vancouver - Yule Heibel on Diigo

26 Oct 09

His brave new world - The Globe and Mail

Who knew that Bob Rennie (Vancouver's "Condo King") was amassing a huge art collection with a focus on "marginalization, oppression and resistance"? Very interesting article about a very interesting collector indeed. I would certainly love to visit his new museum.
QUOTE
"The Downtown Eastside is marginalized, and a lot of what I have is about marginalization, oppression and resistance," Mr. Rennie said as he walked through construction chaos a few days before opening. Some workers were installing the complex pieces created by Palestinian artist Mona Hatoum, while others were putting in more pedestrian items like air vents and doorknobs.
UNQUOTE

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19 May 09

globeandmail.com: The visible city: Will public data end up online?

Frances Bula reports on Vancouver City Council's plans to make city information and statistics publicly accessible:
QUOTE
The idea is that everyone from programmers to curious residents could use city data to do anything from tracking their garbage-truck driver on his route to mapping where the worst landlords' buildings are.

The notion - being pioneered in such places as Toronto, Washington and San Francisco - is that the more information people have, the more cities can tap into the collective energy of their residents to develop new applications or get more involved in the way the city works.
UNQUOTE

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vancouver public_data ubiquity information municipal_government

The move to liberate government records was welcomed by the provincial organization that monitors the state of information more closely than any other, the B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy Association.

"There is more and more information available in computer files, but the trend, unfortunately, so far has been that increasingly that information is restricted," said Richard Rosenberg, a computer-science professor who is the association's president. He started working with computers in the 1960s, and there was hope the technology would be a great tool for democracy.

Instead, governments have become more wary about releasing information, especially in B.C.

"There's this underlying feeling from bureaucrats and politicians that releasing information would come back to haunt them."

22 Apr 09

Welcome to Vancouver 2.0 :: Photo Essay :: thetyee.ca

It starts as a photo-essay, but this being the Tyee, the comments muscle their way in to center stage, too. (An aside: I'm getting fed up with all the negative commentary that craps all over all newspaper - including Tyee and my local paper, Times-Colonist - articles that allude to anything creative, innovative, or full of change. It brings out all the usual suspects, who waste no time burying a good idea under cyncism and negativity. Ugh.)

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thetyee vancouver eco_density architecture green_buildings futurismo

26 Mar 09

Vancouver’s housing habit

"Money hasn't saved Canada's most blighted neighbourhood, the drug-infested Downtown Eastside. Resources aren't wanting; it's estimated that $1-million is shovelled into the area every day to pay for myriad services and examples of social housing not seen in other communities. "

Interesting indictment of the poverty industry, too.

www.nationalpost.com/...story.html - Preview

vancouver housing affordable_housing homelessness social_disorder

07 Jan 09

Chris Keam: Making The Most of Micro Homes

Blog post by Chris Keam about a design project called "Homes for Less," done by students at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design and at the University of British Columbia's Centre for Advanced Wood. The students had to create homes (compact) that could be built for under $1500. The results were on view on Granville Island (till 11/14/08).

One thing that strikes me with these microhomes - and the ones built by the Madhousers group - is that they would be claustrophobic (literally) for some of the hardcore homeless. In that regard, the "Stop-Gap housing" proposal by Vancouver architect Henriquez seems better, insofar as his proposed modular homes could be customized to leave one side completely open to nature/ outside. This is preferred by some people, especially those who need a transition period to get back into the idea of living within 4 walls.

www.chriskeam.com/...aking-most-of-micro-homes.html - Preview

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01 Jan 09

A Christmas essay: a better way to help the homeless

Article published in Seattle-based Crosscut about an initiative out of Vancouver to build "Stop Gap Housing" (as per architect Gregory Henriquez), essentially fixed mobile/modular homes, for people who are homeless. Article continues over 2 pages.

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homelessness vancouver housing affordable_housing modular british_columbia crosscut

A plan to house Vancouver's homeless is taking shape on the drawing board of a local architect. It calls for the rapid erection of temporary villages assembled from the same type of modular units that mining companies provide for remote workers.

"Stop Gap Housing" is what architect Gregory Henriquez calls it.
7 more annotations...
- we've gotten to the point where the numbers of homeless are so staggering that I'm left wondering if we will ever catch up doing it that way. I don't think we can. I think there has to be a stop-gap measure. And that's what this is."
- Henriquez, whose Woodward's includes 200 units of social housing built to last hundreds of years, stressed that Stop Gap Housing would never replace permanent homes.
  
