UBC School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture

The Downtown Eastside Plan (2014) was created to protect low-income residents and other community members by restricting new development and uses not specifically targeting the poor. Many believe the DTES is Vancouver's last authentic and compassionate neighbourhood in the city; others see a neighbourhood in decline. Is it time to rethink the DTES Plan to allow for a greater mix of self-supporting uses, residents and businesses? Or, does the DTES Plan effectively protect a vulnerable population and preserve/work towards a cohesive neighbourhood?

Links to the Plan:

Around the world, people are calling for the renaming of places and the removal of monuments honouring racist colonial figures. Does erasing the historical markers inadvertently diminish the opportunities for current and future generations to remember and meaningfully confront our history? Or does removing the offensive markers enable a more productive dialogue? In that case, who decides which markers to remove, what happens to them, and what, if anything, replaces them?

What are the key urban design initiatives your city plan has introduced to foster deeper community resilience? What jurisdictional tools have been most effective in making these initiatives happen? 

Imagine Parks and Recreation – What could Vancouver’s parks, public space and recreation opportunities look like in 25 years? How about 100 years? 

In the fifth and final lecture of this series, we are bringing five renowned speakers together in a panel format to explore the ways our parks and public space system create resilience and wellbeing in our communities. Panelists will present their topics, followed by a moderated discussion with the audience. This event will end with a hosted reception in the lobby of UBC Robson Square. 

Should citizens be more empowered to decide what gets built and where in Vancouver? Or is the process already too prone to public pressures, stifling the creativity, knowhow and vision that professional planners are hired to provide?

Vancouver allows a lot of wiggle room in its zoning requirements to be able to negotiate trade-offs with developers. That can spawn public amenities, but sometimes public backlash as well. Time to stop this “spot zoning” and nail down a city-wide plan?

Can market forces provide the range of housing options needed for all of Vancouver’s population? If not, is that a problem? Should the government fill the gaps? Where has this worked, or not?