vancouver posts, articles, and infographics | Sustainable Cities Collective

Livability reconsidered, locally defined

March 5, 2012 by Michael Kaiser
with 786 views

Density is not livability, and livability is more than shops and cafes. Livability is a complex issue. One man’s livability may be another man’s claustrophobia. [read more]

Learning from Phoenix and Vancouver: An Interview

February 24, 2012 by Tazmine Loomans
with 103 views

Yuri Artibise is an urbanist and a thought leader who lived in Phoenix for just over 4 years before moving back to Vancouver in May of 2011. While he was here, he made a tremendous impact on our city as a forward thinking writer, an outspoken advocate for a better city and a community organizer. He and his wife Linda are missed a great... [read more]

6 TEDx Talks on Cities

November 19, 2011 by Yuri Artibise
with 1,150 views

It’s TEDx season. Between now and mid December, 100′s of independently organized TEDx events will be held throughout the world, including here in Vancouver as well as Phoenix. For those unfamiliar with TEDx events, here how the main TEDx site describes them: Created in the spirit of TED’s mission, “ideas... [read more]

Vancouver Gets Parklets

September 8, 2011 by The Dirt ASLA
with 431 views

San Francisco may have started something with its innovative Pavement to Parks or “parklet” program, which turns transportation infrastructure into public spaces. New York City is also a leader, given its recent decision to redesign sections of Broadway as permanent pedestrian malls. Now, Vancouver has gotten... [read more]

Bing Thom: Social Architect

July 28, 2011 by The Dirt ASLA
with 208 views

Bing Thom is the subject of a new full-color book by Princeton Architectural Press. Prominently featured in the collection is his new Arena Stage, which has helped catalyze redevelopment in southwest Washington, D.C. (see earlier post). The book, however, also goes way beyond his recent critically-acclaimed D.C. work and... [read more]

Why I Love Transit

July 12, 2011 by Yuri Artibise
with 166 views

It’s I Love Transit Week in Vancouver! This week (July 11-17th) The Buzzer Blog and Translink are celebrating what people love about transit in Metro Vancouver. Throughout the week The Buzzer Blog is featuring feature essays, stories, and submitted photos from Vancouver transit riders. In addition,... [read more]

Projecting Transportation Change in Vancouver

May 31, 2011 by Yuri Artibise
with 204 views

Easy and convenient transportation is key to Vancouver’s status as one of the world’s most livable and sustainable cities. However, as population and employment continue to grow, transportation needs and trips overall increase. To manage this growth, while maintaining livability and creating a more sustainable city, we need a robust... [read more]

The Vancouver That (Thankfully) Never Was

May 24, 2011 by Yuri Artibise
with 354 views

I can across an interesting post in Gordon Price’s Price Tags‘ archives that looks at a decision Vancouver made in the 1960s, or rather chose NOT to make. There are few singular decisions made in any North American city that have had such a dramatic impact of the future of a city, especially when the decision ... [read more]

A Critique of The Economist’s ‘Most Liveable Cities’ Report

March 1, 2011 by This Big City
with 956 views

Is Vancouver the best city and Zimbabwe’s Harare the worst city? Yes, according to this year’s Global Liveability [sic] by the Economist. The ranking considers indicators in five categories – Stability, Healthcare, Culture & Environment, Education, and Infrastructure. The choice of indicators seems ambitiously comprehensive and fair... [read more]

Streetcars Are Central to Sustainable Communities

February 15, 2011 by The Dirt ASLA
with 1,755 views

At the National Building Museum, Patrick Condon, ASLA, a professor of landscape architecture at the University of British Columbia, gave a run-through of his new book, “Seven Rules for Sustainable Communities,” which argues that bringing streetcars back is the smartest thing cities can do become more sustainable... [read more]

Beyond Sprawl: Creating Self-Contained Neighborhoods

January 5, 2011 by Next American City
with 991 views

A rendering of Dockside, in British Columbia Credit: Busby, Perkins + WillLook at many large North American cities and you see a sea of suburban houses. Sprawl has become the norm. But it is costly, damages the environment and affects quality of life. A new generation of planners and architects is beginning to look at sustainable, human-... [read more]

The greening of professional sports

November 17, 2010 by Kaid Benfield
with 403 views

You’re looking above at AT&T Park, where the World Series champion San Francisco Giants play. It’s one of the greenest stadiums in the country, writes Amanda Little in Forbes: “[The Giants’] stadium, AT&T Park, which accommodates about 45,000 fans, runs its scoreboard on solar power, recycles and composts... [read more]