EcoDensity Meeting Part II: You're in my personal space

This morning I took the bus out to UBC. I used to do this commute daily during my undergrad and had no problem with it since it really was my only option. Now that I have to have a car for work purposes I’ve gotten used to my own personal space. I like personal space. Anyhow, back to the bus. Taking transit it always the same during peak hours. The two qualities that remain constant are 1) Busses are always at least 10 minutes late, and 2) The late bus is picking up slack for the other late bus so its packed- the dozens of people waiting at the bus stop won’t fit.

…I’m so glad transit responds to increased ridership with the exact same amount of busses that still arrive late.

But let me tell you two more trends that I am beginning to see.
The first, and completely irrelevant point, is that bus drivers are getting hotter. Yep, I said it, the days of ugly old fat bus drivers are over. I’ve seen QUITE a few cute guys and a couple nice lookin’ gals sitting in the drivers seat. And I must say it does make it quite a bit easier to smile as you get on the bus and leave that “thank you” as you get off.
Secondly, you CAN get onto that late packed bus. Because even though those busses are full, they manage to pack you in there until you can’t breathe. And they have stopped respecting that red line that apparently you “must stay behind” at the front. In the old days we’d call that bus driver super nice. Good on ya for accepting more kids so we can get to school on time. Now I know translink is just being sloppy and cheap.
The days of zero personal space on the bus is gone. Now we’re in negative personal space territory and seriously hip to hip.
Unless you can provide a bus experience with me in a sea of incredibly attractive men, I want my personal space back.

Not only that but today I saw the first of what I bet will continue. A woman leaving the bus came running back andknocking on the bus door- she told the bus driver that some guy on the bus just stole her wallet. Bus driver sort of shrugged like as if to say “what can *I* do? He’s right..what can he do? Nothin.
I can see this happening a lot…we’re rubbin up against eachother on a packed bus- you can’t say anything because that’s just how packed the bus is and it’s not like the person next to you WANTs to be in your personal space. The road is bumpy so you fee no invasion of bag zippers opening or pockets being picked. And there. You just lost your wallet.
I experienced this way back ago one summer on a bus trip to UBC. The bus was absilutely packed, hot sweaty..disgusting. And there was this gross perve that would rub up against girls on the bus. I was one of his victims. You can’t really say anything at first because on packed busses you can’t help but be in other peoples space and touch them. So his hand would conveniently hit up against me anytime the bus would jolt. And then I finally knew he was a total perve when he decided to become bolder on the rocky road and just go for my chest. I freaked out and pushed his hand away but you didn’t’ hear a peep out of me because I didn’t’ want to make a scene! He quickly jumped off the bus after. To this day I still feel sooooo dirty and taken advantage of. Disgusting.

So what.. is THIS ecodensity? We get a smaller ecofootprint if we pack more people on transit. Well if this is ecodensity I don’t want it.

The comment to be made here is that EcoDensity won’t work without the proper amenities and infrastructure. You can’t zone for high density housing and do shit all with the rest.
These are points that the EcoDensity Charter does touch upon but in these EcoDensity meetingsI don’t think council is speaking enough towards it. And specifically, how council will guarantee funding for the amenities and infrastruc. There is this assumption that the larger tax base will take care of it all. But we need that tax base to also create supportive social and affordable housing too.

Highlights of tonights EcoDensity meeting- second meeting


1) Peter Busby- There should be an ecological imperative. Carbon footprint should be used as a measurement tool. He thinks laneway housing is a bad idea. Building with high eco-standards. i.e. LEED
My issues: carbon footprint is good. I like it. I even like Bill Rees quite a bit. But if you’ve actually seen the research and his stuff you have to take his approach with a grain of salt. It’s a good way to frame the problem because it is such an easy and simple concept that appeals to the masses. But do yourself a favour and look at the research and just..think about it. I love it and I do think we shold use it as a tool, but the Eco Footprint should not be our only assessment of progress.

2) Kim Capri asks: What happens if we get tough on the building standards such that it is too tough and developers won’t want to play the game anymore- developers will go eslewhere for profit.
My issue: Oh Kim Capri.. there are nuuumerous other “world class” cities that have incredibly high standards. Many in Europe have requirements of eco-design and they don’t’ bend to developers at all. They do fine. And really, your concerns of losing business to the ‘burbs? Never going to happen. Vancouver is just so damn nice. Yes there will be ferocious development in other places if we’re stricter, but as long as we want buildings to go up there will be developers to do it. Bob Rennie wouldn’t let us down.

3) Carnegie Community Action Project- very vocal about #12 on the Charter- to increase density in DTES area. She made excellent points on the idea that condos are inanappropriate for the area and even if they were they would not raise enough money to subsidize social housing. She stated that there would need to be about 20 000 condos in the area going up for the amount of money they need to subsidize social housing. And by that time you’d totally change the character and area, not to mention gentrification. Good work Carnegie CAP.

