This city life

Street Photographer Takes Millions of Images; Documenting City Life in Vancouver

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:52:00 -0400

“I only shoot people who look like they want their picture taken” - Foncie Pulice

Before we had smart phones to capture spontaneous moments of human interaction in the city, there were street photographers like Vancouver’s Foncie Pulice. Foncie snapped an estimated 15 million photos of Vancouverites from the mid 1950s to the 1970s. These images and his life story are on display as part of Foncie’s Fotos, a new exhibit at the Museum of Vancouver.

Foncie was born in Victoria to Italian immigrant parents. They moved to Vancouver when he was a boy. Growing up, he developed a love of photography when he was introduced to the craft by a friend who got a job taking photos at the Vancouver Sun (Foncie was impressed at how easily this friend could meet girls).

“One of the reasons I got into street photography,” he said in a November 21, 1979 interview in the Province, ”was because I wanted to meet girls. It was a great way to meet girls. I used to live in the 900 block Seymour and I had a whole wall of phone numbers. Really. Right up on the wall. And beside every number there’d be a little description of the girl. I used to get calls all the time from other fellows. ‘Hey, Foncie, you know all the girls—can you fix us up with dates?”

After working in a camera shop, Fonzie decided to go out on his own, stationing himself on busy street corners in downtown Vancouver, waiting for passersby to approach him, catching their eyes and smiling before taking a photo of them. He would then hand them a ticket to pick up the photo at his store the next day if they liked it.

For six days a week at 7 am, Foncie started work in the basement of his home, processing the previous day’s negatives and customer orders. He was out on the street with his camera by 11 am in time to catch lunch hour foot traffic, and went out again after dinner to capture the night time crowd.

Fonzie’s photos are an impressive collection of the people of Vancouver on the go - on the way to the cinema, on a lunch break, and out shopping. Looking at them offers a glimpse into the changing fashion and culture in the city. According to the Museum of Vancouver, Foncie elevated ordinary people by framing them fully and capturing forward momentum, stepping into Vancouver’s future.

During the mid 1930s to the mid 1950s, street photography was a lucrative business. Vancouver had several listed in its city directory in the 1940s, with names like The Movie Flash, Kandid Kamera Snaps, and Totem photos. Over time Foncie was able to outlast, and even buy out his competitors.

On September 27, 1979, Foncie took his last picture. He recalled in that interview:

“I said I’d retire at 65, and I kept my word. When I started back in 1934, there were six companies in Vancouver, but when we really started to go was during the war. The public couldn’t get film, you see, so the street photographers were all they had. Servicemen would come home on leave, they’d have pictures taken. Families would get together, we’d take their picture. At one time, I was taking 4,000 to 5,000 pictures every day.”

The Foncie’s Fotos exhibit includes many of his images, including projections of more than 10,000 negatives shot in May and June 1968 and his old camera - a hefty piece of metal decorated with a red lightening bolt and with a flash powered by a car battery. More of Foncie’s images can be viewed at a Facebook page where people post images he took of their family members and friends.

Citymaker: Emily Badger

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 13:34:00 -0400

Citymakers is a series featuring people who do great things for cities - whether it is through their love of art, music, photography, public space, nature or any form of creative expression or city issue. They don’t get a lot of recognition for what they do. And, they often do it in their spare time, for free or little money, off the side of their desk, mostly while working full-time, 9-5 jobs. But, that is not an issue to them. They pursue their art or passion because they love and care about what they are doing.

I’ve been reading the Atlantic Cities since it launched a few years ago and I was always interested in the stories of one particular writer, Emily Badger. Emily is a writer in the Washington, D.C., area, where she covers urban planning and affairs for The Atlantic Cities. She has written a number of articles on the impact of gentrification, segregation and nature in cities (all topics that I love to cover on This City Life).

Emily grew up in and loves Chicago. She has also lived for various stretches in Portland, Cleveland, Orlando, Tallahassee, Paris, Norfolk and Atlanta. So far, she has been sitting still in the D.C. area for three full years – “a personal adult record” – while working on a Master’s degree.

I wanted to feature her in my Citymakers series because she is a great writer on topics that will have a significant impact on the future of cities.

Who are you ?

I’m a staff writer for The Atlantic Cities, where I write about a lot of wide-ranging topics that each touch in some way on cities and urban life. Some days I write about affordable housing and racial segregation. Other days I write about how climate change could impact cities, or how open data is changing the relationship between residents and City Hall. I also love to write about maps, parking, and people (like myself) who rent their homes instead of owning them. It’s a pretty great job.

What motivates you to get involved in city life?

I grew up in Chicago (always telling people, “yes, the actual city, not the suburbs”). And I think that’s a great place to learn to love cities. Chicago has amazing architecture, and really interesting urban history (both good chapters and bad) and some wildly different and fascinating neighborhoods. When I was a kid, my mother also worked for the city as the parking commissioner. As a result, we somehow had a parking meter in our apartment.

Why Washington, DC?

In a word: jobs. My husband is a defense contractor, and when we moved to town I was primarily writing about public policy. Washington is pretty much the best and only place to do either of these things. But we also love that the city is so close to an amazing national park, Shenandoah. It’s often hard to find a major city so close to such beautiful nature.

Washington would be better if____(fill in the blanks)

Washington would be better if it were more affordable. Housing costs here are pretty ridiculous, and I often wonder how all of these summer interns and non-profit employees get by paying $1,500 a month to sleep in someone’s basement.

Favourite public space?

The courtyard inside the National Portrait Gallery is great, as are the gardens outside the U.S. Botanic Gardens off the Mall.

Must have city souvenir?

Edible souvenirs are my favorite. So I go for deep-dish pizza in Chicago, maybe a half-smoke in Washington.

Favourite local hangout?

