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Downtown Vancouver Re-Imagined

2015, Summit We the City, Cities

We've re-imagined downtown Vancouver. Come find out what's next!

Join the  (DVBIA) and ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Public Square inside the Vancouver Club for a special edition of the DVBIA's always popular Downtown Libations event.

We are thrilled to announce the release of the  findings. We have talked to thousands of folks about what they want their downtown to look, taste and feel like in 25 years. 

Thu, 05 Nov 2015

4:00 p.m. (PT)

915 W Hastings St, Vancouver

About We the City

From October 30 to November 7 of 2015, ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Public Square hosted its fourth annual Community Summit. Through a series of imaginative and interactive events, we explored the theme of city-building. We reflected on the important role of creativity, arts and culture in building and sustaining our cities and our neighbourhoods. By profiling the increasing pressure facing municipalities by surging urbanization and considering what attracts and holds people to our urban centres, we reminded residents of the power they hold to shape their city. Together, we deliberated on possible futures where everyone can not only survive, but also thrive. We invigorated the public conversation on how people can connect with their cities, find their voice, and enjoy increased participation in civic life.

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In the News

 â€” Charlie Smith, The Georgia Straight (August 26, 2015)

 â€” DH Vancouver Staff, Daily Hive (July 9, 2015)

What will Vancouver look like when it grows up? [VIDEO] â€” Vancouver Observer (August 17, 2015)

'Re-Imagine Downtown Vancouver' is a chance for the public to take in a lunchtime panel and speak up about where it's headed.

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Where is this city headed in 25 years? And what kind of future do we want?

Those are some of the questions being posed at an ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV City Conversation event at a downtown park this Thursday, Aug. 20, co-sponsored by  and  (DVBIA) .

 is a chance for the public to take in a lunchtime panel and speak up about where it's headed. What do you love about downtown Vancouver? What needs to change? How can we make this community one of the best in the world in which to live, work, play and learn?

These are important questions during this city's rampant growth — not unlike a teenager.

"Vancouver is still an adolescent not realizing it’s becoming an adult and not knowing what it wants to be when it grows up," says renowned architect and urban designer . â€œThe fact of the matter is, it’s going to grow up very fast and if we don’t get a hold of it other people will determine how we’re going to grow up."

Vancouver appears to be all grown up but is still in adolescence, says renowned architect Bing Thom. Screen shot from DVBIA video (below).

The event takes place from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in the urban park setting at the north end of Hornby Street at West Hastings, part of the the DVBIA's 25th anniversary event that includes developing a collaborative and compelling vision for the 2040 downtown Vancouver experience.

A panel of speakers presenting their visions include: , a planner, urban designer, award-winning writer and commentator, who will look at the evolution of downtown Vancouver's urban planning and design culture; Keltie Craig from the City of Vancouver, who will share her vision for downtown as a "" Rounding and the Very Reverend Peter Elliott, dean and rector of , who will discuss his hopes for social inclusion and community building in downtown Vancouver.

Then it’s the public's turn to question, observe, and offer perspective and opinion. Here are a few:

Further Reading

Downtown Vancouver Re-Imagined
By Downtown Vancouver BIA (DVBIA)

Reports and Resources

Partners

We the City Events

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  • Thrive! Surrey in 2030: A Residents’ Lab on the Future of their City

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    Think like a city planner, take part in a unique city-building simulation, and experience what it feels like to live in the Surrey of 2030. Selected residents came together to build a vision for their city where everyone can thrive.

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  • Open City: One Book, One ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV

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    Teju Cole was in conversation with CBC Radio’s Eleanor Wachtel as they explored the power of cities and the lure of literature in this inaugural event of ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Library’s One Book, One ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV.

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  • Leading and Learning: Innovative Tools for Advancing Sustainability in Surrey

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    The City of Surrey is updating the Sustainability Charter, our 50 year vision for becoming a more sustainable city. Participants convened for an engaging evening with thought leaders who presented their ideas on innovative tools for creating more sustainable cities - with keynote speaker Chris Ragan, Chair of the Eco-Fiscal Commission.

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  • Downtown Vancouver Re-Imagined

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    We are thrilled to announce the release of the Re-Imagine Downtown Vancouver findings with the Downtown Vancouver Business Imporvement Association (DVBIA).

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    This special edition of City Conversation focused on women’s perspectives on city building, bringing a gender lens to the theme of our 2015 Community Summit.

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  • ReThink Food: Sustainability Innovation Challenge

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    ReThink Food was a one-day innovation challenge for high school students across Metro Vancouver. Participants designed a solution to our sustainability challenge question and competed for seed funding to implement their projects. Over 150 students came together on November 5th, 2015 to generate innovative projects that will have real impact in their schools.

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  • We The City: An Evening at the Centre

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    Cities are a reflection of our human needs and values. Our signature event considered how the arts create, reveal, critique and enhance the identity of our urban centres and powerfully foster connection, incite social change and build capacity for healthy communities. Candy Chang, Teju Cole, and Buffy Sainte-Marie provided compelling talks and Mo Dhaliwal guided us through the signature event of the 2015 Community Summit, co-presented with Vancity.

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  • TILT City: Engaging the Streets

    2015, Summit We the City, Cities, Arts + Culture, Community Building

    In partnership with HCMA Architecture and Design and their TILT curiosity labs, TILT City engaged the streets of downtown Vancouver with urban interventions. Engaged citizens had the chance to temporarily transform spaces in the public realm during this one-day interactive event.

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  • Actions for Housing Now: Creating Affordable, Suitable, and Secure Housing in Canadian Cities

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    In partnership with the Tyee Solutions Society and the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association, we hosted Actions for Housing Now. Attendees collaborated on real-world policy solutions for affordable, suitable, and secure housing for working households in Canadian cities, to be presented to Canada’s new federal government.

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  • Housing in the City: Beyond the Headlines

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    Headlines remind us constantly of our housing crisis: prices run amok, renovictions, and near-zero rental vacancy rates. This evening of storytelling considered the landscape of housing in Vancouver and beyond, with an eye on working households, at or below median income, in urban centers across Canada.

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  • Resilient Renewable Cities

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    A number of global cities, including the City of Vancouver, have adopted a 100% renewable energy target in one or more of their electricity, heating & cooling, and transportation sectors. While reaching these goals will require a shift towards renewables, the foundation lies in changing the way we plan and build cities and consume energy. The purpose of this event was to discuss how to best reconcile increasing renewable energy supply while reducing energy use and ensuring resiliency.

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  • Campus to City

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    ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Public Square, in partnership with the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, hosted a one-day national conversation on the role of colleges and universities in city-building.

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  • Researching the City

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    Presented in partnership with ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Vancouver and related faculties, departments, schools, programs and institutes, this storytelling event showcased how research activities have a positive impact on cities – in public policy, economic development, social justice, health and well-being. We looked at how university research contributes to and learns from the city's communities.

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