{"id":10405,"date":"2012-05-29T08:30:24","date_gmt":"2012-05-29T15:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacingvancouver.ca\/?p=10405"},"modified":"2013-01-21T07:10:33","modified_gmt":"2013-01-21T15:10:33","slug":"end-of-a-caffeinated-era-the-1st-starbucks-on-robson-shuts-its-doors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2012\/05\/29\/end-of-a-caffeinated-era-the-1st-starbucks-on-robson-shuts-its-doors\/","title":{"rendered":"End of a Caffeinated Era: Robson’s Original Starbucks Shuts Its Doors"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\"\"<\/a>
Baristas from around Vancouver bid farewell to the iconic cafe with a dancing flashmob. (Photo: Brendan Hurley)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"The\u00a0third, and singularly most iconic branded coffee shop in Vancouver has shut its doors. It may seem silly to some, but the Starbucks at Robson and Thurlow was a special place to many in the city. In a number of respects, it helped produce a contemporary identity to the downtown itself. With its passing and other recent vacancies on Vancouver\u2019s undisputed shopping street, we come to a juncture in the city\u2019s development, where now even the banner-bearers of gentrification are being driven out by increasing property value.<\/p>\n

100- 1100 Robson was the third franchise of the Cappuccino Titan to invade the city from Seattle. In 1987, the company made its first foray internationally with a still-running kiosk in Waterfront Station. The Robson location first set up shop in 1988. Surprisingly only a year after that, a smaller location showed up across the street at the base corner of the 1908 Manhattan Co-Op. For a long time the \u2018duelling\u2019 Starbucks were a running joke about the city\u2019s downtown-oriented latte sipping yuppie culture, yet they marked a significant trend toward a growing retail importance of the street. Even with this loss, there are still at least 7 Starbucks locations directly on or adjacent to Robson Street.<\/p>\n

In recent years, the neighbouring caf\u00e9s have epitomized the corporate and franchised dominance on Robson\u2019s and even downtown Vancouver\u2019s retail. For a number of consecutive censuses, the intersection has been the peak land value intersection of the region, commanding the highest rents. Rents that, until today, seemed like only a corporate giant like Starbucks could afford. But, it is not so, and due to a failure to renegotiate an effective lease within the last few weeks the location bid its farewells, had a party, and by 7pm Monday evening was papered up.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The Robson Landmark is losing some of its key tenants. Corporate entities are being squeezed out of what has been known as Robson's priciest corner. (Photo: Brendan Hurley)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The two neighbouring character franchises held a symbiotic relationship. Each Starbucks acted as an extension to the other. One was more of an internally focused reading room and ‘homey’ caf\u00e9, while the other was modern and oriented to the street, having the caf\u00e9 seating spilling onto both Robson and Thurlow sidewalks. The patioed caf\u00e9 became a downtown gathering place for motorbike enthusiasts, who would line the Thurlow curb with a mix of choppers, crotch-rockets, and even scooters. The caf\u00e9 was important as a valued “third place” where social interaction was made informal in the most urbane of the city\u2019s contexts.<\/p>\n

Without a patio element to create an outdoor component to this third space, there will be renewed pressures on the Starbucks under the Manhattan Co-Op. The retail unit already has high rent, no storage, no patio, and new pressure of filling the demand once held by both caf\u00e9s. In the ’90s, a patio was introduced into the Manhattan courtyard, but the noise of customers traveled up the small space and made life very difficult for the some 18 central units of the Housing Co-Op above.<\/p>\n

Before Starbucks became symbolic of corporate industrialization of hand crafted food, the ‘McDonalds of coffee’ was something fresh, and downright cosmopolitan. The Drive’s Little Italy\u00a0\u2013where I grew up\u2013\u00a0was one of the few enclaves that had a preexisting cappuccino coffee culture. Starbucks, however, was \u2013as stated above\u2013 the banner-bearer of the new urban professional culture of Vancouver.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Final patrons wave past the closure notice from inside the cafe. (Photo: Brendan Hurley)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So much can be written about the caf\u00e9 proliferation in Vancouver. The city has matured with a pallet and homegrown roasters that have fostered a strong west coast coffee culture. Vancouver of the 1990s was the only Canadian metropolis without a donut shop in the civic core or next to City Hall. But where the city lacked a cup of joe or even Timmy\u2019s, one could throw a stone and hit an espresso machine. The Robson and Thurlow location was for many years in Vancouver the urban embodiment of that movement.<\/p>\n

