August 2012

For this week's installment of MOVments we set out to keep things light, offering some "fun facts" to keep you entertained during the last wee bit of summer. However, as with most MOVments, we got a little serious in spite of ourselves. Read on for the latest on playing in Vancouver (for a good cause), strolling around the city (and the problems that go along with it), and the story of our very own Vancouver Town Fool (who, it turns out, had a pretty serious mission).

(Not Just) Playing Around. Some of us MOVers have had a chance to make it out the PNE this summer and as always, it's a guaranteed sensory overload experience. But if you can slow down and take a little break from eating deep-fried oreos,Canfor's Playhouse Challenge is well worth checking out. Each of the seven playhouses on display uses local forest products and is designed by a renowned architectural firm. Kids are encouraged to interact and engage with the playful designs (think beehive shapes and pirate ships) before they're auctioned off at the beginning of September to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. 

Vancouver on Its Feet. Frommer's travel website calls Vancouver one of the most walkable cities in the world, noting Stanley Park, False Creek, and Granville Island as particularly idyllic areas to meander through. However, as Carl Funk argues in his recent report entitled “Walkability of transit-oriented development: Evaluating the pedestrian environment of Metro Vancouver’s Regional City Centres” there are definitely things we could be doing better in the pedestrian-accessibility department. As Nathan Pachal summarizes on the Civic Surrey blog, more could be done to widen sidewalks, create segregated bike paths, add connecting streets, and install street furniture at transit hubs like Metrotown and Surrey City Centre. 

This week, we're engaging with some of the current debates and controversies taking place in Vancouver. From the Olympic Village neighbourhood, to the Vancouver Art Gallery's big move, to the the Marpole Midden, we're lending our ears to some of the city's most passionate voices for a provocative installment of MOVments.

False Creek Comes into Its Own. After years of controversy around the Olympic Village development, the False Creek neighbourhood finally seems to be thriving. As the Globe and Mail reports amenities like an Urban Fare grocery store, a new restaurant with a sizable patio, and the Creekside Community Centre are drawing visitors to the area in droves. Observers have taken note of the suddenness with which this all seemed to happen. UBC architecture professor Patrick Condon describes the phenomenon with a tipping point analogy: “It’s very common to urban areas that suddenly people say, ‘Hey. Let’s go there. That was fun the last time.’ Until that tipping point, people might go there, and say, ‘This isn’t very much fun. There’s not many people here. I don’t think I’ll go back.’”

The 'Pretty Face' Debate. But there are some who would see developments like the Olympic Village as just another testament to Vancouver's tendency to abandon the old, for the new and shiny. Local writer and ranter, Sean Orr for one, thinks that Vancouver is more concerned with its pretty facades than building substantial and meaningful cultural and historical connections. And he seems pretty angry about it. Read his interview with the Westender for an alternative tour of Vancouver that reveals some of the problems related to our constant need for reinvention.

100+ Days of Musqueam Protest. The National Historic Site known as the Marpole Midden is still under threat of development after more than one hundred days of occupation and protest by the Musqueam First Nation. Although the ancient burial ground and village was federally designated as a Historic Site in 1933, the midden on Southwest Marine Drive is on privately owned land. Condominium development had been in the works for a while when it was halted in January after the discovery of human remains. Celia Brauer of the False Creek Watershed Society passionately called for the resolution of the conflict in last week's Georgia Straight. She says, "The Provincial government has the power to overcome the “private property” issue. Future generations are watching. In 2012 swapping Cusnaum [village site] for a less important piece of land and giving a small piece of this Heritage Site back to the Musqueam is the right thing to do."

The VAG's Big Move. This week the Globe and Mail reports on the fascinating machinations behind the Vancouver Art Gallery's proposed move from the provincial courthouse building downtown to a new, yet to be decided, location. Real estate marketer and art collector Bob Rennie and VAG director Kathleen Bartels are two of the most influential and outspoken people in the Vancouver art scene so it's hardly surprising that both have strong opinions about the future of the city's artistic landscape. Notably, Rennie is suggesting splitting the VAG's collections between multiple new locations that would be spread out through the city. Bartels, on the other hand, is firmly in favour of a single new facility which she believes would be better suited to the visitor experience. Whatever the outcome, we are excitedly waiting to see how the discussion develops.

Online Voting. And finally, in slightly less controversial news, BC is considering implementing online voting for municipal and provincial elections. In fact, we think we can quite uncontroversially say: that would be very convenient.

At the MOVeum:
August 16 - Volunteer Information Session
September 20 - Opening Day - Object(ing): The art/design of Tobias Wong