4) Charter says that Eastside can accommodate EcoDensity better. I think that’s true because the Eastside is just so much more dense with public transport. But the problem is they are envisioning the city as the way it is now. Council should be completely revsioning what the city should look like and increase public transport infrastruc in the west side (ahem- arbutus).

5) Gordon Price- always a fan of the black turtle neck.
And I also have to say he has a great speaking voice.
Price made a lot of good points. He said that we don’t have the confidence to proceed with EcoDensity because the public is just too fearful, suspicious and distrustful of the project. I think tha’t so true. And he said that’s indicative of where it came from, who it came from, and how the process is taking place. He said we have to reconcile trust first before we implement a plan- it dones’t matter how good the plan is because if the residents don’t trust it it’s going to suck. Plain and simple. I love that he said that because in all this consultation process I’m finding that a lot of people are confusing the PROCESS with the ACTUAL CHARTER. You see, the process is messed up. Sullivan rode the publicity train from the World Urban Forum and its come out of the office of NPA gov’t who, prior to Ecodensity, never said they’d touch zoning. But I think if residents actualy read the charter and the basic principles, EcoDensity is a good thing. And in general people just want it done right. The problem is that there is absolutely zero confidence that it WILL be done right. So the solution? Keep the charter, get rid of the party in power.
Ladner showed frustration during the meeting on the same topic. He kept asking, “what does the ideal city look like” and really, people were describing exactly what EcoDensity reccommends. It’s just that nobody trusts that EcoDensity will be put through the way they envision it.

6) WERA- brought a rep to rant about Burrard Bridge again. Wants realocation of car lanes into bike lanes instead of widening the side walks for extra bus space. TheVancouverManifesto fully supports this idea. Burrard bridge is one of Vancouver’s insanely beautiful heritage structures and it would be uncounscionable to change it, ESPecially when the change is so clearly unnecessary.
-also wanted zero parking space on the West End. I support this too but we need the infrastructure for zero parking. We have to provide people with good alternatives apart from the car.

7)Micheal Gellar- disappointed that there is so uch opposition to EcoDensity charter- thinks that charter should just be put through. But still wants to make sure that the City takes a strong stance with resepct to developers. i.e. make developers our bitches and noth the other way around. And let people see models of the types of communities they intend to build to quell publci concern and gain trust. Also against action 12 for upwards density in DTES


8) Heather Deal still loving the microamenities idea. I still like her- she’s good. But she needs to just let people finish talking before she motions for a question. I don’t’ want to hear her say, “please finish your question” before she asks her own question. Just wait until they are done and then motion to speak if you don’t’ want to interrupt them.

9) The crazies at the meeting. Crazy #1 the old blind deaf woman who was in hate with Sullivan and shamed him. That’s right..she shamed him like a bitter grandmother to a little boy stealing cookies from the cookie jar.
Crazy #2: dude who said we should limit/stop immigration. Dude- immigration is federal and we can’t stop people from comign here. Anyhow, we need them. Who else do you think is going to support our underground low-wage worker chain and what would we do witout all the phillipino nannies tha ttake care of our elderly, children and well.. all of the people in the hospital. And really.., nowhere else can you get a cab and ALSO get medical attention from a doctor who won’t be certified in Canada.

10) Damn.. Cadman rocks. Again. He pulled the big guns out and got all emotional over Sullivan being a dumbass. Cadman yet still the only councillor to connect EcoDensity with more than just housing. Cool points he raised a) int’s not all about housing and all Sullivan ever focusses on is housing. Trasport and commerical needs to be entered into this talk. (Sullivan countered by saying, “this is not what is at issue now”…but seriously, ecodensity as a concept should inlcude all of those things..they are so interlinked that you can’t just isolate housing and call it a thorough or fair discussion). And b) we should build nothing that doesn’t meet green standards. And he addressed problems with his statement too. For one green standards are expensive and it wil affect affordability. However if you don’t’ address green standards now you wont’ do anything for the environment and it might be just as costly in the long run because you’ll have to retrofit. And finally c) Even if we build by green standards can we still call it ecodensity if the purpose of that building is antithetical to ecodensity? i.e. big box retailers. Busby countered with: people need these goods and need these retail options otherwise they will go other places to get it and that will increase emissions anyway. Seriously Busby, nobody is going to DIE if they can’t get cheap bulk toilet paper. Many people deal without the big box.


We still have over 100 speakers to go. Nextmeeting on Monday @ 6

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EcoDensity Meeting Part I: Does this mean I can't walk around naked anymore?

