Terminal City-Vancouver as the model of the new global city - part I

Terminal City , the aptly provided moniker of Vancouver, is indicative of its edge status. Vancouver, throughout its history, has been the backwater of the dominant economic forces of the time. In its youth it battled with San Francisco for gold rush dollars. In its post war growth it succumbed to the influence of Eastern Canada. In its most recent incarnation it accepted its role as outpost to Hong Kong. Vancouver is like the stereotypical vacuous blonde supermodel that is beautiful but suffers from a lack of substance between the ears.

Consequently the economic structure of Vancouver is uninfluential. There are relatively few corporate head offices compared to "local" competitors like Seattle and Calgary. With corporate dominance low, Vancouver has thrived on a very different ethos in the way its citizens approach life and lifestyle. Small business is the predominant form of business and equality of citizens across the urban mosaic is the cultural norm. In fact, libertarian ideology (apolitical) is rampant in the city and forms a very different mindset than prototypical North American cities.

However, Vancouver's beauty and the attractiveness of its stable real estate (comparatively) makes it a good place for off-shore money to invest personal resources. The worldly libertarian view and Canadian Immigration policies have enhanced the large influx of immigrants largely from Hong Kong, mainland China, India and South Korea. In fact, visible minorities now form the majority in Vancouver and consequently the city has a large reach to the rest of the world.  Unlike many world metropolitan centres, Vancouver has achieved this with a relatively low threshold of racism.

With the rise of the information age, Vancouver's global reach is further enhanced while small business is empowered. Internet usage rates in British Columbia according to Statistics Canada are around 85% in 2010. The numbers are approaching 90% in the Greater Vancouver itself. These numbers are among the highest in North America.

Unencumbered by slow moving corporate behemoths and the associated political baggage, Vancouver has the ability to react with speed in its own interest and turn its smaller more nimble economic structure to its favour . It will be important that the political elites  federally, provincially, and municipally buy into the economic reincarnation. Individuals and companies are ready to establish business links with the rest of the world. with a larger professional and tertiary workforce perhaps the model will be smart as well as good looking.

Living Walls and Roofs and the Cult of Eco

Green is the new mantra of the age. Sometimes green ideas are wise while others are just passing fads. It is important to get the widest context possible and don't believe the hype unless they can prove it to you. Passion and philosophy will always work better than adhering to the green inventory checklist.

About 2 years ago, I was in Napa Valley sampling the local finery (vinery) while attending a trade show in San Francisco. Whenever I visit California, I am always amazed, how new ideas resonate with the public there. I always get the sense that they are less discriminating while more eager to embrace the "new." This stands in stark contrast to the reserved design ethos of Vancouver.

The group of architects that had joined me in Yountville, were all drawn to a new building that turned out to be a hotel called "Bardessono."(www.bardessono.com) We strolled in checking out all the newest in design. The idea behind the hotel was that it was energy neutral and LEED platinum (wow!). One of the things that interested me were the living walls. Not only did they minimize heat gain but provided a certain amount of air quality enhancement and were appealing to look at.

                                        

                                           Small example of the Bardessono Living Wall 

                                         Solar heated pool at Bardessono 
                                         (image credits - www.bardessono.com)

The firm I worked with at the time, Synthesis Design, had recently completed a green roof installation on our office in North Vancouver with NATS Nursery . We were all amazed with the effect this had in cooling our office without the aid of air conditioning. It was a logical solution to a dilemma and made for a really nice place to hang out in the summer . Seeing this reinterpretation on the walls of the hotel was interesting and the unending list of both green ideas and design were heartening.

Having returned to San Francisco the following day, the group attended a tour of green houses. We were picked up in Downtown San Francisco and drove for 1 hour to tract housing suburbia (my first clue). Many of the green amenities included such items as low VOC paints (o.k), bamboo floors (o.k), and double paned windows (so) and recycling bins (huh!). When recycling bins become a green feature, you have to scratch your head. It was clear that green in this development meant an itemized checklist of saleable features that you could repackage and put on a brochure.

Moral of the story: Do it right or don't do it at all.( I am sure the emissions of the one hour commute each day would far outweigh the benefit of the recycling bins)