The Mount Vernon Trail bike path along the Potomac. That may not quite be a “hangout,” but I spend a lot of time there, and it’s a great place to experience a sense of Washington with the monuments across the river, the rowers on the Potomac, and airplanes landing right overhead at DCA.

Local inspiration (person, place or thing)?

The Saturday morning farmer’s market in Old Town, Alexandria.

Worst thing about your city?

The summer heat. It’s awful. And so humid. And lasts forever.

Favourite city memory?

I have a lot of great memories of going to White Sox games as a kid in Chicago with my family. When I was young, I could not imagine how anyone could live in a city without a baseball team (let alone two of them to pick from).

Citymakers is a column to profile people who positively contribute to the city (socially, artistically, environmentally, etc.). Who else should be profiled here?

Jennifer Pahlka
Cameron Booth
Candy Chang
Harriet Tregoning
Norman Garrick
Ben Miller
John King

30 X 30 Nature Challenge: Final Week!

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 18:04:00 -0400

Last week I finished the David Suzuki Foundation’s 30 x 30 Nature Challenge (to spend a minimum of 30 minutes a day in nature for one month). Here are a few things I learned from making a conscious effort to spend more time outdoors:

Nature is everywhere: you don’t have to go trekking into the forest or climb a mountain to appreciate nature (but do it if you can!), you can enjoy it in the city or the suburbs. All you have to do is admire some street trees on a walk through your neighbourhood, lie on the grass in a local park, or garden on your deck/backyard. As long as you are outdoors, you can find some nature to enjoy.

You can receive the benefits of health and well-being from nature without being overly active: I am still not able to do intense cardio activities since getting sick over a year ago, so long hikes and runs are not an option. This did not deter me from enjoying a simple walk or nap outside in the fresh air. In fact, I used to be the type of person who wanted to conquer nature by climbing mountains, running and cycling long distances - in retrospect, I didn’t appreciate nature nearly as much as I do when I slow down.

Don’t wait for nice weather: I got caught in a thunderstorm on one of my nature walks and it was actually fun to watch people’s reactions, hear the noise that erupted from the sky and get totally soaked before heading back to the office. As Bob Marley once said, “some people feel the rain, others just get wet.”

Put down your technological devices when you’re outdoors: I used to do my nature walks with my iPhone on, listening to music. But as part of the Nature Challenge, I decided to stop. I found it much easier to connect with nature when I engaged all five senses (and I love hearing birds sing).

Nature offers a sense of connection and peace: Studies have shown that spending just two minutes in nature lowers blood pressure and relieves stress. Ever since I started doing my nature walks during and after work, I have found myself able to beat the afternoon slump, and remain relaxed and productive throughout the day.

Vancouver: The Engaged City?

Thu, 30 May 2013 23:33:00 -0400

Photo c/o Vancouver Public Space Network

If you follow recent media reports over the last few years, people in Vancouver are a lonely bunch, and we don’t vote in civic elections. Vancouver’s City Council and Mayor Gregor Robertson recently put together an “Engaged City Task Force” to address this issue.

The task force was set up in response to low voter turnout in the last civic election and a recent study released by the Vancouver Foundation that found that many citizens, particularly younger adults and people living in condos, feel less connected to their community. According to the City, the goal of the Engaged City Task Force is to ”increase neighbour-to-neighbour engagement and cultural interconnectedness and increase literacy on, and engagement with, municipal government processes and budgeting.”

In the past, I have written about the many things that we as individuals can do to feel more connected in our city. City Hall can also play a role in helping citizens get more involved in the important civic decisions that shape their cities, in addition to feeling more connected to their neighbours.

The first report of the Engaged City Task Force released last week contains 16 recommendations for implementation within a six-month timeframe, focusing on engagement at a neighbourhood level, improving civic education, improving the development approval process, and using social media and new technologies for civic engagement. The recommendations include:

A City-wide Neighbourhood Block Party: Vancouver will declare a city-wide neighbourhood block party day each year so residents can block off the street to hold an outdoor get-together. The proposal specifies that it is not just for single-family neighbourhoods, but also its many districts dominated by condo towers and small apartment buildings.

Advance Voter Registration Online: In the last few elections, fewer than a third of registered voters cast a vote. With an easier registration process, the hope is that residents will be more likely to vote if they can register to vote at any time before the election, using a form on the city website.

Better Information on Development Proposals: The task force has proposed a requirement for developers to hold public open houses before submitting a design proposal to the city, in addition to improved signs on lots where developments are proposed, with plans explained in plain language (instead of Company X is planning an RS-4 development on Lot XVY).

Mobile City Hall Kiosks: Rather than having people travel to city hall to get the services they need (like picking up a recycling box or paying their taxes), the municipality will create a mobile kiosk that provides services in city buildings in every neighbourhood.

Participatory Budgeting: Based on similar projects in other cities in North America such as New York and Chicago, the City would set aside money in its capital budget for neighbourhood infrastructure to pilot a participatory budgeting program in select neighbourhoods. According to the report, winning projects could be used for local priorities like park enhancements, new playground equipment, amenities for seniors, street upgrades or new green space.

Photo c/o Vancouver Public Space Network

A Crowd-Sourced Venue List: According to the report, this recommendation aims to support local residents in their efforts to organize community activities and events. A central list of venues would be created and updated online by community members to provide easy-to-access information about the places in the city where people can come together.

The Task Force will develop a final report by the end of July, and over the coming weeks will be inviting more people into the discussion. You can sign up here to participate and share ideas. I was able to offer my thoughts on this issue on CBC Radio’s afternoon program, On the Coast, with radio host Stephen Quinn and Jorge Amigo, creator of Be My Amigo. You can listen to it here (at the 2:06:00 mark).

ideas for cities: Ten of the Best Urbanism Blogs on Tumblr (Part 2)

Wed, 29 May 2013 12:20:00 -0400

ideas for cities: Ten of the Best Urbanism Blogs on Tumblr (Part 2):

thisbigcity:

This article will find its way to thisbigcity.net in the coming days. Until then, it’s an exclusive for our Tumblr followers. - Joe

Last year I wrote an article sharing ten of my favourite urbanism blogs on Tumblr. One year on, it seemed like a good time for a follow up article - thanks to those of you who helped me out with my research for this list!