This morning I did what I always do. My alarm rings at an ungodly hour. I attempt to ignore it until my brain overcomes my body and the rationality of not alienating my options for making money sets in... I crawl out of bed and into the shower. Thereafter I sit in front of my mirror and put my face on for the day. I do this all naked. and with the blinds fully opened. That's right..I'm one of those. I'm always in my birthday suit until I actually have to leave and be decent for the day.
Now this was never a problem until today. Today, as I was putting in my eyes (contacts), I caught sight of the massive condo that has just recently reached the height where my daily nakedness could become a problem. The crane swings above and I'm sure it the structure will keep building up in the next few months.
I live in a pretty low density area. With it's mixes, but all low level apartments and condos that don't really go further than 10 floors. An even when they do the infamous "view cones" (http://www.pacificmetropolis.com/2005/06/the_view_cones.html)are still in place to give me eyes the deception of space. But this structure gets right in my face and really..right in my window. This bothers me greatly because not only will I have to consider wearing clothes but I'll have to consider getting some sort of blinds/draping system for windows that are usually kept open all year round (I'm into sunlight..).
EcoDensity = business for blinds and curtain stores

Ok, I just gave an example of density building upwards. But really, density doesn't have to equal building higher. And, in fact, I'd highly discourage it in Vancouver. For one, I'm a fan of the view cones and I know Vancouver planners are in love with them too. And for another reason- a couple years ago I was on the bus going down Seymour (where condo construction abouds). A tourist mentioned how wonderful Vancouver's downtown was because there were a lot of tall buildings but there wasn't this shadow over the city streets like you get in so many other cities. she quoted New York as being one of them. Now would that not be a shame if the downtown were just one big shadow at street level (*ahem.. clam shell..or birds nest of some sort...).
Now granted,the sun don't shine over Vancouver all that often so shadow or no shadow it doenst' make a difference on most days. But really, when it IS sunny isn't Vancouver amazing? This week, weren't you just astounded with how beautiful Vancouver is and did you not just fall in love with it all over again?

Ok, now on to EcoDensity. I won't bore you with the origin and details so I'll give you websites that will:http://www.vancouver-ecodensity.ca/; http://www.mayorsamsullivan.ca/ecodensity

Basically, it's a few years old, began with Sam Sullivan ushering in a green plan int he wake of the Olympic bid (riding the commotion train for as long as he could) and now EcoDensity is this kind of painful plan that is good in theory, but ha been talked and debated to death that people either want to kill it (because it was top-down and came from an NPA evil) or usher it through as quickly as possible because Vancouver seems to be doing nothing nowadays. I personally sit on the latter side. Yes it came from the evils of Sam Sullivan and it originated from the publicity train rather than the community, but in theory it makes sense- IFF done right. And so let's just get on with it (I'm talking in circles you say? -to do it right it takes more time, you say?- you're right..it does take time, but not THIS much time. We need to just take some risks and go with it. If I've learnt anything from the painful hours of meetings is that Vancovuer has some really capable people both in City Hall and outside of city hall that will keep the process accountable and on the right track. I seriously think that if we just go ahead and tackle it it'll be good. Or at least have an overall legacy of good. i.e. False Creek South.

So when it was announced that tonights EcoDensity event had 144 speakers I was more than frustrated. of COURSE there should be public consultation..but good lord.. we only got through 13 speakers in 2.5 hours. There needs to be some speeding up of this process. And in some cases these steps might be a tad redundant. Public meeting over public meeting- redrawing a charter several times and recognizing that finalizing a charter doesn't even coem CLOSE to finalizing a plan is just an incredibly long process that will take forever. Poor Peter Ladner called for less questions from council after the first speaker, but nobody listened to him and the questioning from speaker to councillor, councillor to speaker continued.
I gotta also say that Councillor Cadman rocks. He was a little off with the affordability bit but he had some good comments on land use and he kept referring back to the interaction between housing and transportation. He seemed to be the only councillor that made the connection that density in any type of property whether it is commercial or housing means nothing without proper public transport infrastructure. Kudos.

10 Things worth mentioning about tonights EcoDensity meeting:

1)Peter Oberlander started the public debate with a painfully long academic bit on etymology. Good start but considering there were 143 other speakers to hear -it hurt if this was the speech that set the pace. I liked his bit about ECOnomy and ECOlogical and how they should hopefully be able to complement one another. And if you think about it, our economy completely relies on the health of our envronment (in ecological terms, not in just plain green terms).

