The opening of the Canada Line in 2009 with its Fraser River crossing introduced a new pedestrian/cycling connection across the river. This popular new link between Vancouver and Richmond has helped to foster an increased interest in providing recreation opportunities next to – and along – the river.

The Canada Line; image by grumpygrimble

A recent ‘good news’ update on this front appeared when Council approved the Marpole Community Plan on April 2, which VPSN has reviewed and commented on. Included in the list of 10-year policies in the Public Benefits Strategy is the creation of a new waterfront park of up to 10 acres at the foot of Cambie Street. This represents a tremendous opportunity for a brand new, significant greenspace to be built in a neighbourhood that has less park space than most other areas of the city. And with construction cranes popping up next to Marine Drive Station, this new waterfront park will also help to serve the future residents of this emerging transit-oriented community.

While this new park will be a welcome Fraser River greenspace addition, the momentum needs to continue beyond just this one piece of the puzzle. The Marpole Plan also spells out direction for future extensions of the existing Fraser River Trail. In recent years the Park Board has made some small additions to the Marpole portion of the trail, along with some beautification efforts. However, the trail is still fragmented, and significant gaps around busy industrial areas highlight the need for a more comprehensive, long-term vision of a continuous link of waterfront trails and parks beyond just Marpole. We’re aware that Metro Vancouver is taking the first step in this direction with their collaborative vision to Experience the Fraser:

“Experience the Fraser is a unique vision to connect communities, parks, natural features, historic and cultural sites and experiences along the Lower Fraser River. The Canyon to Coast Trail and Recreational Blueway are the backbone of the project, connecting Hope to the Salish Sea by means of over 550 kilometres of trail (43% of which is already in place) and via the river itself.”

Strategies that add or improve pathways and wayfinding are welcome, as in some places it can be a challenge to navigate the pedestrian and cycling routes between the river and neighbouring residential areas.

[Oblique view of Vancouver and Fraser River looking north] Credit: City of Vancouver Archives; Reference code: AM54-S4-: LP 153.2; Date: June 5, 1948

By putting special focus on the Fraser River, Vancouver’s southern waterfront, we can improve access and help encourage a greater awareness and appreciation of the river’s cultural, agricultural, industrial, and environmental heritage, and provide much-needed opportunities for recreation and public space gathering.

The Big Ideas are 12 Priority Areas we see as an early release of the VPSN Manifesto on public space policy. We’ve made online access to the Routemap 2012-2014 and the original Manifesto 2008-2011.To learn more about this initiative and to get involved, please write us an email.

The Urban Futures Survey started in 1973. It generated invaluable data on local citizens opinions and values about their region, ultimately helping craft Metro Vancouver’s first Livable Regions Strategy in 1976. According to former Mayor of Vancouver and Premier of British Columbia, Mike Harcourt:

“The first Urban Futures survey provided the information we needed from citizens to help put in place the first de-facto livable regions strategy.”

The Survey happened again in 1990, leading to the Livable Regions Strategic Plan, now Metro Vancouver’s regional growth strategy. Its primary goal is to help maintain livability and protect the environment in the face of anticipated growth. Since its adoption in 1996, the Strategic Plan has provided the framework for making regional land use and transportation decisions in Metro Vancouver.

We tend to think about local issues within our relative municipal boundaries, but without broad-based regional planning, we get sprawl, traffic, lost farmland/green space and over consumption of energy, water and waste.

The 1990 Urban Futures Survey conveyed the public’s feelings toward the environment and land use; and it ultimately lead to curbside recycling, water conservation and flood prevention programs, hazardous waste disposal, and regulations to protect wilderness and green space. Some of the changes included establishing an Urban Containment Policy that identifies Metro Vancouver’s “Green Line” beyond which urban development will not be allowed. This “Line” defines the region’s “Green Zone” (see 2011 picture).

We’re pretty green…and we like it that way.

Now that the Urban Futures Survey is back, it is your opportunity to have a say in how Metro Vancouver grows and what is important to you in addressing the challenges that come with a growing region. According to Ken Cameron, past Manager of Policy and Planning with the Greater Vancouver Regional District (and chaperone to me and fellow SFU Urban Studies grad students on a past trip to London/Wales to hang with HRH Prince Charles):

“The survey gives them a direct voice in establishing a total body of public opinion in the region. It is their opportunity to speak out. That information is going to be useful to local governments and all kinds of organizations in making decisions about the future.”

The third Greater Vancouver Urban Futures Opinion Survey has launched, but this time everything will be online. The 2012 survey will enhance information about Metro Vancouver public attitudes and experiences over the last 39 years. It will be invaluable to planners and policy makers at all levels.

The survey can be completed in the time it takes to have your morning coffee, so please do your part and participate.

Urban Futures Survey link (NOTE: You’ll have to register with PlaceSpeak first. Register with PlaceSpeak in the top right hand corner of the website): http://www.placespeak.com/topic.php?id=323

For those with an interest in municipal infrastructure and how it gets used, it appears that we have, collectively, been caught with our pants down. One of our sources at Metro Vancouver ‘leaked’ us this revealing image.

It’s a graph produced by Metro’s Water Treatment and Systems Control Division, and it details water usage patterns on the closing day of the Olympics, last Sunday (February 28).

Usually, when we think of sports and infrastructure, we think of stadiums. This graph, however, does a nice job of illustrating the relationship between a couple of key events (the Gold medal hockey game and the closing ceremonies) and another type of infrastructure — the municipal water system.

On the left, a first series of spikes demarcates the golden truth of the matter. If the game itself had some moments of urgency and tension, these peaks in water usage during the intermissions show that at least part of this tension was mitigated by a bit of inter-period relief. The end of each period saw sharp increases in water usage as people raced to the bathroom and flushed… with water usage at its highest level about 5 minutes after Sydney Crosby’s game winning overtime goal.

Then, later in the day (seen on the right side of the graph), another series of spikes in water usage appears as people flushed away during the advertising breaks in the Closing Ceremonies.

File this one under citizens initiatives. Call it ‘going for the bowl.’

Thus ends the punnery.