One of the last mic holders during question period was a foreign student. He charmingly confessed to riding the Skytrain without paying. He’s been doing that ever since he realized he could. No Skytrain official approaches Japanese looking riders to check their fares. His point was not to brag about fare evasion and definitely not to complain about racism. He would actually like to see in Vancouver systems similar to those he knows from Japan — systems that work.

“The world is a more complex place than we think,” Geller informed us. That “world,” me included since 2002, is coming to BC and Vancouver in a rate higher than local society’s natural growth (Births – Deaths vs Immigration). This city can become better but might find itself sliding the opposite way. It’s not the first time I came out of a local discussion thinking, “Vancouver is a culture, about to be consumed and trashed like any other commodity in our world”.

Although Vancouver is sufficiently welcoming to new insights, it is also notoriously conservative and tied with too many restrictions. It’s not perfect – it’s changing. For some, it’s too much; for others it’s not fast enough. “Act quickly”, Geller urged. This tension between NIMBYism and impatient pressure for change can trash Vancouver. It is no one’s intention but it can certainly happen.

Do we need to protect ourselves from a looming future or should we find the right mechanisms to improve what we already have? We could strive “to be like ______” (fill in the culture of your choice), but eventually we can work with what we have here. Introducing new ideas, locally sourced as well as imported, is an embraceable and worthy challenge.

There’s a difference between seeing and looking, between looking and observing. In my own travels, I take Geller’s advice and “go to the non-exotic and look for the uncommon.” What’s great about this approach is that you can apply it without even leaving Vancouver. Many of our side streets can be depressingly uninspiring. But as soon as you have an idea that inspires you to do something, moving quickly should be your priority. Know your tools, be prepared and find the issues you really care about.

“The World” is coming to Vancouver to get inspired. Part of it is coming here to stay. In doing so, That World is not only bringing ideas, but making them happen. Let’s open up to that reality and embrace what we already have.

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A version of this post originally appeared on Design is a Matter of Life.