Have we lost our way?

For the last half century, Metro Vancouver has been guided by a vision that has shaped our plans and policies: "Cities in a Sea of Green." Our success as an urban region today is because we took that vision seriously and stuck to it.

Most often we take it for granted. Which could potentially lead to neglect. And out of neglect, we risk undermining our achievements. The transportation referendum and simultaneous approval of a ten-lane Massey Bridge were not good signs. Erosion of the ALR, sprawling development, unaffordable housing, judicial rulings that undermine Metro's ability to plan - all suggest that the region's vision may not be able to guide us for the next half century.

Have we also failed to tell our own story, and pass it on to the next generation?

To create an incentive to tell that story and involve young people in doing so, Gordon Price, SFU Fellow with the Centre for Dialogue, funded a prize and offered it to students in SFU's Urban Studies and Public Policy units for a review of the impact and challenges of “Cities in a Sea of Green.” The winners, Katelyn McDougall, Linda Mussell and Sherry Yang, will be present to give a short summary to begin this City Conversation: "Cities in a Sea of Uncertainty."