DATE: Sunday, July 29, 2012
TIME: 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM
LOCATION: Oakridge Mall, Parking Lot on the Northwest side of the Mall
Today we can walk through a climate-controlled mall at the corner of 41st and Oak. A little over a hundred years ago this area was an old growth forest and the headwaters of a salmon creek that emptied in the Fraser River.
The first Oakridge mall was built in 1957 on a lot filled with alder trees – second growth after the original trees had been cut. With the advent of the car, shopping malls have sprouted all over the country – in urban centres, suburban cities and rural areas. They are the modern “town square” where people come to meet and shop. What is “natural” about a shopping centre? Nature is everywhere and it is important to discuss how this modern invention fits into our natural world, especially since our urban world is expanding and there is now further development proposed for Oakridge Centre..
On Sunday, July 29, we will meet at the entrance to the Bay opposite the Parking Lot on the Northwest side of the Mall at 10:30 AM.
We will travel around the mall, dodging the crowds to talk about the location of the site, how it is constructed, the resources it uses, what is the natural environment is in the mall and what is for sale in the stores.
Celia Brauer is an Artist, an Educator and the founder and Staff of the False Creek Watershed Society (FCWS). She has organized community walks for FCWS and is very knowledgeable about the natural and First Nations history of Vancouver.
Please register at: http://earthwalks2mall.eventbrite.com/?ref=elink
***