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MOVments

Posted by: Erin Brown John on January 17, 2011 / 2:22 PM

Disappearing lake. The park board is exploring options to preserve Beaver Lake. The lake has been steadily shrinking due to nearby construction projects, sediments and invasive pant species. Now they’re looking for public input about the project.

Underground chickens. Six months after legalizing chickens in Vancouver, only 18 people have registered their birds, and many more people are choosing not to register.

Social housing. Vancouver needs more affordable housing, but where to put it? The City may be backing off from it’s policy of requiring developers to dedicate 20% of new units in their developments to social housing. The property in question is the northeast section of False Creek. The developer, Concord Pacific has proposed that instead of building social housing there, it would give the City two properties in the Downtown Eastside.

Meanwhile activists are currently protesting a proposal to allow the construction of 7 new condo towers in the Downtown Eastside, something they claim will have a detrimental impact on rents and the affordability of housing.

Death at their doorsteps. Also controversial, plans to locate a hospice at UBC hit a snag as residents complained, citing their cultural values. Their concerns have been condemned by some as nimbyism, while others urge more tolerance.

Bike fashion. The Vancouver Observer looks at the colourful world of bike fashion in Vancouver.

Image source: feffef, via flickr.

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MOVments

Posted by: Erin Brown John on October 25, 2010 / 12:06 PM

 

Remembering Terry Fox. The Terry Fox monument at BC Place is slated for demolition and will be replaced with a new monument designed by Douglas Coupland. The architect of the original monument is understandably upset, but acknowledges that it was never popular with the public.

Cycling infrastructure. While improving cycling infrastructure in is a priority for many municipalities, they have been having trouble trying to secure funding and support from the province.

Great Beginnings. The City of Vancouver is currently looking for proposals for new murals that “offer new perspectives on Vancouver and represent a range of Vancouver’s diverse cultural communities.” The program is part of an overall plan to reduce graffiti in the city.

Meanwhile, the Georgia Straight has a great gallery of images of the mural on Beatty Street that is nearing completion.

Backyard chickens. The City of Surrey is considering whether to allow chickens on urban lots.

Unsung heroes. An article in Grist calls for more acknowledgement of the roles of women in the sustainable food movement. While the article’s focus is American, it’s good to look around and take stock of all the people, male and female, in our communities that perhaps aren’t being recognized.

Photo credit: Ian Lindsay, Vancouver Sun

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MOVments of the week

Posted by: Erin Brown John on August 20, 2010 / 5:16 PM

 

So much fuss about the Hornby bike lane! This week the City of Vancouver announced its’ plans to create a new separated bike lane on Hornby Street by November. The proposed lane is part of a plan to increase cycling infrastructure downtown and improve safety for newer and less-experienced cyclists.

But businesses along the street are concerned that they will be negatively impacted by its’ construction and the resulting loss of parking. The City is currently engaged in consultation with the public and businesses along the proposed route but it seems likely to go ahead regardless of business owners’ concerns.

Safer in numbers. Coincidentally, the same week results from a study in Montreal were released that looked at the relationship between cycling infrastructure and safety. It found that safety for cyclists increased with the number of cyclists on the road.

Vacant. The Vancouver Courier reports that six months after the end of the Olympics, housing units in the Olympic Village earmarked for social housing still sit empty.

Chickens in the city. Also in the Courier, a feature on one of the 17 registered chicken owners in Vancouver.

Next week at MOV. Perhaps you’ve noticed that suddenly MOVments is being posted on Monday instead of Friday? We’ve got a busy week planned next week and we’re all working like mad to pull it off.

On Monday join us for a free outdoor screening of Eat Drink Man Woman in Vanier Park, presented by Potluck Cafe and Catering and Horizon Distributors.

Then on Wednesday we’re launching our brand new exhibit: Home Grown: Local Sustainable Food, co-presented by FarmFolkCityFolk. You can help out with the new exhibit by donating your home-canned goods to our wall of preserves.

Image credit: contessak via flickr.

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