2) VSB- lower enrollment. Families can't afford to live in the city anymore. Moving to the burbs.
I think there was SUCH a lack of discussion about REGIONAL and METRO growth plans. All of this EcoDensity is crap if we can't apply it to the interaction between municipalities. So there should have been more discussion of the proposed town centres that are in the Metro's Strategic Plan. http://www.gvrd.bc.ca/growth/lrsp.htm
and no, I do not think we should use density as a means to increase our enrollment. That seems almost silly. We should think about what kind of environment/community we are building, then what people are going to be drawn tothose communities, and then ammend the plan accordingly. In other words we should be building and specifically focussing on quality, livability, and family friendly neighbourhoods. NOT thinking, lets just increase density and hope that will increase the amount of children so nrollment goes up. Just beause you increase density does not mean you will increase the number of children in the area. Density is an end product that says nothing about the means and content of a process.

3) Parks board. Public space is good. But nobody ever talked about the concern that there will be a greater push towards private amenities. Condos often have their own governance structures and common ownership structures. These are much different that "public space" and public amenity. I personally fear that we will morph into a sort of privatized and commonownership model instead of the private home/public amnity model. Remember, common implies membership of some sort and thus common ownership for those who are members- meaning just another form of privatization.

4) Heather deal talked about micro amenities. good stuff. She specifically suggested things like benches and basketball courts in the side streets and lots that are underused.
I found out tday that I actually like Heather Deal because she's so damn specific. She doesn't bother with theoretical crap, she's all about the concrete examples.

5) Andrea Reimer and food security. I didnt' know she dabbled in that too! Damn, that woman covers every topic.

6) UBC AMS reps. Good talk on affordability for students and the rich-club that encircles the campus. Upass was good, but the UBC really just passed on the buck. Instead of making housing affordable and giving more managable housing options to students, they just gave UBC kids a cheaper way to commute from farther away. The City and UBC need to make it easier for students to live on or near campus. The student reps quoted that student engagement was incredibly low at UBC and if you've seen the new Macleans UBC doesnt' even show up on most of the ranks because it is at the lowest of the low. It's true.. I didn't see UBC with my own eyes.
Not only that but the vast majority of UBC students re local kids. Metro Vancouver kids that are being pushed out further and further away to make for Point Grey standards of unaffordability.

7) I hate Councillor Kim Capri. I just do. There is a rhyme and some sort of reason..but this post is getting too long and I'd rather complain about not being able to get naked privacy anymore.

8) Sullivan and Louie (aka Facebook slut number one and Facebook slut number two) were a little eager on he antibullying campaign for Wednesday as they were both sporting the pink.
By the way..wear pink tomorrow for anti-bullying. It's a neat story on how it came to be- google it. Kids can be so amazing sometimes..

9) There was another guy with a Canuck coloured tie. NO, not that crap orca one, but the old orange, black and yellow flying skate. But on further inspection the black is really a deep blue. It's okay..it's still a rockin tie.

10) Woman who pulled out the magician sketch. I couldn't get all of it because it was a packed audience...but it went to the tune of a magician hat that said "NPA" on it and various other props.. probably amounting to an anti-ecodensity message of some sort. She was a tad crazy though. wouldn't shut up. I wouldnt' be quiet if Sam Sullivan told me to either, but she was clearly overstepping a time limit and she had already made her point quite clear and was on to the ranting.

And that was DAY ONE of what could possibly be a two week meeting process. RECOMMEND this Post on Progressive Bloggers CLICK HERE!

Facebook friend sluts

You are a facebook slut if you
1) Find acquaintences on your friends' friends list and add them as your own friend list very well knowing your own social ties to them are weak at best
2) Find old high school classmates on the Facebook groups and add them even though the most contact you could muster up for five years of high school consisted of writing "HAGS" [have a great summer] or "FAGS" [find a guy/girl soon] on their yearbook.
3) Are a "social networker" and add friends left and right to promote your own political agenda (maybe the least offensive of the Facebook friendslut personalities yet still a full-fledged slut].
4) Any of the above, but you are on the receiveing end of the friend invite- i.e. a friendslut adds you and you accept very well knowing he/she/it is a friendslut adding you for the purposes of having a bloated friendslist.

I excpect maybe 200 people to be the max on a real friends list. Maybe more if you're older than 30 or have had a lot of different jobs or gone to a lot of different universities. But even then I'd say 300 is the real limit of real friends.

How can somebody be real friends with that many people Seriously, other than geographical constraints do you really see all of your local friends more than once a month? More once a year? I'd say that everybody in your local geographical network you have to see at the very least once every other month to qualify staying on your friends list. Or at least keep in email/msn proximity to that often. In all liklihood you dont' know that many people and you are simply a friendslut who adds people indiscriminanlty. And to make it worse even if you passed by these people on the street or spend a half hour ride with them onthe bus you probably would avoid eyecontact with them and awkwardly attempt to not be seen by them/ or pretend like you didn't see them.

