{"id":27105,"date":"2015-05-25T10:00:02","date_gmt":"2015-05-25T17:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/?p=27105"},"modified":"2015-05-20T15:21:07","modified_gmt":"2015-05-20T22:21:07","slug":"mechanisms-connection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2015\/05\/25\/mechanisms-connection\/","title":{"rendered":"Mechanisms of connection"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n
\n

A city in change can be fascinating and inspiring, as much as it can be sad and depressing. This is true, I suspect, for its residents and its governors, its business owners and developers. The city is a tool, a mechanism, a product. It is just as well an environment, a living space, an organism.<\/p>\n

The last session of three roundtables around the future of Grandview-Woodland nieghbourhood has been an interim conclusion to a promising process. Its promise, in light of the above, is plagued with question marks and challenges. Each of the seven sub-areas of the neighbourhood have a set of unique characteristics. Together they form a whole that has the quality and charm of a metropolitan village.<\/p>\n

Is this charm reason enough to leave things as they are? How can we productively articulate a set of directions that facilitate a healthy change?<\/p>\n

It is evident that members of the\u00a0Citizens Assembly<\/a>\u00a0have invested a considerable effort in this engagement. They have generated a list of recommendations that will be presented to City Hall later this year. The last roundtable was dedicated to fine tuning the various points for each sub-area:<\/p>\n

Cedar Cove \u2013 The Edgy Residential Land
\nHastings \u2013 The Industrial High Street
\nBritannia Woodland \u2013 The Rental & Affordable Stock
\nGrandview \u2013 The Residential Heritage Enclave
\nNanaimo \u2013 The Truck Route & Historic City Boundary
\nCommercial Dr. \u2013 The Heartbeat of The Neighborhood
\nBroadway & Commercial \u2013 The Regional Transit Hub<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For each sub-area, a table or two were assigned for discussion. From the two tables I participated in, the buzz of emotions was tangible, yet somewhat subdued. There was urgency in the air mixed with despair; confusion alternating with decisiveness.<\/span><\/p>\n

Around the first table, residents who wanted things to stay as they were sat beside a developer who was expecting zoning to allow development over four stories. More people than probably anticipated arrived at the Croatian Community Centre. As this was the last event where residents could participate in the consultation, some frustration trickled into the discussion.<\/p>\n

At the second table, our facilitator was looking for specific feedback over points in the recommendations document. To me, they all seemed reasonably comprehensive, given the fact that recommendations will never be perfect.<\/p>\n

What is needed now is looking into the next stage of engagement. To-date, the Assembly members have gone through an admirable process of learning and contribution.<\/p>\n

One of the fascinating outcomes of the work of the Citizens\u2019 Assembly, in my view, is the increase in connections. Neighbours got to know more about each other and their common interests, as much as their differences. Residents experienced, in a tangible way, the tools in use for urban planning. Connections are what makes a city work. We need to make sure connections remain a priority in the management and governance of Vancouver. Wherever they are weak, our job is to strengthen them.<\/p>\n

It is worth paying attention to the layers of connection. The following points are quick notes I\u2019ve taken as discussions around the table evolved:<\/p>\n