So, apart from Tumblr’s recent billion dollar acquisition, what’s changed in the last year? Which urbanism tumblogs have launched or hit their stride and become invaluable sources? Here are ten we recommend:

This City Life

Written by This Big City contributor Jillian Glover, This City Life aims to remind people that ”a city is only as awesome as the people who live there,” with content largely focusing on public spaces and arts and culture. Unlike many tumblogs, This City Life leans more towards the longer-form (for Tumblr, that is) and is published from Vancouver..

Thanks, Joe :)

Nature 30 X 30 Challenge: Week Three

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:26:00 -0400

May is almost done, which means I have almost completed my 30 x 30 Nature Challenge commitment (to spend 30 minutes a day in nature). This week, the weather was not nearly as nice as it was at the beginning of May. This made it even more of a challenge to get excited about being outside. David Suzuki would probably give me a passing grade at best for my efforts. I still managed to do a quick 30 + minute walk during or after work hours. My nature highlight this week was yesterday, when the sun broke through the clouds - in spite of a rainy forecast - and I went out for a run/walk at Trout Lake near my house. It was nice to hang with the sandpipers and new born ducklings, who were bold enough to come towards me for a photo (and Mama Duck was totally cool with that).

30 x 30 Nature Challenge Guest Post: Luke Potter

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:03:08 -0400

Here is another 30 x 30 Nature Challenge update from local Vancouver photographer, Luke Potter:

We’re now over half way through our 30 x 30 challenge and the recent weather we’ve had on the North Shore of Vancouver has definitely made it more of a challenge. The balmy early days of our 30 x 30 have given way to a familiar rain soaked environment, which doesn’t always enthuse my daughter to spend huge amounts of time outside – she’s happy enough getting wet and exploring how rain effects her surroundings but she doesn’t like to get cold, which is slightly odd as she’ll stay in a swimming pool until she’s purple!

So, this conundrum mixed with the fact that she never, ever wants to don a jumper (sweater) or jacket can make for a colourful situation when leaving the house!

Regardless of issues with apparel our challenge is ticking along nicely. We’ve played in parks, walked local trails, skipped rocks by a stream, counted raindrops on leaves, watched bald eagles nesting and stroked “lambs ears”- the green plant variety! I’m continuing to shoot images every day and I’m amassing quite a collection of decent nature images.

Just this week I got news from UK that one of my uncles passed away. He was 87 and married to my Aunt for 60 years - A life to celebrate. I’ve lost family and friends before and grief is such a difficult mass of emotions to deal with, it is often overwhelming. I’ve taken some quiet time to just sit by the ocean and remember John and all his family that are left behind, especially my Aunt. Over the years I’ve found being amongst nature and experiencing its numerous elements provides closeness, peacefulness, understanding, acceptance and eventually a celebration of those that have gone before us. In short….. Nature heals.

Looking forward I’ll continue to entice my daughter outside with promises of feeding ducks, combing beaches for sea-glass and having picnics – she loves to picnic, especially when there’s a possibility a crow could steal her crackers and cheese!

Good luck.

30 x 30 Nature Challenge: Week Two

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:53:00 -0400

I wrapped up another busy week getting my new house in order while trying to spend a least 30 minutes a day in nature. I’ve come to realize this is not at all as challenging as it seems. This week, it was as simple as admiring my neighbours’ lilac trees, buying tulips, and going for a quick jaunt outside my home or office. I enjoy walking through the West End’s tree-lined streets on my office lunch breaks (and taking photos at the local dog park). I also got a chance to spend a warm evening watching the sunset over downtown Vancouver from my new neighbourhood, which offers a great view of the city. The only photo I missed taking was the spectacular thunderstorm I got stuck in on one of my office lunch breaks (pretty sure it would have destroyed my iPhone). Of course, I couldn’t have had any of these awesome moments if I’d stayed indoors.

30 x 30 Nature Challenge Guest Post: Luke Potter

Mon, 13 May 2013 14:42:00 -0400

When I said I was doing the 30 x 30 Nature Challenge, Luke Potter, a reader and Vancouver photographer, contacted me to let me know that he and his daughter were also doing the Challenge. He has agreed to share his beautiful images and experiences on This City Life:

We’re over a week into our 30 x 30 challenge and my daughter and I are loving the time outdoors and smashing the 30 minute mark. Vancouver has had some incredible weather recently breaking temperature records for the month of May, which is definitely adding to our outdoor experience, but also to my “red neck” and improving my T-shirt tan. Most days we’re in nature beyond the 4 hour mark but we do have the luxury of time and the exuberance of a 3 year old on our side. Hanging out with a girl who is only 97 centimetres high does bring you physically closer to ground level nature which is why most of the images I’ve posted so far have been close up snaps of flowers- more a study of colour and pattern.The abundance of local parks on the North Shore have provided most of our natural spaces but we have also spent time walking at Rice Lake and canoeing at Porteau Cove, which are both beautiful spots. We’re feeling energized, slightly sun-kissed and ready for round 2 -

Oh and we’ve learnt to mimic the call of a “chickadee” – what a great conversation you can have with this little bird!

Cheers Luke

30 x 30 Nature Challenge: Week One

Thu, 09 May 2013 18:14:14 -0400

I just wrapped up my first week of the David Suzuki Foundation 30 X 30 Nature Challenge (a challenge to spend at least 30 minutes a day in nature for 30 days). This week was crazy - I moved to a new house, went to Whistler for a stagette and got a nasty head cold. But, I still managed to take time to get outside and walk for 30 minutes. Highlights included spending time lying on the grass in my new (first!) backyard, going for walks in my new neighbourhood (still off Commercial Drive) and chilling outdoors after a hot steam and cold dip at Whistler’s Scandinave Spa (this place is UNREAL. Seriously, go!). I also really enjoyed not listening to my head phones while walking (birds sound really lovely this time of year).