Now let's go back to number 3 on the list. This is a very special animal of a friendslut. See by very definition of social networker they need a massive net of people who are just acquaintences. And they need not really know every single person on their list. Their profile is for the purpose of gaining support and fans for whatever they do i.e. politics, celebrity. I somewhat support taht but let's think of another avenue you could do all of this. Why not just create a facebook group? It has all of those functions and this way you dont' have a friend limit (yes, they do exist, friendlusts would know), and you can keep your friendslist down to the few that you actually care about or think of as real "friends".

This has all come about because several times now I have been requested by a local Vancouver politician [whose identity I will keep anonymous] to be my friend. Initially, I accepted them if I supported their campaign. Then, feeling like I was crossing the line into facebook friendslut territory, I deleted them. But alas, they tried to add me again! After a few rounds of denying their attempts to court my Facebook friendship, I said yes, left a message on their facebook wall that said, "Stop being a Facebook friendslut- you dont' know me and I don'tknow you. If you want support for your campaign make a group, don't be a friendslut". Predictably, they deleted that message of their wall and have never asked me to be their friend again. Apparently he didn't remember me as the person he kept trying to add until I set myself apart by insulting his Facebook promiscuity.

So I will let you know that my own Facebook profile is one of friendslut status. It is not my own personal account but one to promote my blog and add people who like my blog, of which I'll boast I have quite a few adds (this is really thrilling for me!). I would have started a group but I didn't want my blog to be attached to my own personal Facebook page as I would like to feel free to write on issues that would otherwise might affect my career or other social affiliation.

So while I am still guilty, I am still critical of all these day-to-day facebook friendsluts who indiscriminantly add people for which they have no real social affiliation.

The End. RECOMMEND this Post on Progressive Bloggers CLICK HERE!

Bring back the block party

For some time now I have wondered where all the block parties at.

Seriously, is there anything more beautiful than residents streaming onto the streets, fired up barbeques, kids running about in a totally safe space?
Maybe its a combination of the rainy weather, or the NIMBYism, or the culture of fear and overprotection of kids that has let the block party die. Did it even exist in the first place? Anybody older than their mid-20s reply..this is not a point I want to google only to find a million unrelated links.

I was recently talking to a buddy of mine- I told him that I wanted to bring back the block party. He was telling me about his time in Cuba, and apprently everyweekend that's just the culture. Swaths of people on the streets just having various parties in their respecrtive neighbourhoods. He said he never felt more welcom in his life. (Buddy, speak up and leave a note describing the awesomeness of the block party).

Anyhow, I did do some googling which involved "vancouver" + "block party". I can't believe I found this on the City of Vancouver's website:
http://city.vancouver.bc.ca/engsvcs/filmandevents/events/blockparty/

For many generations block parties have served as a way for neighbours to meet each other. Some block parties are organized around Canadian holidays such as July 1 (Canada Day) or BC Day in August. People may decide to get together because of an issue (such as traffic or vandalism) affecting the neighbourhood. Whatever the motive, block parties often lead to further gatherings of neighbours and may lead to neighbourhood improvements such as a crosswalk, new playground equipment, or a neighbourhood clean up campaign.
One does not have to live in a district of single family homes to be involved in a block party. Block parties can happen in common spaces in townhouse complexes, in front of apartment buildings or in a park near a condominium. A block party is simply a group of neighbours working together to organize an event for their neighbourhood.
Block parties are not costly to organize. Thanks to the cooperation of the City's Engineering Department and your local community centre, costs for insurance, barricades and permits have been eliminated.
This site is organized so that all necessary information, forms, and do's and don'ts are included. In addition, your neighbourhood community centre may be able to direct you to others who have organized block parties and can answer your questions.
So do not hesitate, gather a couple of neighbours, fix a date, and invite others to join in!


The site then goes on to give you 10 more reasons to have a block party (so if my post doesn't convince you, let the City), suggestions to begin organizing block parties, and the procedures and tips for holding block parties.
Residents dont' speak English? No problem, the city even has block party directions for you in 11 different languages. ELEVEN. (English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Punjabi, Tagalog Vietnamese, Somali, Farsi, Kurdish, and Arabic- Kurdish? good lord...sounds like The City really wants you to organize a damn block party!).

Okay now, lets look at the problems of this set up- if you see the website you start to see that it gets a little bureacratic. You have to get residents signatures, which I guess shouldnt' be a problem as they have to participate anyway), but then you have to fill out an application and then get it approved. bleh...it's starting to sound like work.

