For the final part of the Guide, re:place looks at some of the wonderful suggestions you had for learning more about the our city.
By the re:place team and re:place readers
Our last installment of The Urbanist’s Guide to Vancouver looks at suggestions for exploring and learning about Vancouver. There are plenty of great resources including books and websites that feature information on the city’s history, politics, news and events.
Although some of these choices could have been put in earlier installments, we felt that they were important enough to stand on their own. Also, by no means is this a comprehensive list. We’re sure that there are a lot of things that can be added, so please give us more suggestions.
Once again, we would like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to all of our readers who took the time to comment on our earlier posts or who e-mailed us their suggestions. All the information below in quotations are direct quotes from our readers.
GETTING OUT & ABOUT
John Atkin Tour (info)
“Take a walking tour with the renowned local historian to get an amazing social, political, and the architectural history of the city. Happening for locations all around the city, this is an event that is sure not to disappoint!”
The Transportation System (info)
“All urbanists have an interest in it. I visited about three weeks ago and rode all of SkyTrain and the Seabus, and spent a lot of time admiring the multimodal nature of the systems there, especially at Waterfront Station and at the waterfront itself with the frequent seaplane flights.”
“Faresaver booklets most commonly found at MACs & Shoppers Drug Mart; don’t forget a Day Pass for unlimited travel ($9)!”
“If you don’t have an iPhone for the Translink app, you can find the entire Translink map called “Getting Around” at the map display rack at the Shoppers Drug Mart stores, for $1.95. A PDF version of the map is also available. This shows you exactly what all the bus routes are, where they go, and where they connect to the SkyTrain. Very useful.”
The Miss Guides (info)
“History tour meets performance art…is there a better mix? There tours are for a limited time only so be sure to see them while you can.”
BOOKS
Red Light Neon: A History of Vancouver’s Sex Trade by Daniel Francis
“Covering the history of prostitution in Vancouver, it’s one of those must-reads for people who want a unique insight into a one of the city’s under-discussed histories.”
The Greater Vancouver Book edited by Chuck Davis
“Virtually everything you need to know about Vancouver and more – packaged in a dense 885 pages. It wasn’t the second most stolen book from the Vancouver Public Library for no reason.”
Vancouver Special by Charles Demers
“On of the most recent additions on the topic of Vancouver. Funny and filled with sharp insights about the local culture and environment, it’s worth picking up.”
Vancouver’s Glory Years: Public Transit 1890-1915 by Henry Ewert
“A mandatory book for all local transit geeks.”
Vancouver Walks: Discovering City Heritage & The Skytrain Explorer by John Atkin and Micheal Kluckner
“Two books that should be on everybodies book shelves. Although the rapid transformation in and around Vancouver have made some aspects of each self-guided tour obsolete, it’s the next best thing to attending a John Atkin tour.”
The Vancouver Stories: West Coast Fiction from Canada’s Best Writers by Raincoast Books
“Local Canadian talent reflecting on Vancouver through a series of short fiction stories. Need one say more?”
Saltwater City: An Illustrated History of Chinese in Vancouver by Paul Yee,
“A significant text about the history of Chinese people in Vancouver.”
Vancouver: A Visual History by Bruce MacDonald
“The best cartographic timeline of Vancouver. If you’re lucky you can find it at one of the local used book stores.”
Vancouver: A Poem by George Stanley
“An overlooked gem…”
City of Glass by Douglas Coupland
“An iconic book on local culture…..and it recently came out with a revised edition.”
Vancouver : Stories of a city & Immigrants: Story of Vancouver’s People by Lisa Smedman
“Two simply excellent historical books on Vancouver’s neighbourhoods and people.”
INTERNET RESOURCES & FRIENDS OF RE:PLACE
The Buzzer Blog (info)
“For more transit geekery, get your fix of trivia from here…”
The History of Metropolitan Vancouver (info)
If you think the Year in 5 Minutes has a lot of information, go take a look at Chuck Davis’s website! Although funding has put it temporarily on hiatus, it’s filled with all sorts of amazing historical information and is arguable the most comprehensive chronicle of Vancouver.
Past Tense (info)
The blog of local historian Lani Russwurm. Although it’s not as well known as some of the other sites about Vancouver and there’s a bit of time between new posts, it’s a great historical resource for all of us history geeks and even includes some great videos.
Beyond Robson (info)
“This really doesn’t need any introduction….everybody knows it and loves it.”
The Tyee (info)
“Vancouver’s most popular independent daily online magazine filled with great writers and a lot of content.”
Price Tags (info)
“There is only one Gordon Price…and luckily we can all share his thoughts and insights.”
State of Vancouver (info)
“Although Frances Bula’s posts seem to be thinning out, her blog is still the place to go for current political news.”
Stephen Rees’s Blog (info)
The site for informed transit news and information.
Matt Hern Blog (info)
“Left-wing, opinionated, funny and just a great guy all-around, anything that comes from one of the co-founders of Car Free Day Vancouver is worth reading.”
GETTING INVOLVED
The Vancouver Public Space Network (info)
“The VPSN has a number of things going on at any particular point in time. From Public Art initiatives to Mapping and Wayfinding projects, you’re sure to find something of interest and worth volunteering for.”
Think City (info)
“Perhaps best known for holding the Jane’s Walk events, the Think City Society is dedicated to all types of urban issues. Visit the site for finding out about the many ongoing projects they have going on, events, or simply to get their take on current news.”
Vancouver Historical Society (info)
Run entirely by volunteers, the VHS is a key part of promoting all things historical. From publishing books to holding all sorts of events, this wonderful organization play an important role in our city and must continue to be supported.