If you are doing the challenge, let me know and I will post your photos/experiences!

30 x 30 Nature Challenge

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:18:00 -0400

I have written a lot about the impact of nature on human health in the last year (see here, here, here and here). I am fascinated by this subject because nature has been so vital in helping me heal from chronic illness.

While I strongly believe that people should live in dense, urban environments in order to boost creativity, strengthen community and preserve our natural habitat, it is fundamental that this lifestyle is balanced by spending time outdoors and in nature. Studies have shown that spending time in nature reduces stress, anxiety and depression, boosts creativity, and increases Vitamin D production, immunity, energy and weight loss.

For this reason, I am making a personal commitment to the David Suzuki Foundation’s 30 X 30 Nature Challenge - a commitment to spend 30 minutes a day in nature for the month of May. Although I already go for a 30 minute walk outside every day, this challenge will give me an opportunity to use my blog to photo-document my time outdoors - to demonstrate that you can still enjoy being outside while living in a city. It will also encourage me to find new ways to explore nature in my region.

If any one is up for taking the challenge with me, email me and I will share your experiences on my blog!

To make things difficult and help me really enjoy all the benefits of the outdoors, I will resist the urge to listen to music on my iPod while walking!

How to be a Citizen Naturalist

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:50:00 -0400

“In every bio-region, one of the most urgent tasks is to rebuild the community of naturalists - so radically depleted in recent years, as young people have spent less time in nature, and higher education has placed less value on such disciplines as zoology……The times are right for the return of the amateur, twenty-first-century, citizen naturalist. To be a citizen naturalist is to take personal action, to both protect and participate in nature.”

-Richard Louv, author of the Nature Principle

There is much excitement in the urbanist community about how the millennial generation are forgoing driving in favour of living in dense cities; however few people talk about this generation’s complete disconnection and ambivalence toward nature.

Lisa Rochon recently wrote an article in the Globe and Mail asserting that cities of the future will belong to the millennial generation - nearly two million people born between 1980 and 2000 who live in Canada’s major cities and inner suburbs. Yet, according to Environics’ values-based data,their attachment to nature is ambivalent:

“Don’t expect many millennials to turn up at the opening this summer of the big, flood-protected Don River Park in Toronto’s east end. What would fire up their Facebook and Twitter accounts would be the much-anticipated, much-delayed reinvention of John Street in Toronto’s entertainment district.”

This may be a sweeping generalization, but there is some truth to the claim that my generation spends more time loving our iPhones and drinking craft beers at a hip new downtown pub than hugging trees.

In Vancouver, I am fortunate to live in a city that is so surrounded by nature that it is impossible to ignore; however many city-loving millenials don’t have the same access to nature and will suffer as a result.

I recently finished the Nature Principle, a book by Richard Louv. Louv created the term “nature-deficit disorder” to describe possible negative consequences to individual health and the social fabric as children and adults move indoors and away from physical contact with the natural world. Louv cites research pointing to attention disorders, obesity, a dampening of creativity and depression as problems associated with a nature-deficient lifestyle.

Our society is so dependent technology that we don’t realize or even adequately study how human capacities are enhanced through the power of nature. According to Louv, tapping into the restorative powers of the natural world can boost mental acuity and creativity; promote health and wellness; build smarter and more sustainable businesses, communities, and economies; and ultimately strengthen human bonds.

Spending time in nature was a big part of my childhood and even teenage years. My parents took us camping every summer, and skiing, hiking and canoeing on weekends. Growing up in Vancouver, my primary and high school education always involved lessons on local First Nations and the salmon life cycle (bet you don’t know what an “alevin” is unless you grew up in BC). I also took high school courses on local fisheries and ecology (we even had a “salmon club” where you could participate in the local fish hatchery).

Unfortunately now that I, like most millennials, am a city-dwelling adult working 9-5, I don’t get to spend as much time in nature as I used to. But, before you pick up your iPhone and go back to social media surfing - this doesn’t mean we millenials can’t be one of Louv’s citizen naturalists. Here are some tips to appreciate and support nature in an urban environment.

Try guerilla gardening: most of us living in cities don’t have access to a garden, but there are many opportunities to go rogue and plant local species of trees, flowers and bushes in empty lots around the city. For tips, check out this site:

Residents of neighbourhoods across the city have been quietly adding flowers and other plants to lanes, boulevards and traffic circles. In Vancouver, along the boulevards of 100 block West 10th they have added planters, bicycle baskets, wheelbarrows and flower beds. Residents near McLean and Grant, 8th and Sasamat, 16th and Trimble and 20th and Fleming have also planted their boulevards with flowers. One east-side resident plants her boulevard with beans and other vegetables for public picking.

Laura Sandberg is a guerilla gardener in Prince George. She transforms vacant lots into vegetable and flower beds. (Photo c/o CBC)

Get educated on local flora and fauna: There are organizations in and around Metro Vancouver (and cities around the world) that host nature walks, bird watching excursions, etc. where you can get to know the local plants and critters in your bioregion. For more information on Metro Vancouver nature events, visit these sites: Every week events; Nature Vancouver; Metro Vancouver; Ongoing Natural Walks.

Support and introduce local plants in your neighbourhood: If you really want to support your local ecosystem, plant local species to support the bugs and animals that live there. According to Audobon at Home:

“The most significant factors in the decline of bird populations are habitat loss and degradation. One solution to curb habitat loss is for each residential area (new and established) to provide birds and other wildlife the necessities for survival — food, water, nesting area, and shelter……By creating healthy habitat for birds and wildlife in our yards and neighborhoods, we can temper the habitat fragmentation and displacement caused by urban and suburban expansion by helping to build that matrix.Your yard is an important piece of the matrix. Its singular importance is magnified by the combined efforts of others.”

