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I've been spending some time in Seattle lately visiting an ailing grandfather which means I've been stuck, bumper to bumper, on the I-5 for literally hours a day. I'm talking about the commute between my grandfather's house in north Seattle, the hospital and downtown, three places quite close to each other. Just the sheer number of cars that role through Seattle each day, all day, is quite astounding. Rush hour is especially brutal.

The on-ramps have stop lights to space the cars getting on, this can mean waits of up to twenty minutes when busy. Once you're on, it's six/eight/ten lanes of bumper to bumper in both directions. When you finally get off, whether in north Seattle or downtown, you're stuck in even more congestion.

This brings me to the Gateway Project; the BC government's plan to "improve" regional transportation, specifically the plan to twin the Port Mann bridge and widen Highway 1 into East Van (aka my back yard). I think it's a horrible idea. Vancouver currently has minor (by North American standards) rush hours, which some think can be solved simply by adding more highway.

It was Jane Jacobs' book Dark Age Ahead that introduced me (I'm young) to the idea of "induced demand" that more freeways mean more cars, hence more congestion especially around major off ramps. My place in East Vancouver already gets plenty of commuter traffic to begin with and would become unbearable.

But don't worry about me, Jacobs' main argument against highways is that urban neighbourhoods, the economic and creative heart of the city, are often destroyed or significantly altered by megaprojects like these. Imagine the harm it could do to the cultural life of Commercial Drive and Strathcona to have thousands more cars per-day inching through the Downtown Eastside. More traffic would then necessitate extending the freeway even further into the city. The last time we allowed something like this to happen, Vancouver's only black neighbourhood was destroyed to create the Georgia Viaduct. I like to think that in this "post car, post racist" age, there are better ways to organize a city.

A vocal movement of people opposed to the project already exists, check out gatewaysucks.org for more info. Similarly, the David Suzuki Foundation's briefing document (highly recommended reading) suggests that highway construction is only a (very) temporary solution to traffic congestion and ends up doing far more harm than good.

The answer to the traffic problem, according to almost everyone who studies the issue, is light rail and more busses. The B-Line experiment--articulated express busses to the university and the airport--has been such an overwhelming success in terms of ridership and affordability, why not replicate it everywhere else?

More entries on: Activism | Vancouver

November 27, 2006

Black crows inspire Vancouver

Posted by mason at 01:50 PM ET | Comments (0)

If you’ve spent much time in Vancouver, especially East Vancouver, you’ve probably been captivated by the migration of crows from downtown to parts east that occurs around dusk each day. From the window of my old, top-floor apartment on East 10th, it was a comforting ritual to watch.

Now, a group of musicians are ready to launch a project, the Black Crow Project, which draws inspiration from that migration as an image of togetherness and a symbol of pulling together for a common goal. In this case, that goal is raising money for the Portland Hotel Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing services and assistance for those struggling with substance misuse issues, mainly in the Downtown Eastside neighbourhood.

If you’re in the region and not buried in snow, the Black Crow Project is hosting a performance and silent auction tonight at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre. Local favourites set to play include the Parlour Steps, Mark Berube and Po’ Girl (pictured), all of whom are among the artists appearing on a compilation CD inspired by those plucky crows. In addition to the music, local visual artists will be auctioning work donated to the project.

All proceeds from the event, the CD and the auction will go to the Portland Hotel Society. Sounds like a great night -- check it out!

More entries on: Activism | Ear candy | Vancouver

October 01, 2006

Goodbye Woodward's

Posted by Krisztina at 04:21 PM ET | Comments (3)

Residents of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside woke up yesterday to the sounds of Woodward's collapse.

The heritage building, which has stood empty for nearly a decade - taking up an entire city block in the poorest neighbourhood in Canada, has been disputed over for years. While developers repeatedly bought and sold the derelict building, never actualizing their plans to resuscitate it, residents and activists protested that such a huge building stood empty while hundreds slept in the streets. The protests culminated in a three month long squat inside and then around the building (once protesters were forcibly removed by the police) in 2002. When the left-leaning COPE party won the Municipal elections that fall, one of their campaign promises was to buy the Woodward's building and turn it into social housing with street level services and businesses that reflect the needs of the area. The homeless protesters were put up in seedy hotels on the city bill and the fight was over.

Unfortunately, the development plans for Woodward's make it look more and more like just another condo hoping to "revitalize" the area. There are only 200 units slated for social housing in the upscale condo with apartments going for $200,000 to $600,000. And with a motto declaring "be bold or move to suburbia", you can be sure they are marketing the disenfranchised Downtown Eastside (DTES) as the hot new "hip" and "edgy" neighbourhood to move into. Instead of reflecting the needs of the community, this new development seems like the first step of the inevitable gentrification of the DTES, just in time for the Olympics. And just how many of the people who camped out in front of Woodward's for 92 days in the cold and wet winter of 2002 will be living in this new condo? I doubt very many.

As the cloud of dust and debris sweeps through the rainy downtown streets, Vancouver housing activists shake their heads and ask themselves "is this what we fought for?"

More entries on: Vancouver

September 17, 2006

Vancouver Queer Film Fest Raises the Ire of the Right

Posted by Krisztina at 02:05 AM ET | Comments (2)

LifeSite, a close affiliate of Campaign Life Coalition, is targetting Out on Screen, the Vancouver Queer Film Festival, and demanding the federal government revoke its funding.

A recent article, headlined "Why is the Conservative Government Wasting Taxpayer Dollars on "Queer" Film Festival?" is posted on LifeSite.net

Gwen Landolt, national vice president of REAL Women of Canada is quoted as saying "The films are simply degenerate and degrading to humanity. There is no artistry there, the films are used as a political statement against established social mores, a way of showing contempt...".

Landolt goes on to call the Department of Canadian Heritage's funding decision in question, "...it's a disgrace. I think the government is trying to show how wide open they are to all diversity, but surely there is a limit to tolerance."

What started out as a fairly minor posting on a right wing site is fast becoming an all out campaign, spreading over blogs and through emails. Wait a second, aren't those our tactics?

More entries on: Human rights | Vancouver

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THIS MAGAZINE: BECAUSE EVERTHING IS POLITICAL

March 24, 2007