Urban Vancouver

Does this mean I can't walk around naked anymore?: EcoDensity Part 1

By samanthaorwell on February 27, 2008 - 12:47am

http://thevancouvermanifesto.blogspot.com/2008/02/does-this-mean-i-cant-...

This morning I did what I always do. My alarm rings at an ungodly hour. I attempt to ignore it until my brain overcomes my body and the rationality of not alienating my options for making money sets in... I crawl out of bed and into the shower. Thereafter I sit in front of my mirror and put my face on for the day. I do this all naked. and with the blinds fully opened. That's right..I'm one of those. I'm always in my birthday suit until I actually have to leve and be decent for the day.
Now this was never a problem until today. Today, as I was putting in my eyes (contacts), I caught sight of the massive condo that has just recently reached the height where my daily nakedness could become a problem. The crane swings above and I'm sure it the structure will keep building up in the next few months.
I live in a pretty low density area. With it's mixes, but all low level apartments and condos that don't really go further than 10 floors. An even when they do the infamous "view cones" (http://www.pacificmetropolis.com/2005/06/the_view_cones.html)are still in place to give me eyes the deception of space. But this structure gets right in my face and really..right in my window. This bothers me greatly because not only will I have to consider wearing clothes but I'll have to consider getting some sort of blinds/draping system for windows that are usually kept open all year round (I'm into sunlight..).
EcoDensity = business for blinds and curtain stores

Ok, I just gave an exampe of density building upwards. But really, density doesn't have to equal building higher. And, in fact, I'd highly discourage it in Vancouver. For one, I'm a fan of the view cones and I know Vancouver planners are in love with them too. And for another reason- a couple years ago I was on the bus going down Seymour (where condo construction abouds). A tourist mentioned how wonderful Vancouver's downtown was because there were a lot of tall buildings but there wasn't this shadow over the city streets like you get in so many other cities. she quoted New York as being one of them. Now would that not be a shame if the downtown were just one big shadow at street level (*ahem.. clam shell..or birds nest of some sort...).
Now granted,the sun don't shine over Vancouver all that often so shadow or no shadow it doenst' make a difference on ost days. But really, when it ISsunny isn't Vancouver amazing? This week, weren't you just astounded with how beautiful Vancouver is and did you not just fall in love with it all over again?

Ok, now on to EcoDensity. I won't bore you with the origin and details so I'll give you websites that will:http://www.vancouver-ecodensity.ca/; http://www.mayorsamsullivan.ca/ecodensity

Basically, it's a few years old, began with Sam Sullivan ushering in a green plan int he wake of the Olympic bid (riding the commotion train for as long as he could) and now EcoDensity is this kind of painful plan that is good in theory, but ha been talked and debated to death that people with want to kill it (because it was top-down and came from an NPA evil) or usher it through as quickly as possible because Vancouver seems to be doing nothing nowadays. I personally sit on the latter side. Yes it came from the evils of Sam Sullivan and it originated from the publicity train rather than the community, but in theory it makes sense- IFF done right. And so let's just get on with it (I'm talking in circles you say? -to do it right it takes more time, you say?- you're right..it does take time, but not THIS much time. We need to just take some risks and go with it. If I've learnt anything from the painful hours of meetings is that Vancovuer has some really capable people both in City Hall and outside of city hall that will keep the process accountable and on the right track. I seriously think that if we just go ahead and tackle it it'll be good. Or at least have an overall legacy of good. i.e. False Creek South.

So when it was announced that tonights EcoDensity event had 144 speakers I was more than frustrated. of COURSE there should be public consultation..but good lord.. we only got through 13 speakers in 2.5 hours. There needs to be some speeding up of this process. And in some cases these steps might be a tad redundant. Public meeting over public meeting- redrawing a charter several times and recognizing that finalizing a charter doesn't even coem CLOSE to finalizing a plan is just an incredibly long process that will take forever. Poor Peter Ladner called for less questions from council after the first speaker, but nobody listened to him and the questioning from speaker to councillor, councillor to speaker continued.
I gotta also say that Councillor Cadman rocks. He was a little off with the affordability bit but he had some good comments on land use and he kept referring back to the interaction between housing and transportation. He seemed to be the only councillor that made the connection that density in any type of property whether it is commercial or housing means nothing without proper public transport infrastructure. Kudos.

10 Things worth mentioning about tonights EcoDensity meeting:

KEEP READING AT:
http://thevancouvermanifesto.blogspot.com/2008/02/does-this-mean-i-cant-...