Vancouver Towers + Podiums. West End to Abu Dhabi

Vancouver Towers + Podiums West End to Abu Dhabi

What is the major issue that the City of Vancouver is dealing with in the next five to ten years?

What is the City of Vancouver s Vision for growth?

How difficult it is, these days, to find sites for the high-rise and podium building form within Vancouver s City limits

Land Use Map 1970s

False Creek early 1980 s

False Creek 25 years later

High Density Core surrounded by Former Street car neighborhoods

Single family zoning

Vancouver Towers + Podiums West End to Abu Dhabi

What is the City of Vancouver s Vision for growth?

How can Vancouver Learn from Vancouver?

Vancouver 1.0 The First Vision for Growth

My Perspective

Learning from translating Vancouver in other cities

South Lake Union, Seattle WA

Overlake Village, Redmond WA

Slides of US projects SLU, (a few) Overlake, bremerton Bremerton Downtown Plan, Bremerton WA

Bel-Red Station Area Plan, Bellevue WA

Vancouverism is a Process based on Principles It is not a product

First thing The Genesis of the Vancouver High Rise Debunking the Hong Kong Myth

It was born in the The West End

The West End 1963-2006

The West End TIMELINE 1956 Zoning changes 1957-1963 A forest of towers 1963-1972 community worked to devise new tools to maintain and improve livability. 1972- Present Urban design lessons refined and applied to new districts. Today 40,000 people live in one sq mile

The West End Lessons Recognize and appreciate what you have Maintain and improve what works best Celebrate the diversity that sometimes occurs by happenstance

The West End Lessons Planting strip + street trees Light + air eyes on street Cars buffer sidewalks Small building footprint Narrow street width Minimal disruption or curb cuts Safe and attractive sidewalks Set backs define semi-private, and public spaces

The 10 principles of the Vancouver Urban Development Tool Kit (We learned from the West End)

1. Engage the Community Engage stakeholders to create a vision of community and establish the amenities needed The evolution of an ongoing re-iterative community process Address changing issues and priorities

2. Optimize Public Assets High Quality Public Realm Affordable Housing Open Space and Parkland Schools Daycare and Community Centers Cultural Centers and Museums

3. Improve Connectivity Optimize existing infrastructure Provide a range of high quality transit choices Restore or improve public access to key civic attributes Ensure neighborhood connectivity Traffic Calming

4. Establish three scales of urban form CITY SCALE NEIGHBOURHOOD/DISTRICT SCALE PEDESTRIAN SCALE

5. Establish Street Types and Character Ensure the restoration & extension of a High Street for each district. Extend street grids where possible

6. Put Pedestrians First Urban design defines the engagement between the pedestrian and other modes of transportation.

7. Create a safe secure public realm A well designed public realm provides A sense of safety A sense of belonging A sense of coherence

8. Develop Innovative Performance-based codes Manipulate a variety of densities to: achieve the desired building form 1.0 FSR meet community goals and objectives support public realm allows for the flexibility to respond to market demands 2.4 FSR Provide separation between towers

9. Focus on the first 10 metres

What you see and

What you see and what you get

What you see

What you see and what you get

10. Create a Comprehensive Plan Provides certainty and protects investment for both community and developers Provides continuity and cohesiveness of public realm and private spaces Encourages developers and property owners to think beyond their property lines to achieve mutual benefit Develops a collaborative, trusting between community, city, and city builders. Ensures access for all

Learning from Comprehensive Plans False Creek North

False Creek North 1988-2004

False Creek North Neighborhoods West End Downtown South Downtown International Village Yaletown Quayside Plaza of Nations Beach Roundhouse

Influence of Adjacent Neighborhood

Public Amenities - connecting the dots

Extending Streets and Transit

Parks and Open Spaces String of Pearls

What is the City of Vancouver s Vision for Growth?

Single family zoning

How can Vancouver Learn from Vancouver?

Vancouver 2.0 How do we learn from our success in creating a walkable, livable, connected downtown core and apply it to the rest of Vancouver s less-dense urban fabric?

Creating density that is valued How do you create a setting where density and height are not seen as a bad thing? How do you make it so that not every development is a battle ground between developers and the surrounding community? Or how do you move from spot rezonings back to Vancouver s tradition of comprehensive rezonings.

A case for a comprehensive plan for the Broadway corridor

Broadway Corridor

Assets Athletes Village Beaches & Parks Granville Island West 4 th Shopping Artisan Industrial Live Work Little Rio Greek Village South Granville Hospital District Parks + Community Facilities Norquay Village Queen Elizabeth

Assets

Nanaimo Renfrew Boundary Road Major Streets + Intersections Oak Cambie Main Fraser Knight Blanca Sasaman Dunbar / Alma McDonald Arbutus Commercial Clark

Major Streets + Intersections

Variety of Neighborhoods UBC West Point Grey Kitsilano Fairview Mount Pleasant Grandview Woodlands East Hastings Kensington / Cedar Cottage Renfrew / Collingwood

Variety of Neighborhoods

Advantages of a comprehensive plan Provides certainty and protects investment for both community and developers Provides continuity and cohesiveness of public realm and private spaces Encourages developers and property owners to think beyond their property lines to achieve mutual benefit Develops a collaborative, trusting between community, city, and city builders. Ensures access for all