You could even plant a homegrown Butterfly Garden!

Enjoy your local parks and nature: Take The David Suzuki Foundation’s 30 for 30 challenge and spend 30 minutes a day outside in nature for 30 days this May. You will be amazed at what this does for your happiness and sense of peace, trust me. This great infographic illustrates how nature impacts human health.

Pick up litter: Canada just celebrated its Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup last weekend. But, we can do our part every day to pick up litter in our back alleys, parks and beaches.

Use clean transportation: Riding a bike or taking the bus means you spend more time in the outdoors, get more physical activity and reduce your carbon footprint. ‘Nuf said.

Shop local: support your local farmers market, co-op grocer, health food store, florist, etc. Money spent at a local business generates 3.5 times more wealth for the local economy compared to money spent at a chain-owned business. And, it is better for the environment since major chains burn 1 billion metric tons of CO2 shipping products around the world. Here is another infographic that provides further evidence on why you should shop local.

“Close the landfill, and own your shit!”: This was the response from Jennifer Marshall, partner in Urban Arts Architecture, in a Tyee article last year that asked local Vancouverites what paradigm shifts would enhance the city. In her words:

“If we all took ownership of our consumption, if there was no such thing as “away,” if we closed the landfill… what would the consequences be? I believe it would reduce waste, reduce unnecessary consumption, and reduce unnecessary production and use of raw materials. But it would also shift our paradigm. For one, we’d value what we have more. We’d demand higher quality, more durable goods. We’d create new industries of reuse, and foster community through sharing resources and means to recycle. Call it Craigslist on your block.”

These are just a few simple tips to help you get outdoors more and appreciate and conserve nature in your city. I would love to hear more. What do you do in your daily life to be a citizen naturalist?

Revolver, a local coffee shop in Vancouver. (Photo c/o Vancouverish)

Welcome to the Jungle

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 13:34:00 -0400

I just spent a week relaxing on a small beach resort on the outskirts of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. My husband and I initially struggled to find the perfect spot for a sunny beach vacation, since we aren’t into big, all-inclusive resorts that don’t give you a sense of the local culture. We found the perfect solution when we vacationed at Majahuitas, a resort where you stay in an open air casita located on a private beach, backed by Mexican jungle. Majahuitas is situated on land leased by the native population. Local people are hired to operate the resort and it runs entirely on solar power. The staff are treated well and are very happy, which makes for delicious food and company while we stayed there. In addition to eating and lying on the beach, we were able to take day trips by boat and hike to small nearby villages. Bonus: there was no TV or internet connection. I thought I would miss my screens but I didn’t even notice the absence. Wouldn’t it be nice if more resorts were like this?

Taking a boat to Majahuitas.

Reading in my casita (there is not much else to do).

Two hour hike through the jungle to a local waterfall.

Lunch of empanadas, enchiladas, ribs, ceviche and fresh-caught fish from a guest at the resort.

Day trip to Yelapa, a local fishing village.

The Fall (and Subsequent Rise) of the Independent Bookstore

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 13:56:00 -0400

Last month, I took a short trip to Portland, Oregon. My husband and I arrived late on Friday night and one of the first places we went to was Powell’s Books. Leaving almost 3 hours later with several bags full of purchased books, it is easy to see why Powell’s consistently ranks as one of the world’s greatest bookstores.

While so many cities have lost their independent bookstores - first to major book retail chains, and now to Amazon.com and e-readers - Powell’s Books is thriving. It is a hub of community and culture, a great spot to people watch and will totally turn you on to books, even if you don’t consider yourself much of a book lover. I wish every great city had a bookstore like this.

Powell’s flagship store, dubbed the “City of Books,” occupies an entire city block in downtown Portland’s Burnside neighbourhood, and carries more than one million books. It is the largest used and new bookstore in the world. The sixty-eight-thousand-square-foot space is divided into nine colour coded rooms, which house more than 3,500 sections that range from Alchemy to Vintage Cookbooks.

At Powell’s, anyone is welcome to walk around and browse the store until late at night. According to its website, 3,000 people walk into Powell’s just to browse and drink coffee every day, while another 3,000 people actually buy something. When I was there, no salespeople were hassling me. I ended up in sections I wouldn’t normally visit, buying books I would never have discovered in a chain bookstore or online. The best part of walking into these sections was eavesdropping and watching the people who visited them (like the Goth girls in the astrology section who were analysing their astrological compatibility with their boyfriends).

Powell’s Books also hosts events that bring the community together to celebrate artists and writers. Each month, its Basil Hallward Gallery hosts a new art exhibit, as well as dozens of author events featuring acclaimed authors and thinkers such as Joyce Carol Oates, Annie Leibovitz, and President Jimmy Carter.

It used to be that every great city had a bookstore like Powell’s. Vancouver had Duthies (its last location closed in 2010). New York City had the Gotham Book Mart, where Allen Ginsberg was once a clerk. It closed in 2007. Even when I was in Palm Springs last fall, they had a great independent book store, Latino Books y Mas, that was closing due to complications with its lease.

I don’t need to go into analysing why these bookstores are closing. It is difficult to compete with the lure of cheap books from Amazon and the ease of e-readers. But as usual, with every technological gain we make, we lose something more valuable - a connection to our community and our city that can only be offered by a local bookstore. On the closing of Vancouver’s Duthies Books, the owner Duthie Legate, said in an interview with the Georgia Straight:

“It’s the books you find when you’re here, and you go, ”˜Oh, that looks so great’ and get it—the four or five books that you find not because you’re looking for them, but because you walk through and you see them”.You know, I talk to everybody that comes in. I know my customers. I might not remember their names all the time, but I know that they’ve got kids or they’ve just been to Italy or read this book—I know them. And that’s going to get lost.”