  "It's portable dwellings. It's not meant to be a permanent fixture on the landscape. But it could serve for several years until we complete the construction of permanent housing," he said. "I think it's better than leaving people homeless."
- And if built quickly, the modular housing plan even holds the potential to transform the 2010 Winter Games from an international embarrassment — during which the world would discover that British Columbia built multi-million-dollar condos for 5,000 Olympic athletes while doing nothing to house its legion of more than 10,000 homeless — into a showcase of Canadian compassion.
- "They use these all over the Athabaska tar sands," Henriquez said. "They call it workforce housing."
- individual units — with ensuite bathrooms and fronts that open directly to the outdoors — would be more acceptable to individuals not accustomed to coping with neighbors, as well as to those reluctant to give up pets or bicycles.
- the crux of Vancouver's exploding homelessness problem is as follows: social and economic dislocation is rendering British Columbians homeless much faster than BC Housing can build homes for them.
  
  "The big issue has to do with permitting," Henriquez said. "For a normal social housing building, you might need rezoning, then you need a development permit, then a building permit. That takes years."
  
  But Stop Gap Homes would rest on wooden blocking, not permanent foundations.
  
  "These can all be done through temporary permitting," Henriquez said. "It's a 12-month permit that can be renewed."
- If combined with the reopening of almost 500 shuttered hotel rooms recently identified by the Carnegie Community Action Project, the Stop Gap plan would provide enough homes to house nearly all of the 1,547 individuals found in Vancouver during the spring 2008 homeless count, and leave hundreds of shelter beds left over for the newcomers expected to arrive as the 2010 Games approach.
  - Only 1547 homeless in Vancouver's count? Victoria had well over 1000, yet is so much smaller than Vancouver. How come we have so many homeless here? - on 2009-01-01
  Add Sticky Note

04 Dec 08

A Vancouverite’s Guide to Twitter » Vancouver Blog Miss 604 by Rebecca Bollwitt

As the title says, a compendium of all the major Vancouver users of Twitter. Victoria should take note...

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rebecca_bollwitt miss_604 twitter vancouver

01 Dec 08

Urban farming school takes root

Richmond, BC starts an urban farming school...

www.vancouversun.com/...story.html - Preview

urban_food urban_farming food_security vancouver richmond

Kwantlen and the Richmond food security task force have joined forces to launch the ground-breaking program in 2009 as a way to allow young farmers to get into the industry and to meet the growing demand for locally produced food.
"The potential for this kind of agriculture to develop into a substantial component of the local and regional economy cannot be understated," Mullinix said.
he program would require about two hectares of land to start, and could partner with the Richmond Fruit Tree Sharing Project, which already has a presence at the proposed city sites and is growing food for local food banks.
The school's topics would include soil management, plant science, animal husbandry and farm infrastructure, but would cover all steps in the food chain, including value-added processing, marketing, and sales.
2 more annotations...
- Mullinix said the program would be flexible for students who want part-time and short-term instruction as well as those seeking a full-time four-year baccalaureate program, with an emphasis on teaching in the field rather than the traditional classroom setting.
  The goal is to start the program in early 2009 with perhaps a dozen students and build from there.
- In later years, students might be allocated a portion of city lands where, short of outright ownership, they could operate their own farm operation under supervision.

30 Nov 08

Larry Beasley's Simple Plan, by Frances Bula Vancouver Magazine

First page of a 10-page piece on Larry Beasley & co., and how other cities are adopting and adapting the "Vancouver model." It's a bit short on substance, but there are some interesting bits if you're willing to scroll across all 10 pages (each page is very very short - just a paragraph or so). Not sure why Vancouver Magazine presents articles in such an annoying format, but there you have it...

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13 Nov 08

"Better Wind Turbines" (MIT Technology Review)

QUOTE
ExRo Technologies, a startup based in Vancouver, BC, has developed a new kind of generator that's well suited to harvesting energy from wind. It could lower the cost of wind turbines while increasing their power output by 50 percent.
UNQUOTE

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06 Oct 08

re:place Magazine

- about the importance of affordability in helping sustain diversity...

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affordability diversity cities vancouver renting replace_magazine

06 Aug 08

Be Nice to the 'Creative Class'! :: Views :: thetyee.ca

Why does one too often get the impression that publications like The Tyee are fighting a rear-guard and even anachronistic battle? That somehow, somewhere different patterns are emerging, which its journalists just don't see, preferring instead the familiar world of what they knew "back in the day"?

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thetyee richard_florida creative_class vancouver socialcritique

15 May 08

Colourful banners to light up city (Vancouver Sun)

Wouldn't it be great to have something like this (based on a virus invading the artist's computer) be digital/ computer-generated, instead of in the same old technique of ...?screen-printed banners? C'mon, so it's a nice pattern -- but if it derived from "a virus that invaded [artist Bratsa] Bonifacho's computer," why not make it viral in form?

