Considering the expression ‘a city is a living thing’, the life of a city is a story of change within the familiar. What happens in one neighborhood might have already happened in another or is about to. Each community can learn from its neighbor for the benefit of its own “metabolism”. The intangible balance between construction and maintenance is what we all hope supports life.

The Grandview Woodland Citizens’ Assembly have concluded their work. Their recommendations document aims to inform the neighbourhood’s anticipated community plan. My fascination with urban development is that of an observer and a designer. In the consultation process I was intrigued to interact with both determined voices and those who’d rather see things stay as they are. I am curious to see what urban change looks like when things actually start “moving”. The change that people object to is not always a visible one.

No change is guaranteed to be easy or pleasant, let alone beneficial. The process itself is not framed by exact dates: not all property owners act in sync with the community plan that governs their assets. Still, it is a process that feels to me like a natural element of life. In November 2010 the Norquay Village community plan was approved. It is an area within the Renfrew-Collingwood neighborhood.

Norquay Park is currently the most prominent community gathering spot of this sub-area. I live a few blocks away from it. For a while only the larger developments were the noticeable results of the change in zoning that the plan had introduced. In the last year or two the smaller scale, side streets’ landscape became pretty active. Moreso than in previous years, the amount of lots waiting to be redeveloped is noticeable within the blocks close to Kingsway.

‘For Sale’ signs typically show up one in a block per year. Nowadays they sprout in clusters. SOLD stickers are attached to them almost as soon as their poles are hammered into the ground.

Usually construction sites are fenced off. I’ve seen people digging out plants from an unfenced vacant lot. This seemed pretty reasonable considering the typical loss of plant material you notice as soon as excavators start working. However, property owners – previous or new – could benefit from investing in salvaging valuable landscape material.

Bylaws are there thanks to and because of life experiences and people’s involvement in the community. We live in the city for many reasons. They fall into two primary drives: need and desire. We need each other to survive; we fulfil our desires through our connections to one another. Considering again the expression ‘a city is a living thing’, the built environment is an extension of our own lives.

Impact

My participation in urban life can have an impact on my city’s livability. As the scope of transition in the neighborhood grows, my impact on the process decreases. However, I’m curious how the connections I have and keep making inform my ability to benefit from it. The wellbeing of my family and me supports my aim of promoting a strong community.

From walking, bird watching. to reporting issues through 311, enjoyment of the city range from tranquil to functional. The biggest reward comes through the occasional chat with people.

It could be a person I will see only once or the start of a long term connection. A strong sense of life is always there. The life of a city is a story of change just as it is a story of people. Our work together takes time to evolve. That too, is A Living Thing.

It’s been an eventful year for me with attending meetings in Vancouver communities. My exposure to thoughts and ideas from a variety of perspectives was inspiring as much as it kept raising questions.

• Where do you interact with fellow residents of your city?
• What activities do you find the most compelling to participate in?
• What is the change that will be good for the city as well as its residents?

Sometimes it’s the questions we ask that help us move ahead.

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.

The last session of three roundtables for the Citizens’ Assembly for Grandview-Woodland has been an interim conclusion to a promising process. Its promise, in light of the above, is plagued with question marks and challenges. The seven sub-areas of Grandview-Woodland have each a set of unique characteristics. Together they form a whole that has the quality and charm of a metropolitan village.

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?

It is evident that members of the Assembly have 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.

Cedar Cove – The Edgy Residential Land
Hastings – The Industrial High Street
Britannia Woodland – The Rental & Affordable Stock
Grandview – The Residential Heritage Enclave
Nanaimo – The Truck Route & Historic City Boundary
Commercial Dr. – The Heartbeat of The Neighborhood
Broadway & Commercial – The Regional Transit Hub

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 alternated with decisiveness.

Around the first table residents who want things to stay as they are sat beside a developer who is expecting zoning to allow more than four stories. More people than probably anticipated arrived at the Croatian Community Centre. As this was the last event where residents could participate in consultation, some frustration trickled into the discussion.

At the second table our facilitator was looking for specific feedback over points in the recommendations document. To me they all seemed reasonably comprehensive. It looks obvious to me that the recommendations will never be perfect. What we need now is a look into the next stage of engagement. The Assembly members have gone through an admirable process of learning and contribution.

One of the fascinating outcomes of the work of the Citizens’ Assembly in my view is the increase in connections. Neighbors got to know more about each other, more about 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.

It is worth paying attention to the layers of connection. The following points are quick notes I’ve taken as discussions around the table evolved:

• Within sub areas – enhance and improve the flow of pedestrians between streets and blocks.
• Between sub areas – minimize or eliminate the separation between sub areas.
• To adjacent areas/neighborhoods – Grandview Woodland is defined by thoughts and definitions. It also influences and is influenced by what people in and out of it are doing.

The wealth of ideas and insights from the work of the Assembly is dynamic. It can continue to nurture the productive connections created while the Assembly existed. As the Assembly is about to disassemble, established channels can facilitate the continued connections. New ones could surely emerge.

Possible channels could be the City website (Vancouver), the Commercial Drive Business Association (CDBS), Vancouver Public Library (VPL), Kettle Friendship Society (Kettle), The Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society (VAFCS) and other agencies. Each could have an interface established so that the engagement expands instead of being wrapped up.

We need to support the achievements of the Citizens’ Assembly in making sure the discussion continues. Values & recommendation, zoning & policies are all open to interpretation. The documents we will see are generated in response to a commendable process. To fully benefit from the investment in this process, mechanisms of exchange need to be enhanced and maintained.

A city in change uses tools and mechanisms that become a product. That product is the environment we all live in and make into our life. It’s not about whether any of us wants change or not. The city is an organism that constantly changes. Participation in the process is the life of a city. We need to make sure that the tools for participation evolve with the changing city. This city is essentially who we are.

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A version of this post originally appeared here.