With every independent bookstore that closes, a city loses a special piece of community and culture (the same can be said of the demise of independent movie theatres). But before you go crying into your used copy of Hemingway’s Moveable Feast purchased at Paris’ Shakespeare and Company, it turns out that 2012 was actually a banner year for the independent bookstore.

The Christian Science Monitor ran a cover story last month about the rise of independent bookstores in the U.S., as sales at independent bookstores rose 8 percent in 2012 over 2011, according to a survey by the American Booksellers Association. The article states that “bookstore owners credit the modest increases to everything from the shuttering of Borders to the rise of the “buy local” movement, and to a get-‘er-done outlook among the indies that would shame Larry the Cable Guy. If they have to sell cheesecake or run a summer camp to survive, add it to the to-do list.”

Independent booksellers are holding strong, running events and coming up with new ways to foster relationships with the people in their community. According to the Christian Science Monitor article, “at bookstores nationwide, the community event has replaced the cat as de rigueur. Independents have added cafes and costume plays, and sell everything from locally made cards, T-shirts, and toys to chocolates and calendars.”

“These days, community-building is the most important key to an indie bookstore’s success,” says Christine Onaroti, owner of the Brooklyn bookstore, WORD. “I believe that the days of just putting books on a shelf and hoping people will come in to buy them – [that] is not realistic…. There’s not a lot of room for pretentious, snooty booksellers these days.”

These noble efforts of local bookstore entrepreneurs just may help lure back online book buyers and attract a new generation of readers. As someone who buys books online and supports my local used bookstore (those Amazon books have to go somewhere once I am done with them), being in Powells Books made me realize what an awesome bookstore Vancouver could have if we supported the small independents. I definitely will be supporting my local bookstore more from now on, and hopefully so will more city dwellers. According to Vancouver’s Duthie Legate:

“I think bookstores are going to become a niche thing, like vinyl records are a niche item now, and there will be only maybe one or two, depending on the size of the city, but the people that know where it is will go there and be really passionate about it. So I don’t think it’s going to go the way of the dodo, but it will be further and further on the fringe.”

The National Post: Gentrification in Vancouver's Eastside

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:57:00 -0400

Vancouver’s gritty East Side is increasingly in the media spotlight, as it has been attracting new businesses and residential development over the past year. Some local residents are taking to protests, hunger strikes and vandalism to oppose the movement of new money and socio-economic classes into the neighbourhood. The National Post wrote an article about it (and interviewed me). You can read it here.

Photo: Ben Helms for the National Post

Happy Easter

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:51:55 -0400

Happy Easter dear readers! It’s been hard to be in front of the computer these days. The weather in Vancouver has been spectacularly sunny and warm over the holidays. We are so blessed to live in a city where you can drive 20 minutes out of the downtown and end up here (I’ll be back on the blog tomorrow).

Kayaking in Deep Cove

Can a City be too Pretty? How Gentrification Affects a City's Art and Soul

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 14:19:00 -0400

A city isn’t really a city without a little grit. That edge, that grittiness I am referring to comes from a city’s built form - it’s industrial land; the train tracks; the port cranes; its older, unkempt graffitied buildings. A city’s grit also comes from it’s people’s struggles - the new immigrant taking a night shift cleaning office buildings to make it in a new world, or the artist eking out a living making art in an abandoned warehouse.

Gentrification is a hot issue in Vancouver’s gritty Downtown Eastside (Photo c/o DisposableLandscapes)

Maybe it all sounds a little clichéd, but without these gritty elements, a city runs the risk of becoming an over-planned, over-regulated yet lovely, resort town. Nice to visit, but not much substance. Grittiness is often what makes cities fascinating places to live. It creates the determination that inspires people to help other city dwellers, improve themselves and their surroundings, and to make art. Author Candice Bushnell once wrote about New York’s gritty roots:

“The city was different back then—poor and crumbling—kept alive only by the gritty determination and steely cynicism of its occupants. But underneath the dirt was the apple-cheeked optimism of possibility.”

As cities around the world like New York and my hometown of Vancouver are becoming more desirable places to live, their grittiness is under threat. Market forces are bringing in new money in the form of fancy refurbished lofts, new condominiums, expensive farmer’s markets, and high end restaurants and shops. Its pretty great for those who have the money to enjoy and appreciate these revitalized areas, but it is pushing out many of the low-income people who moved downtown when it was affordable and less desirable.

Gentrification Poster in Brooklyn, NYC

Arguably, a bit of grittiness in city life creates the authenticity and diversity that makes cities attractive places to live and work - yet overzealous developers and urban planners are often eager to smooth out a city’s rough edges and replace them with polished concrete and glass condos. Many of the people being displaced in the world’s great cities are artists. As they contribute to making the most downtrodden areas trendy, the cultural venues they live, work and perform in are now sitting on valuable land which they typically don’t own.

I’ve been to a couple of lectures and speaking events over the last month on the subject of gentrification and the arts. The common theme at these events is how artists are “victims” of real estate speculation, land values, politics, etc. If this is true, then the real question for our cities and their artists is:

How can artists shift from being victims of gentrification to becoming agents of change?

The now destroyed Pantages Theatre in Vancouver (Photo c/o DisposableLandscapes)

In Vancouver, Canada, artists have seen many of their spaces destroyed and replaced with condos (Richards on Richards, the Sugar Refinery, the Pantages Theatre, The Ridge Theatre, etc.). The biggest uproar that finally lead the City to wake up and take action was when it was discovered that a local developer bought the Waldorf Hotel, a historic building and popular hangout for the city’s arts scene.

