Vancouver Geography Part 1: Vancouverism

Vancouver Geography Pt.1

What is Vancouverism? And how does it relate to the Geography?

In order to take a closer look at the geography of the city of Vancouver, we must understand a bit of the mantra behind which the city is created. All cities have a plan, and those who developed Vancouver had its local geography in mind and now other cities are taking notice and trying to emulate. The utilization of space through mixed-use buildings has since been dubbed "Vancouverism" and is now a common term in urban planning.

Briefly, Vancouverism is an urban planning technique heavily employed in Vancouver. This planning and architectural technique is characterized by mixed-use developments with commercial space on the base level with residential towers rising from them. It is important because this technique has allowed the preservation of space where there is a limited amount. Vancouver is often ranked highly on the list of "Most Livable Cities in the World", with much of the credit going to the use of Vancouverism. It has allowed for a large population to live in the city centre without having to rely on massive freeways or public transit to link with the suburbs while leaving significant public spaces for people to enjoy views and the city ambiance.

How does Vancouverism relate to its geography? Vancouver’s location, on the Burrard Peninsula, had much to do with developing the concept of Vancouverism. Situated between mountains and the sea, there were restricted amounts of land for which the city could expand. In order to preserve the nature around it and develop in a controlled manner, many planning policies were implemented (which will be highlighted at a later date), including height restrictions and view corridors. Many other cities with similar situations (see New York City) have taken different approaches to provide a vibrant city while accommodating large growing populations, which are very contrasting to that of Vancouver. One of Vancouver's primary focuses is preserving some of the nature surrounding the city, as it has been shown to provide numerous benefits to people and reduce the negative effects on the environment, increasing the quality of life for those in the city.

The idea of Vancouverism is being endorsed by many major cities around the world as a goal to strive for. The idea of creating dense and vibrant city centers that are comfortably habitable, which Vancouver has achieved, is replacing previous ideologies where regions and buildings were very compact and densely populated.

In future posts we will look closer at particular pieces of Vancouverism, mainly building height restrictions in comparison to New York City and take a look at Vancouver's View Corridors