitors

Overall, I had 4,023 visitors and 20,203 page views, almost doubling last month’s record of 10,488! This means that even though I owe most of my visits to two posts, readers stuck around and checked out several others, a great sign

Browsers/OS

For the platform and browser geeks out there, here are some interesting stats on the platform and browsers my visitors use:

Internet Explorer / Windows: 22.20%
Firefox / Windows: 20.28%
Chrome / Windows: 14.71%
Safari / Macintosh: 13.35%
Firefox / Macintosh: 10.65%
Chrome / Macintosh: 6.19%
Mozilla Compatible Agent / iPhone: 3.41%
Safari / Android: 1.72%
Mozilla Compatible Agent / iPad: 1.57%
Linux: 1.64%
Safari / iPhone: 1.39%
Other: 2.89%

Summary by Platform

Windows: 57.2%
Mac: 30.2%
iPhone/iPod/iPad: 7.1%
Android: 1.7%
Linux: 1.6%
Other: 2.2%

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Alexis de Tocqueville on the Power of Citizen Initiative

Wikimedia Commons

In a local community [in the United States] a citizen may concieve of some need whcih is not being met.

What does he do?

He goes across the street and discusses it with his neighbor.

Then what happens?

A committee begins fountioning on behalf of that need….

All of this is done by private citizens on their own initiatives.

—Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America
(as quoted by Roberta Brandes Gratz in The Living City)

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Articles for Urbanists (Feb 4th-11th)

Selected readings for urbanists:

The Splendor of Cities: David Brooks looks at the strengths specific to city governance and urban politics. (New York Times)

Walking the Turtle: A look at the idea of the ‘speed’ of the modern metropolis. (landscape+urbanism)

Creating the Perfect City Is About Illusions: A city planner and an urban designer talk about making American cities more vibrant and livable. (Co.Design)

How Skyscrapers Can Save the City: Besides making cities more affordable and architecturally interesting, tall buildings are greener than sprawl, and they foster social capital and creativity. (The Atlantic)

The Plight of Canadian Cities: Formed as a primarily agrarian nation, Canada is now seeing its cities crippled by constitutional arrangements that leaves its cities underfunded and with only minimal support from the federal government, writes John Macfarlane. [ed:The United states is facing similar challenges] (The Walrus)

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