Citizens, politicians, journalists, and local and international artists used social media to express their outrage. And it worked. Gregor Robertson, the Mayor of Vancouver, issued a statement about the historic and cultural importance of the Waldorf and placed a 120-day moratorium on any demolition permit the new owners might apply for. The freeze would give the city time to conduct a “statement of significance” to assess and document the building’s heritage importance. As it stands, although still in tact, the Waldorf is no longer the swinging hub of arts and culture it once was.

Supporters of the Waldorf held a rally outside Vancouver City Hall (Photo: Yoland Cole)

At one event I went to following the news of the Waldorf Hotel, many artists expressed frustration that they and their peers were again losing a performance/work space. Some of the ideas suggested to help artists become more empowered were:

Stop relying on government funding and become more business-like in promoting artistic works.
Form artists’ co-operatives in order to buy land/buildings.
Engage the city in developing a “cultural land trust” to protect artist’s spaces.
Stop working in isolation and find ways to collaborate at a regional and national level to promote the arts.
Encourage people to engage in the arts as participants, not consumers.
Find more unconventional spaces to promote arts (as opposed to typical established theatres, galleries, etc.)

A musician assembles a banjo in a workshop she shares with other instrument makers in buildings reserved for Montreal artists. (PETER MCCABE / FOR THE TORONTO STAR)

A recent example of empowered artists protecting their community happened in Montreal’s Mile End neighbourhood. Since the 1980s, Mile End has been known for as a home to artists, musicians (such as Arcade Fire and Grimes), writers, and filmmakers. In the 1990s, a computer graphics software house Discreet Logic made a mark on the area by renovating an old clothing factory which later become home to computer game developer Ubisoft. The city started to revitalize the neighbourhood with nice bike paths, walkways, etc. and then the condo developers moved in, rents rose and artists were under threat. They responded by forming the Pied Carré which successfully lobbied the government to make a ground-breaking decision: issuing a development moratorium on 200,000 sq. ft of art space in the area for thirty years.

When artists unite like this, they can become a powerful force against gentrification. In fact as I was writing this article, the City of Vancouver announced that it will become the first city in Canada to allow arts performances as a temporary use in warehouse and retail buildings.

These examples demonstrate how city planning can play a role in supporting the arts. In fact, there are many promising trends in city planning right now - walkable communities, urban agriculture, increased public transit, bike lanes, mixed use developments - but in this rush to polish our cities for a new generation of urban dwellers, we run the risk of losing the grit and the artistic expressions that make up a city’s soul.

We need beauty in our cities in the form of architecture, nature and public art, but often appreciating this beauty comes from seeing its contrast in derelict buildings, dive-bars and run-down theatres. Sometimes I wish cities would stop trying to be so pretty all the time.

Graffiti in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (Photo c/o DisposableLandscapes)

Revitalized Public Market Helps New Westminster Get Back to its Roots

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 19:12:00 -0500

Also featured on Spacing Vancouver

New Westminster’s first Public Market (c/o New West Archives)

When you think of suburbs, you don’t typically think of a charming, local shopping experience. Big box stores, retail chains and sprawling parking lots are more likely to come to mind. But it doesn’t have to be this way, as suburbs like Metro Vancouver’s New Westminster are proving. With its re-invented public market, the city is helping bring back the local shopping experience and attracting a new generation of young families to its historic downtown core in the process.

Originally the capital city of British Columbia, Downtown New Westminster sits along the banks of the mighty Fraser River - once a hub of trade and commerce. Its main street - Columbia Street - is lined with brick heritage buildings, and nearby Front Street along the waterfront was originally home to one of British Columbia’s first public markets in the late 1890s.

New Westminster got another public market - Westminster Quay Public Market- over 100 years later (a period in which the entire city burned to the ground and lost its provincial capital status to Victoria, BC). The new market was developed in the mid-1980s to revitalize the fledgling Metro Vancouver suburb. Its popularity was relatively short-lived.

With the rise of global big box supermarkets, Westminster Quay Public Market, like many local shops in suburban areas, lost its way. As of July 2007, the Quay’s commercial component had noticeably decreased, with many vacancies. It was around that time when Mark Shieh, a budding Vancouver entrepreneur, urbanist and developer, saw an opportunity to turn things around, revitalizing the market - and the entire downtown of New Westminster - in the process.

Westminster Quay (photo c/o Arbron)

“A few years ago, if you came to the Quay, you would be disappointed: half of it was empty and the other half was a mix of imported products,” said Shieh.” It was a downward spiral. If a customer comes to the market and the fish isn’t fresh, they don’t come back and if they don’t return, it gets worse and worse.”

In 2008, Shieh and his team embarked on creating River Market, a “food-led revitalization” of the Westminster Quay Public Market, aimed at strengthening the local food economy and on reintroducing the public market as a focal point of community life.

“We were interested in this idea of how do you reinvent a public market. In the 1980s there was a lot of excitement about public markets. People just thought if you had a waterfront location you could make these things work but they are much more complicated than that,” said Shieh. “Now, there is competition from the chain grocery stores, like Urban Fare and Choices, which have adopted a market feel and can locate wherever they want. There was less of a reason to go to the public market - and that was the start of our project - how do you reinvent the public market to offer more than a supermarket so it is relevant in your life?”

River Market (photo c/o River Market)

According to Shieh, River Market was modelled on the 3Cs: “the market side is commerce but the public side is community and culture.”

The once half-empty market is now home to popular independent Vancouver grocery and food retailers like Donald’s Market, Re-Up BBQ, Wally’s Burgers, Wild Rice, and a Winter Farmers Market, which all reside on the main floor, dubbed the “Hungry Floor.”

“We went out and looked for some of the best independent restauranteurs,” said Sheih. “We may have to do some convincing - maybe even begging - but it worked!”

On the second floor - the “Curious Floor” - there is Vancouver Circus School, an artisans market along with work/sell studios that are occupied by potters, soapmakers and other artisans. There is also a banquet hall and the Network Hub, which provides shared workplaces for entrepreneurs.