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vancouver bratsa_bonifacho art art_projects public_art

Colourful banners to light up city
Vancouver artist Bratsa Bonifacho unveils his works at city hall
Catherine Rolfsen,
Vancouver Sun
Published: Wednesday, May 14, 2008
VANCOUVER I The city's gloomy skyline is about to receive a shot of colour as hundreds of dazzling artworks are strung up for the 50th annual street banners display.
"I decided I had to do something very colourful, because the city is so rainy, so cloudy," said Vancouver artist Bratsa Bonifacho, at the unveiling of his works at city hall Tuesday.
And he has: the six works -- which will be hung in various combinations this summer along the Burrard and Cambie street bridges, Georgia and Burrard streets and the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts -- are bursting with neon pinks, electric blues and brilliant oranges.
2 more annotations...
- The intricate banners, composed of grids of stylized letters and symbols, come from a series entitled Habitat Pixel, which is inspired by a virus that invaded Bonifacho's computer.
  Rather than frustration, Bonifacho was seized with fascination when "the whole screen jammed with numbers and pixels."
  The final works look cryptic, and they are: Bonifacho said the banners are encoded with secret messages.
  "But I'm never going to reveal it," he said with a laugh.
  "It could be Latin, it could be French. It could be Chinese."
- At Tuesday's unveiling, Mayor Sam Sullivan presented Bonifacho with a $1,500 honorarium and thanked him for creating "a visual feast for the pure enjoyment of the public."
  The tradition of Vancouver street banners dates back to the B.C. Centenary in 1958, when a team spruced up the city by flying banners as well as stringing strands of dogwood blossoms over Granville and Hastings streets and floated a dragon on Lost Lagoon.
  Jack Shadbolt, Tony Onley, Gordon Smith and Bill Reid are among the artists whose works have been displayed on the banners over the years.

11 Mar 08

Downtown to be painted with digital light

Downtown Vancouver's corporate buildings will be "grafitti-ed" with laser art, as part of Cultural Olympiad. See http://2007.newformsfestival.com/neograf for more info.

Wish we had something comparable in Victoria (hint, hint!)...

www.canada.com/...story.html - Preview

downtown grafitti light_art neograf neografik_project nomlg public_art vancouver

Downtown corporate office towers will be rebranded on Friday and Saturday night when a group of graffiti artists paint their 10-metre tall designs on the sides of buildings with light.
The non-destructive art form uses new open-source software called laser tagging. It allows artists to create real-time designs with light instead of Jiffy markers and spray cans.
Called NeoGraf, the digital graffiti performances will be taking place as part of Midforms and the 2010 Cultural Olympiad.
On both nights, the digital graffiti starts and ends at Open Studios, 252 East First Ave. On Friday, artists Rhek and Virus will be doing laser tagging and over the course of several hours and they'll be moving to several locations in the downtown core including the east wall of the Holiday Inn on Howe and Helmcken. For location details check http://2007.newformsfestival.com/neograf.
On Saturday, artists Neal Nolan and Adam Dodd will be creating more detailed and complex murals. The software allows artists to create different looks, ranging from standard, hard-edge graffiti to more painterly images.
NeoGraf is being brought to Vancouver by NomIg, a Montreal-based duo that investigates the relationships between audio and video.
Ed Jordan from NomIg said people are invited to drop by, watch, and participate on Friday.
"You'll see on Friday a crowd of people and some spontaneous drawing on walls. It'll look large and bright. You'll probably see someone drawing a stick man to people who will be doing some skilled patterns and drawing," Jordan said from Montreal.
"We'll probably have some music playing. These aren't already created images just being projected on a wall. This is about watching the creative process unfold."
1 more annotations...
- Jordan said he came up with the Neografik Project as a way of reclaiming public space by filling it with art instead of corporate logos. The software for laser tagging was developed by new media artist Agent Watson in Amsterdam and the Graffiti Research Lab in Brooklyn, N.Y.
  NeoGraf is the most visible portion of Midforms, an annual multidisciplinary festival celebrating new technology and music. Midforms also includes Dubforms, which explores dub and electronic music, on Friday, and TechForms, an electronic and ambient music event, on Saturday. Both are ticketed events that take place at 10 p.m. each night at Open Studios.