The problem with this concept of "block party" is that it's turning more into a festival than just a spontaneous, cultural, or routine event (those might not be synonymous but you get what I mean). I don't want to put on a festival or a big parade of sorts. That's what the PNE is for, and other festive holidays. No, I want the block party to become of civic culture. That we get a handful of residents to decide that they want to have a street get-together one weekend and the momentum of their energy encourages adjacent neighbours (redundant) to open up their doors and join in. Put out the lawn chairs (on yes, that huge ass lawn you probably never use), invite people onto your front yard property and offer them a beer (or lemonade..whatever). I know it kind of sounds fufu, but really, how cool would it be to be taking a walk in your neighbourhood one day and pass by a group of houses that had people sprawled about their lawns and they were so freaking warm and kind to you and asked you to join them, and it grew momentum until you had swatchs of people running up and down the streets.

So when I urge Vancouver to bring back the block party, I'm not talking about the WestEndResidentsAssociation car-free days (http://carfreevancouver.org/) although those are damn awesome (and happening on June 15th this year), but I'm talking about a general culture of partying on your block.

OR have a condo party. The trend is condos now, right? Fine, I'll go with that. Use your common room in your condo (if there is one) and invite the whole building. Potluck style. Everybody is going to bring chips but you could make it themed next time. How about cheese. different dishes with cheese. have a sign up beside the mailboxes. Can only list one dish once. Lactose intolerant? soy cheese- see? now there's no reason why you can't have a cheese condo party. OR a floor dish-off. Each floor can collaborate on a dish and the best dish wins... I dunno.,.. the best dish prize. The point is these things can be done and YOU must be the one to start it.

So go forth and organize a block party, or condo party. DO it. And then invite me. I'll bring cheese. RECOMMEND this Post on Progressive Bloggers CLICK HERE!

Pulling the fire alarm: Student attack on UBC

I received this on Feb. 5/2008.

Broadcast E-mail to All UBC Vancouver Students, Faculty and Staff from President Stephen J. Toope:
For the second time in a week, our Vancouver campus community has received a threatening message.In this second case, an unspecific threat has been made for Wednesday. The threat does not specify a time, a location within the UBC Point Grey campus or the method of doing harm.We must take such threats seriously, and we are working closely with senior RCMP personnel to address this new threat.What can we all do when faced with such a threat? We are taking the advice of the RCMP to treat the non-specific nature of the threat with a higher level of community vigilance but to otherwise continue our normal activities.However, because of the specific mention of the Biosciences building in the threatening message received last week, and the traumatic experience of the occupants who endured a full lockdown of the building at that time, classes will be cancelled tomorrow (Wednesday) in the Biosciences Building.
For details, see the RCMP news release at: www.rcmp-bcmedia.caAnd please continue to look at www.ubc.ca for the latest information.

Now is this a new level of pulling the ol' fire alarm in high school to get out of class? Attention seeking tactics?

Well the first threat (See http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=1deef976-d7ef-4587-a64e-bddbdf30b904&k=18142) seems to be quite the serious issue.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/02/05/bc-threat.html?ref=rss

Infact there have been a few threats towards UBC as of lately. Other than the two above, UBC has gotten a lot of criticism towards development plans to kill the Grassy Knoll (see http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=228738).

They have a manifesto all their own- they will (or the news report says they will) keep vandalizing UBC to make a statement. Apparently they have gone through more civil forms of negotiation with governance bodies and, from experience, governance structures give little attention to the student voice.

I'm not a fan of UBC's redevelopment plans but neither am I a fan of vandalism.
But with a gun to my head I'd side with the protesters. UBC's stuffy bureacratic model is pretentious and clinging to old-fashioned governance models. After attending UBC, for much too long, and giving them over $30k in credit, I have to admit that the school leaves a student feeling a little alienated. So little student community. So little student involvement. There is a handful of students that get into the UBC politics but they are a rather exclusive group.

UBC also likes to pretend its an exclusive Ivy League school. i.e., they charge an incredible amount for tuition (compared to other Canadian universities), they have incredibly high admission standards that are solely reliant on a percentage on a transcript (which, in real life, means so little), and they provide so few funding assistance structures (coupled with the fact that they do not accept credit anymore when paying tuition as of 2007) because they are so elitist and expect students to be rich.

The fact of the matter is that UBC is sucking and students are starting to realize it. UBC is just lucky that it has a main draw with Chinese kids whose parents think UBC is the shit (likely because the new generation of Chinese in Vancouver are more often than not 1)Wanting their kids to go to exclusive snobby universities- i.e. Chinese people put a strong value on ranking and it works well with UBC's admission structures 2) Chinese families are becoming more affluent and can afford tuition- not to mention it is also highly valued for parents to make investments in their childrens education and therefore parents will usually pay tuition whereas White students usually have to do it on their own).

Is UBC a bad school? Certainly not.
But there are definitely better universities in Canada and even in the Westcoast region.