As Mark and his team at River Market move into the next phase, they are trying to determine how to support local businesses so they can thrive, looking for even more ways to get people out of their homes and shopping locally.

“In a context that favours big boxes and chain stores, how do local businesses compete?” said Shieh. “There is globalization, but there is also the rise of local. What makes neighbourhoods interesting is those small independent businesses. Being able to walk down a street and have eclectic quirky stores. It is a struggle to compete. Some people will come to the stores at River Market and comment on the price - ‘why can I find it cheaper somewhere else?’ And it comes down to how do you interpret value. You could say there are timeless human needs to be healthy and to connect people and the outdoors and those probably won’t change much.”

In addition to offering a walkable, local shopping experience, River Market hosts a diverse array of events to bring people together, such as lunchtime yoga, children’s baking and Lego classes, a farmers market and a Philosopher’s Cafe.

“The next framework will be the activity economy, where we are cooking together, growing food together, demanding physical contact,” said Mark. “At the same time we are getting globalized, we are also getting localized.”

Mark’s long-term goal is for River Market to become one of the top 10 food markets in the world by 2020. His team’s efforts are already paying off. River Market was given a Land Award at last year’s Real Estate Foundation of B.C. Land Awards. And according to Mark, local residents are showing up at the market in droves, embracing his vision of local food and community.

“There are a lot of young families in New West. We already have stroller jams!”

Vancouver Circus School at River Market (photo c/o River Market)

Citymaker: Erick Villagomez (Editor of Spacing Vancouver)

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:34:00 -0500

Citymakers is a new This City Life column featuring people who do great things for Vancouver or other cities - whether it is through their love of art, music, photography, public space, nature or any form of creative expression or city issue. They don’t get a lot of recognition for what they do. And, they often do it in their spare time, for free or little money, off the side of their desk, mostly while working full-time, 9-5 jobs. But, that is not an issue to them. They pursue their art or passion because they love and care about what they are doing.**

Erick Villagomez is an educator, independent researcher, and designer. He is the founder of Metis Design|Build and editor of Spacing Vancouver, an online publication looking at Metro Vancouver’s public realm and urban landscape. Erick also lectures and writes on topics regarding the built environment for professional, academic, and community audiences. We met through Spacing Vancouver.

Who are you ?

Boy, that’s a tough question. :)

I wear a lot of hats around town. Over and above being a father and husband, I teach a number of design-related course - architecture, urban design, drawing - at various schools in the Lower Mainland. I run a relatively diverse environmental design practice that delves into residential architecture, urban design consulting, information design and more recently illustration. Last but not least, on the side, I’m the Editor-in-Chief of a local online magazine called Spacing Vancouver that focuses on various issues related to the urban landscape.

Given all the random stuff I do, most people have trouble pinning me into a single category, so I kinda consider myself a kind of ‘design filler’….or ‘human caulking’ for urban and design-related issues.

What motivates you to get involved in city life?
Ultimately, I’m motivated by trying to understanding us - people - through the patterns that we leave in the built world and, with some luck, coming across some insights that can help us out with some of the concerns we have with our settlements. It’s one of those ongoing fascinations that I don’t think can ever fully be achieved…which is one of the reasons I like it so much.

At the end of the day, I think everything I do can be summed up by two statements: Be principled, and always work to improve the human condition.

Why Vancouver?
To tell you the truth, it was more of an intuitive decision. When I first visited the city over a decade ago for a week, I think it embodied a lot of the values I held dear. That is my ‘rational’ reason. The more accurate reason is that when I visited, I inexplicably just knew I had to live here. A bit cliche, I know…but true. The rest is history.

Vancouver would be better if____(fill in the blanks)
Blueberries grew here all year round! :)

Favourite public space?
There are too many. I actually have different favourites for different reasons. I think most people do. So, it’s tough to choose just one.
On an everyday basis, though, everybody knows I’m a huge fan of Commercial Drive.

Must have Vancouver souvenir?
Grounds For Coffee cinnamon bun….yes, confections can be souvenirs.

Favourite local hangout?
Given I have kids, what this question is really asking is what my favourite local playground is, to which I respond: the new seawall along Olympic Village.

Local inspiration (person, place or thing)?
Going to one of the local mountains on a rainy day and looking at the luminous and puffy landscape above the clouds

Worst thing about Vancouver?
That most people wear gray and black clothing in a very rainy city.

Favourite Vancouver memory?
I’ve been here long enough to build a pretty big archive of favourite local memories. One of the more recent was the amazing joy on my daughter’s face, (and overall experience) as I carried her my on shoulders with her tiny Team Canada jersey up Commercial Drive after they won the gold medal in 2010. Equally memorable was how brain dead everybody was the next day.

Citymakers is a column to profile people who positively contribute to the city (socially, artistically, environmentally, etc.) in their free time. Who else should be profiled here?
Elee Kraljii Gardiner - Thursday’s Writing Collective
Gordon Price
Andrew Pask - Vanouver Public Space Network
Yuri Artibise - Placespeak
Linus Lam - Executive Director, Architecture for Humanity Vancouver
Eesmyal Santos Brault - President & Founder, Vancouver Design Nerds

**Editor’s Note: I realize the last three profiles have all been men and can assure my readers that I will feature more women in the Citymakers column.

This City Life's 2nd Anniversary

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:45:00 -0500

I almost forgot that This City Life turned two yesterday. I started this blog one year after the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games as way to share my thoughts and perspective on local and international urban issues and to encourage people to get involved in city life, much like they did during the Games.

Having a blog is hugely rewarding to me and many thanks to all of my readers and the many inspiring people I have met along the way.

Here is a photo of me climbing an impressive old tree in Stanley Park this weekend, being reminded of how awesome it is to live in a city immersed in nature.