Vancouver is getting ready for the big earthquake - are you?

Recent events in San Francisco and Seattle reinforce the need for awareness around earthquakes and being prepared is key. Efforts have been made in the community to provide a system of emergency services and preparing an adequate response in the case of emergency. However, these measures can only go so far to protecting you and your family. It is incumbent on all households to get a plan together because in the event of "the big one" , time will be up and where will that leave your family.

Earthquakes are happening all around us. Natural Resources Canada publishes a list of recent earthquake events and we can see that via their website (http://earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca/recent/2010/index-eng.php.) how often they occur. Vancouver, with its position on the Pacific Ring of Fire, is prone to earthquakes. Although it has been almost 300 years since the last cataclysmic earthquake in the area, Vancouver is now overdue.

Given its topography, the Lower Mainland's emergency response could be very limited. Although the provincial governments emergency response system has prepared and implemented a full strategy, it is possible that the results of a major earthquake would leave the infrastructure in Vancouver devastated. The main issue would revolve around the collapse of bridges and the inability of first responders to get to required locations. Many of the bridges that criss-cross our waterways would be devastated.

Consequently, it is even more important that households have a plan for themselves. As most of our homes are woodframe, this does help. Wood frame structures are much more effective in an earthquake than a concrete one. Concrete and masonry work great in compression (ie. when it is holding steady against gravity), however in tension and under lateral loads it is poor unless it is adequately reinforced with steel. Wood structures on the other hand have a certain flexibility that renders them safer in an earthquake.

When planning always remember that the majority of problems are caused by falling objects. This is why you should always try to get under a table to shield yourself from falling debris. Quite often the shaking will displace the furniture, so try and hold on to it and remain under it. Other things you should consider when coming up with a family plan.

1. Ensure that you have a family emergency plan with meeting points and out of town contact numbers.
2. Do you have an adequate emergency kit. 
3. Ensure your house is properly anchored to the foundation.
4. Ensure any utilities especially water heaters are anchored to the building.
5. Ensure that any tall furniture (bookcases, dinettes etc.) are anchored to the wall.
6. Know the evacuation routes out of your community and understand the community emergency plan.
7. Determine whether you are in a high risk area? Silt beds and river deltas pose particular risk due to silt liquefaction.
8. Do you have any first aid training in the house? If not get some.

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.

The Zoning Ritual

Whenever designing a contemporary house, before fashioning any ideas, thoughts, or goals, there is the need to complete the inevitable zoning site checklist. Zoning acts as both a physical and political construct to any project. It strives to create a democratic playing field for the architect to generate designs but within the larger city context.

Often these goals seem arbitrary at best. They represent the need to create a political order to the city landscape at macro scale while creating a framework at the micro scale. The two, in their own realms seem unrelated. However as a whole they can be seen as the fabric of our urban reality.

Rather than decrying the system, it is really up to the architect to question the rules themselves. Zoning guidelines are created to be generic so that they can apply to the majority of situations. The extent of grey area within them is quite large. I have found that if you review the rules carefully, they will often contradict each other despite the legal writing. When you present this to the building official they usually have three responses:

1. No (in which you are out of luck unless you push it to another level)
2. I will take that under consideration (which is then referred to some committee for review)
3. You are correct

I have found this to be the case throughout the jurisdictions I deal with in the Greater Vancouver region. By questioning the system and its nuance, it is possible to let the system capitulate to the specific situation. After all, the general principles of the bylaws are upheld while the idiosyncracy of the bureaucrats come into question. Most building officials realize that this is the case and they recognize that bylaws contain a certain organic quality that breathe and grow over time with the changing swell of public sentiment.