For the $30k that I've plugged in to UBC I'd say that 70% of that was completely well worth it (10% was my fault for not picking the right classes for me, 10% UBC's fault for providing sucky classes, and the last 10% is just because tuition was plain expensive (i.e. extra photocopying costs on top of tuition? textbooks costing a ridiculous amount even though they are mostly a Professors way of making a proper income (in lieu of what UBC doesn't pay him/her, and finally all those little AMS costs that seriously add up- I'm sorry, but I DID say no to several "funds" including the rape-fund. All those AMS fees are usually just a few dollars but they really add up and it doesn't make any sense to be paying to have services that should be public rights and public services anyway. Like, we're all taxpayers- why do I have to pay and extra couple of dollars so that I can have rights at *UBC* that I should have anyway as a Canadian citizen? I should be able to receive public services whether or not I get attacked on UBC property or not, or regardless of whether I am a UBC student or not. But of course all those little fees get approved because people don't want to say they do not want to pay a toonie extra for a diversity fund or a women's help-fund otherwise they will be labelled an asshole. But really, just because I don't contribute to the fund does not mean I don't care- it means that I think UBC should pay for it, not the poor students. UBC can fund it through its endowments (See "UBC joins billion dollar club http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=9a8b62cf-015b-48ce-8867-8f0ce6d732be&k=47247), returns in stocks (oh, that's where the money was lost http://ubyssey.bc.ca/2008/01/15/ubc-loses-18-million/), or how about the bloated salaries of government who makes decisions regardless of whether there is large student protest?

UBC is making enemies. It best do something about it. RECOMMEND this Post on Progressive Bloggers CLICK HERE!

Ode to a Vancouver Trolley Bus

Ode to a Vancouver trolley bus,
With your seats so blue.
You once were so orange,
So strong, and so true.

I rode you down Oak street,
Down Cambie and Main.
I rode you up main corridors,
Finding your stops? Never a pain.

You’ve changed over the years,
But I will always love thee.
From high seats to low seats,
Your views still impress me.

My favourite bus,
Is almost long gone.
It remains on a single line
The #4, orange like dawn.

But alas, the orange trolley allowed
Little access for most.
Replaced, indeed it was.
Dual tiered the new did boast.

The next model to come,
Had blue and soft seats.
But it was the pleathery smell,
That lessened its feats.

Newer even still,
Is the plush simple design,
With lean solid frames,
A new favourite of mine.

For although people complain,
Of the fewer number of seats.
If one were to count,
You would see that these busses still meet

Almost the same amount of people,
Of course less by two,
Than the beloved old orange
With the advantage of new

Wheelchair accessible,
Even strollers too!
They bend and they bow,
And create opportunity in lieu.

But the creeping change,
Of the transit system is failing.
The construction has left me,
Questioning and bailing.

For many changed routes,
And the new “Montreal-style” busses
Are leaving me wary,
And confused through my cusses.

I no longer know the routes,
As they change so frequently.
I’d almost rather drive,
If I didn’t love public transit so vehemently.

I’ll still take the bus,
But I must also solemnly add,
I do not enjoy
My daily commute, its sad.

My ode has become bitter,
Like many residents will say,
Translink’s consultation
Needs to find a more open way.

RECOMMEND this Post on Progressive Bloggers CLICK HERE!

Walkability and Driveability Scores

I'm really interested in accessible neighbourhoods and well-built neighbourhoods that people just like to be in.
Vancouver has great neighbourhoods which sum up a lot of ideal qualities. Good neighbourhoods are more than just amenity rich (although amenities are a key component). My personal shortlist of key components include (and do not exhaust at):

1) Diverse and competitive amenities: Not only amenity rich, but amenities must be both diverse and competitive. People need access to a range of different shops and services to encourage and ensure you don't have to leave your neighbourhood for anything and so you will multitask in one space. If you have to run many errands in a day and they are in more than two nonadjacent neighbourhoods you afre more likely to use your car. In addition, amenities must be diverse. It is simply not enough to have a huge Walmart and say that there is everything you will ever need in one place. [ok, that was a bit of a slag on Walmart- the same could be said about a Canadian Tire coupled with a Shopper's Drug Mart]. It's a bit lame to have a single consumer warehouse. And it's also not a good idea to have dozens of obscure independent shops. Neighbourhoods need both. I think the ost successful aspect of Kitsilano along Broadway is that you have all those small Asian run grocery stores that keep prices competitive (especially with produce) and then you have a single big grocery like Safeway to get the stuff you simply won't be able to get a tthe smaller stores. It's a nice variety.