It is no wonder that so many came out to experience the End. A party atmosphere was presented and drinks were served by donation to the Dr. Peters Centre to surprised and some openly mourning regular customers. It was a party atmosphere where DJs spun records to a milling crowd inside. There was a remembrance wall scrawled in languages from Japanese to Arabic with statements of thanks, and remembered dates. Baristas from around the downtown came down, donned aprons, and danced as a flash-mob to the remix of \u201cTime of My Life\u201d shortly before closing the location forever.<\/p>\n

Starbucks is not the only tenant packing up. The Whitespot Triple O\u2019s dinner on Thurlow suspended operation on Sunday. Other tenants, like the Dynamite and Aritzia clothing stores and the second storey Red Robin Restaurant don\u2019t show any indication of closing or moving, so one would assume they have signed on for a renewal.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
There was a party atmosphere inside, but emotional nature of the loss could be felt by those present. (Photo: Brendan Hurley)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n
\"\"<\/a>
A wall of remembrance shows a small amount of the profound impact that even a corporate place can have on people. (Photo: Brendan Hurley)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
Contention in the lease was based on a number of factors\u2014few of which seem to be more than rumours at this stage\u2014but mainly seem to be associated with two major points: an increase in rents and a loss of stable control over the unit.<\/div>\n
\n

First and foremost is a supposed \u201cdemolition clause\u201d in the new lease that stipulates the owners maintain the right to terminate the lease with a months notice in the case of sale or redevelopment.<\/p>\n

For a character retail business like Starbucks, the capital investment involved in renovating is too much to risk. There had just been a renovation at the Manhattan location, wherein the Landmark held the brunt of customers. Custom redesigns for some of these outlets\u00a0\u2013especially a flagship location\u2013\u00a0can be rather costly. With little guarantee of control over that investment, it looks like Starbucks balked.<\/p>\n

Secondly, it sounds as though there may have also been a significant increase in the rental rates for the units in the new lease. Robson retail rental rates, while being outrageously high, are often still within reason for what such locations could pull in for customers \u2013 the highest foot traffic in the region is recorded on these blocks. Time will tell what will sprout next on this corner, or if redevelopment is what the owner has in mind.<\/p>\n

The increase in rents seem to have compounded in recent years. With luxury towers, like Living Shangri-La<\/a> being built a block to the North, more and more investment<\/a>\u2014and subsequent increases to assessment values\u2014have been attributed to the street and its retail. We may be seeing a crisis in affordability in retail in a similar vein as seen in residentially throughout the city. In this case, however, those squeezed out are the undisputed gentrifiers of yesteryear, and still unquestioned juggernauts of today.<\/p>\n

Robson is seeing a surprising shift. Many assume that the proliferation of corporate retail chains was the final product of increased value in the street. However, this year has seen an unprecedented number of vacancies, especially key retail icons and anchors. It begs the question: if the street is not being over-valued due to neighbouring luxury developments, what then is the next logical progression? Conversely, what happens when prices outstrip the strongest and most iconic retail on such a street?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A lot of conflicting economic issues tower over this corner. If the chief symbol of gentrification is pushed out, what happens next? (Photo: Brendan Hurley)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It feels awkward to write such sentiment about a corporate outlet, but I remind myself that that despite the brand, this caf\u00e9 still played a large part in the life and times of the city, its culture, and its people. Remember, this was the centre of the 1994 Stanley Cup Riots \u2013 the windows smashed were here.\u00a0 Countless public and intimately personal moments have happened at this spot. It is one location, and there are countless other coffee shops, but it feels too similar to the closing of old carhop drive-ins that defined another era of urban development.<\/p>\n