14 Feb 08

EcoDensity raises fears of crowding without amenities

Crosscut's David Brewster referenced this article in his critique of 2 Seattle developments. Key aspect is that if the amenities aren't delivered, you can't have the density. It won't work -- the amenities HAVE to be first-class. Recall Edward T. Hall and his commentary on Calhoun.

www.canada.com/...story.html - Preview

amenities eco_density frances_bula urban_development vancouver

As well, they worry there isn't enough emphasis on creating affordable housing or complete neighbourhoods with libraries, transit and community services to go with the density.
Lehan said people feel the process is being rushed through and they fear that the new charter will mean that "we will have 40-storey towers that will be built in the middle of nowhere."
- - sounds like a typical NIMBY panic-mongering reaction... - on 2008-02-14
Add Sticky Note
2 more annotations...
- As well, they don't like a postscript added by Coun. Suzanne Anton to consider taller buildings in the city's heritage neighbourhoods of Chinatown, Gastown and the Downtown Eastside.
  - I'd agree with them that historically significant neighbourhoods shouldn't be subject to extreme make-overs. Infill is one thing, getting rid of surface parking lots, ditto. But razing and rebuilding gets trickier, and some areas have protection. As for including the DES...? Not so sure about that one. - on 2008-02-14
  Add Sticky Note
- Colin Gray, chairman of the Dunbar Visions group, which developed the west-side neighbourhood's local plan 10 years ago, said Toderian met the group before Christmas and allayed some of their fears.
  On the other hand, Gray said, residents hear about proposals to build seniors' residences in their neighbourhood that are much higher than the current four-storey limit.
  "There's this pressure to use the seniors' card to get more height. It just feels like there's huge pressure to get higher density."
  - So? Lift the height from 4 to ...what?, 6-storeys? Big deal. That's not exactly "40-storeys towers in the middle of nowhere," is it? - on 2008-02-14
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13 Nov 07

Vancouver Economic Development

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reportonbusiness.com: Vancouver must heed warning signs on horizon

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Quality of life - everything from social services to creative spaces and recreation programs - requires tax money, particularly taxes paid by business. And there are signs that Vancouver is at risk of losing its business base.
Labour productivity, gross domestic product, exports, employment income in British Columbia lag behind the rest of the country. Yet Vancouver housing prices continue to soar beyond the means of most working families. Companies that want to do business in the city often can't find the space, or the employees. As for location safety, Statistics Canada lists Vancouver among the highest in Canada for violent and property crime rates.
3 more annotations...
- These are the factors that are starting to drive businesses, employees and infrastructure to places such as Richmond, Surrey, Langley and Abbotsford. In the recent economic boom, jobs in Vancouver are growing at less than 2 per cent, compared with 10 per cent for Metro Vancouver's 21 municipalities. Combine all this with downturns in the export industry from the rising dollar, and it spells trouble for this growing city.
  
  In the VEDC report, business and community leaders speak about a hollowing out, the prospect that Vancouver could be a bedroom community enjoyed by the wealthy, owned by absentee condo owners who prefer to do business elsewhere.
  
  How will Vancouver keep businesses from voting with their feet, and taking their jobs and tax payments - and thus quality of life - with them?
- The lesson for business, community and municipal leaders across Canada is that quality of life is not the result of a shortlist of features or amenities. Quality of life is the sum total of social, environmental and economic factors that integrate and work together to support one another for the long haul.
- But people and business won't come just for beaches, skiing and restaurants any more. A strong and growing economy must be here: head offices, commercial and industrial space, and jobs.

12 Nov 07

Yule Heibel's Library tagged vancouver → View Popular

His brave new world - The Globe and Mail

globeandmail.com: The visible city: Will public data end up online?

Welcome to Vancouver 2.0 :: Photo Essay :: thetyee.ca

Vancouver’s housing habit

Chris Keam: Making The Most of Micro Homes

A Christmas essay: a better way to help the homeless

A Vancouverite’s Guide to Twitter » Vancouver Blog Miss 604 by Rebecca Bollwitt

Urban farming school takes root

Larry Beasley's Simple Plan, by Frances Bula Vancouver Magazine

"Better Wind Turbines" (MIT Technology Review)

re:place Magazine

Be Nice to the 'Creative Class'! :: Views :: thetyee.ca

Colourful banners to light up city (Vancouver Sun)

Colourful banners to light up city

Vancouver artist Bratsa Bonifacho unveils his works at city hall

Catherine Rolfsen,
Vancouver Sun

Downtown to be painted with digital light

EcoDensity raises fears of crowding without amenities

Vancouver Economic Development

reportonbusiness.com: Vancouver must heed warning signs on horizon

Creative City - Home

Remarkk! » Vancouver Speaking Gig: “Co-creating the Creative City”

Co-creating the Creative City - Mark Kuznicki - Video | Urban Vancouver

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Catherine Rolfsen, Vancouver Sun

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