ABOUT URBANARIUM

What might the future of our cities hold, and how can we advance discussions that will shape cities for the better?

Urbanarium is a forum for the discussion of ideas and issues dedicated to helping people improve our cities. Our programming works to inspire actionable solutions to the urgent challenges of the day, from housing affordability to climate change. With a sustained interest in the creative and the pragmatic, we create competitions, debates, talks and studios that help us discover more about ourselves and our cities.

Vancouver Urbanarium Society is a registered charity led by a 20-person Board of Directors made up of people who are passionate about city building, including architects, landscape architects, planners, developers, academics, community organization leaders and more. As well, we have 12 distinguished individuals on a Board of Advisors and a long roster of energetic and committed volunteers. We have two full-time staff who advance the work with care and dedication.

The Urbanarium started and continues to be led and supported by the interests, time and financial contributions of many individuals, organizations and companies.

If you are interested in getting involved please write admin@urbanarium.org

Land Acknowledgement

The Vancouver Urbanarium Society acknowledges that Metro Vancouver is the unceded, traditional, and ancestral territory of many First Nations including 10 local First Nations: the Katzie, Kwantlen, Kwikwetlem, Matsqui, Musqueam, Qayqayt, Semiahmoo, Squamish, Tsawwassen, and Tsleil-Waututh. The modern housing crisis has its roots in the colonisation of Metro Vancouver and continues to displace Indigenous peoples. As an organization that focuses on city-making, Urbanarium knows that how we relate to the land we occupy matters. We are engaged in active discussions about reconciling our relationship to colonialism. Our programming and other outputs will work to reflect and honour Indigenous perspectives and elevate respectful approaches to land use and land rights planning, policy, practices and governance.

See what we've been working on over the past year

FAQ

When was the Urbanarium organization formed?

Urbanarium 1.0 was founded in 1985 by Ray Spaxman, former City of Vancouver Director of Planning, with a board of public-spirited citizens. In 1987 the first exhibition and series of live events, Urbanarium: Lost/Unbuilt Vancouver, was held over a three week period at the Old Motor Vehicle Testing Station on West Georgia Street. Our name comes from the original ambition of the group was to create a place, in the model of a planetarium or an aquarium, where you come to learn about cities–an Urbanarium.

Urbanarium 2.0 produced live events in 1990 and 1991, then followed with an ongoing series of debates, retrospectives and lectures, called Builders of Vancouver, that was jointly promoted with the Alcan Lecture Series from 1992–1998. A second group, “URBANARIUM…at the Museum” partnered with Museum of Vancouver to develop annual exhibitions from 1993 through 1996.

In 2013, during meetings of UBC’s School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture Advisory Board, the Urbanarium 3.0 was revived in discussion to answer the need for an organization that would foster intelligent city building.

Where is Urbanarium?

At present, Urbanarium is a catalyst for the creation of events and projects, supporting organizations and residents in Metro Vancouver that are passionate about citymaking. We host events at our pop-up Studio on Granville Island and at locations around Metro Vancouver, and foster online engagement through our polls, journal articles, and other resources that can be found on our website.