With more than one million new residents expected to move to our region in the next 30 years, we urgently need changes to our transportation system. Last summer, Metro Vancouver Mayors voted overwhelmingly in favor of their plan to invest in new transportation and transit to protect our environment, strengthen our economy and improve our quality of life. Included in the plan is 2,700 km of new bikeways with 300 km of traffic separated lanes. Is the plan adequate? Does it address the overall goals of a healthier, safer, and green transportation network?

Moderator

Jim Bailey

Jim Bailey is a senior planner at the City of Vancouver. He has led and delivered complex planning programs that involve the successful integration of land use, urban design, sustainability, transportation, housing, community facilities, livability, affordability, employment, community amenities, energy conservation, urban agriculture, and heritage. He is responsible for developing and implementing innovative consultation programs that involve a range of diverse interests and perspectives.

Recent programs at the City of Vancouver where Jim was the senior planner include the Cambie Corridor Plan, Transportation 2040 Plan, Marpole Plan, and Regional Context Statement. He has also worked as a municipal development planner, managing applications and development projects. In addition to municipal experience, Jim has worked as a private consultant, both locally and internationally. He has an undergraduate degree from Simon Fraser University and a master’s degree from the School of Community and Regional Planning at the University of British Columbia.

About the Philosophers' Café

Philosophers’ Café is a series of informal public discussions in libraries, cafés and restaurants throughout Metro Vancouver. The cafés, which are open to everyone, have brought dialogue and discussion to thousands of people who are interested in exploring issues from the absurd to the sublime. To learn more about the Philosophers’ Café, please visit their website.