In truth, reactions to the closing reveal the importance of collective \u2018third places\u2019<\/a>, especially in the thick of downtown. The dueling Starbucks had that rare value as both icon and personal refuge that makes urban spaces so special. There may be different, and hopefully even better ways to achieve this sense of place\u00a0\u2013and it’s not fully gone\u2013\u00a0but never-the-less, as a few regulars were overheard saying: “It just won’t be the same.”<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Brendan Hurley<\/strong>\u00a0is a local urban designer who focuses on planning for adaptive neighbourhood change. His recent work has been internationally focused, but is strongly rooted in his native Vancouver. Living and working out of the heart of downtown, he remains keenly focused on the region\u2019s development and history. Brendan is a regular contributor to Spacing Vancouver, but also consults as director of the UrbanCondition<\/a> design collective.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0third, and singularly most iconic branded coffee shop in Vancouver has shut its doors. It may seem silly to some, but the Starbucks at Robson and Thurlow was a special place to many in the city. In a number of respects, it helped produce a contemporary identity to the downtown itself. With its passing andContinue reading “End of a Caffeinated Era: Robson’s Original Starbucks Shuts Its Doors”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6058,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11232],"tags":[540,539,541,398,490,542,538,214],"class_list":["post-10405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-features","tag-cafe","tag-coffee","tag-gentrification","tag-indepth-features","tag-real-estate","tag-robson","tag-starbucks","tag-vancouver-2"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nEnd of a Caffeinated Era: Robson's Original Starbucks Shuts Its Doors - Spacing Vancouver<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2012\/05\/29\/end-of-a-caffeinated-era-the-1st-starbucks-on-robson-shuts-its-doors\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"End of a Caffeinated Era: Robson's Original Starbucks Shuts Its Doors - Spacing Vancouver\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The\u00a0third, and singularly most iconic branded coffee shop in Vancouver has shut its doors. It may seem silly to some, but the Starbucks at Robson and Thurlow was a special place to many in the city. In a number of respects, it helped produce a contemporary identity to the downtown itself. With its passing andContinue reading "End of a Caffeinated Era: Robson’s Original Starbucks Shuts Its Doors"\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2012\/05\/29\/end-of-a-caffeinated-era-the-1st-starbucks-on-robson-shuts-its-doors\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Spacing Vancouver\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-05-29T15:30:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-01-21T15:10:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/network\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/IMG_1222-600x400.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Brendan Hurley\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Spacing\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Spacing\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Brendan Hurley\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2012\/05\/29\/end-of-a-caffeinated-era-the-1st-starbucks-on-robson-shuts-its-doors\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2012\/05\/29\/end-of-a-caffeinated-era-the-1st-starbucks-on-robson-shuts-its-doors\/\",\"name\":\"End of a Caffeinated Era: Robson's Original Starbucks Shuts Its Doors - Spacing Vancouver\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2012\/05\/29\/end-of-a-caffeinated-era-the-1st-starbucks-on-robson-shuts-its-doors\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2012\/05\/29\/end-of-a-caffeinated-era-the-1st-starbucks-on-robson-shuts-its-doors\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/network\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/IMG_1222-600x400.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-05-29T15:30:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-01-21T15:10:33+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/#\/schema\/person\/7549a473eef7c7908133f94996040664\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2012\/05\/29\/end-of-a-caffeinated-era-the-1st-starbucks-on-robson-shuts-its-doors\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2012\/05\/29\/end-of-a-caffeinated-era-the-1st-starbucks-on-robson-shuts-its-doors\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2012\/05\/29\/end-of-a-caffeinated-era-the-1st-starbucks-on-robson-shuts-its-doors\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/network\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/IMG_1222-600x400.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/network\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/IMG_1222-600x400.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2012\/05\/29\/end-of-a-caffeinated-era-the-1st-starbucks-on-robson-shuts-its-doors\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"End of a Caffeinated Era: Robson’s Original Starbucks Shuts Its Doors\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/\",\"name\":\"Spacing Vancouver\",\"description\":\"Canadian Urbanism Uncovered | Vancouver Architecture, Urban Design, Public Transit, City Hall, Parks, Walking, Bikes, Streetscape, History, Waterfront, Maps, Public Spaces\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/#\/schema\/person\/7549a473eef7c7908133f94996040664\",\"name\":\"Brendan Hurley\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/892a3e2fc4eebcc415a21d6ccf761ee2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/892a3e2fc4eebcc415a21d6ccf761ee2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Brendan Hurley\"},\"description\":\"Brendan Hurley is a local urban designer who focuses on planning for adaptive neighbourhood change. His recent work has been internationally focused, but is strongly rooted in his native Vancouver. Living and working out of the heart of downtown, he remains keenly focused on the region\u2019s development and history. Brendan is acting as Assistant Editor of Spacing Vancouver, but also consults as director of the UrbanCondition design collective.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/author\/brendanhurley\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"End of a Caffeinated Era: Robson's Original Starbucks Shuts Its Doors - Spacing Vancouver","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2012\/05\/29\/end-of-a-caffeinated-era-the-1st-starbucks-on-robson-shuts-its-doors\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"End of a Caffeinated Era: Robson's Original Starbucks Shuts Its Doors - Spacing Vancouver","og_description":"The\u00a0third, and singularly most iconic branded coffee shop in Vancouver has shut its doors. It may seem silly to some, but the Starbucks at Robson and Thurlow was a special place to many in the city. In a number of respects, it helped produce a contemporary identity to the downtown itself. With its passing andContinue reading \"End of a Caffeinated Era: Robson’s Original Starbucks Shuts Its Doors\"","og_url":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2012\/05\/29\/end-of-a-caffeinated-era-the-1st-starbucks-on-robson-shuts-its-doors\/","og_site_name":"Spacing Vancouver","article_published_time":"2012-05-29T15:30:24+00:00","article_modified_time":"2013-01-21T15:10:33+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/network\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/IMG_1222-600x400.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Brendan Hurley","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Spacing","twitter_site":"@Spacing","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Brendan Hurley","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2012\/05\/29\/end-of-a-caffeinated-era-the-1st-starbucks-on-robson-shuts-its-doors\/","url":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2012\/05\/29\/end-of-a-caffeinated-era-the-1st-starbucks-on-robson-shuts-its-doors\/","name":"End of a Caffeinated Era: Robson's Original Starbucks Shuts Its Doors - Spacing Vancouver","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2012\/05\/29\/end-of-a-caffeinated-era-the-1st-starbucks-on-robson-shuts-its-doors\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2012\/05\/29\/end-of-a-caffeinated-era-the-1st-starbucks-on-robson-shuts-its-doors\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/network\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/IMG_1222-600x400.jpg","datePublished":"2012-05-29T15:30:24+00:00","dateModified":"2013-01-21T15:10:33+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/#\/schema\/person\/7549a473eef7c7908133f94996040664"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2012\/05\/29\/end-of-a-caffeinated-era-the-1st-starbucks-on-robson-shuts-its-doors\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2012\/05\/29\/end-of-a-caffeinated-era-the-1st-starbucks-on-robson-shuts-its-doors\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2012\/05\/29\/end-of-a-caffeinated-era-the-1st-starbucks-on-robson-shuts-its-doors\/#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/network\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/IMG_1222-600x400.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/network\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/IMG_1222-600x400.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2012\/05\/29\/end-of-a-caffeinated-era-the-1st-starbucks-on-robson-shuts-its-doors\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"End of a Caffeinated Era: Robson’s Original Starbucks Shuts Its Doors"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/#website","url":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/","name":"Spacing Vancouver","description":"Canadian Urbanism Uncovered | Vancouver Architecture, Urban Design, Public Transit, City Hall, Parks, Walking, Bikes, Streetscape, History, Waterfront, Maps, Public Spaces","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/#\/schema\/person\/7549a473eef7c7908133f94996040664","name":"Brendan Hurley","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/892a3e2fc4eebcc415a21d6ccf761ee2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/892a3e2fc4eebcc415a21d6ccf761ee2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Brendan Hurley"},"description":"Brendan Hurley is a local urban designer who focuses on planning for adaptive neighbourhood change. His recent work has been internationally focused, but is strongly rooted in his native Vancouver. Living and working out of the heart of downtown, he remains keenly focused on the region\u2019s development and history. Brendan is acting as Assistant Editor of Spacing Vancouver, but also consults as director of the UrbanCondition design collective.","url":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/author\/brendanhurley\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6058"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10405"}],"version-history":[{"count":52,"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10405\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10413,"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10405\/revisions\/10413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}