Density: Density and availability to amenity rich environments sort of go hand in hand- they do not build housing they cannot service those residents. But density, moreso, brings the plain presence of people. Why do we every go out anymore? really? everything is at the touch of a fingertip at a computer. Anything you could ever want can be delivered to you nowadays. We go out because we like the contact of people. Friends and strangers alike. So, in a very Jane Jacobs sort of way, the extremely dense New York type pedestrian traffic is a vibrancy people love to breathe in.

Open streetscape: I think the best examples of some streetscapes I've seen were in Australia. I imagine Europe would be in first place but I cannot say since I have never been. Autralia did something so smart and it really made both the walking and sitting experience much more enjoyable. In Australia, they place the patio of restaurants and coffee shops on the far side of the sidewalk right against the car traffic (which is separated by a simple unobtrusive fence). This really makes the pedestrian experience uch jore interactive- pedestrians walk in between patio and an open restaurant door. One would think it odd (and inconvenient for servers) but it's such a simple change that makes the world of difference when walking along the street. You're sort of taken in by the restaurants and it feels much like you are part of the consumption experience even though you aren't actually 'in' the retaurant or cafe. Open streetscape doesn't end there though. Availability of street furniture, cafe's and the feel like it is okay to loiter is a really good thing. Vancouver is a bit of a loiter-hating city, which is quite unfortunate. My favourite thing to do on ost days is nothing. Nothing and people watching. And I challenge other people to say that they don't enjoy some good people watching while doing nothing. Nice big sidewalks aren't even a requirement, really. For example, San Francisco, and especially the North Beach neighbourhood has painfully narrow streets- but it their streets do the same thing. Pedestrians are so extremely close to the patios that they are taken in by the experience. It really is quite charming.

Youth and diversity: Now I hope this isn't starting to sound like a Richard Florida book, but honestly, young and diverse people create the bet neighbourhoods (for eg The Drive and South Main). Peopl often say that youth bring in a type of vibrancy and they just plainly have energy. I feel that to be true, but moreso I think they also bring in a feeling of continuity. I think people sort of become divorced from the future, and a feeling for future wellbeing when they are not in th epresence of youth. And I am quite literally now talking about youth as in children and adolescents. There' s such a Children of Men syndrome in places that don't have a real visible presence of youth. People are sort of just in it for themselves and forget about social justice and long-term wellbeing. I think the presence of kids force us to think about our futures and force us to want to do better in our everyday on behalf of a generation that must inherit all the shit we leave them with. It is sort of like when you're on the bus and you forgo your usual swear word because there's a little kid on the bus. I think even in some of the worst people with some of the worst character, in the presene of a child they will restrain some of their bad nature and, to some degree, attempt to set a good example, or at least not an overtly bad one.

An air of nice: How do develop "nice"? Well I have no idea. But I know you have to have it. Vancouver is on the verge of being a bitchy city. People constantly complain about the anti-social behaviour and snobbiness (usualy referring to the women of the city) that occurs in our fair city. Think of it this way. You are in a really packed club. It's a nice club. Music is great, drinks afre cheap, there are a lot of hot people. But everybody is shooting eachother the skunk eye. And nobody is approaching eachother. Here we have the classic Vancouver nightclub. Who wants to be in a place like this? Yes it is amenity rich, yes it is dense, yes there are young hot people- but what does it all matter if nobody is interacting? Now let us change venues. The local Irish pub (which I still contend is the international venue of nice). At the local irish pub people drink unpretentious beers, sit at the common bar or share huge tables and they chat it up while listening to the predictalbe irish tunes. It's good times. Whenever you go to a new city and know nobody, or are travelling- go to an Irish pub. I guarantee that people will drink and be merry no matter what city.

So, back to my main point. There are soo many factors that make up a good place. And not only that, but there is a synergy of place that one cannot quantitatively measure in any way. So when I came across these two websites, I was just very upset with the "score" I got from my nieghbourhood. Below are the websites for a Walkability score for your neighbourhood and a driveability score. It's so erroneous that it hurts. check it out:

http://www.walkscore.com/
What is Walk Score?
We help homebuyers, renters, and real estate agents find houses and apartments in great neighborhoods. Walk Score shows you a map of what's nearby and calculates a Walk Score for any property. Buying a house in a walkable neighborhood is good for your health and good for the environment.

my Walkability score = 38/100


http://drivescore.fizber.com/
What is Drive Score?
Drive Score shows a map of what establishments are in a property's neighborhood and calculates a Drive Score based on the number of places within a convenient driving distance. With Drive Score, buyers can see how close establishments are by car. Homes are often located in an area where retaurants, libraries, grocery stores, hospitals and other businesses arfe easier to get to by car than on foot.

How it works
The greater number of businesses nearby, the higher the Drive Score. It is really very imporant for home buyers to be aware of nearby infrastructure to make their choice. This option will enable home buyers make searches with much more confidence. Directions are available by clicking on any icon shown on the map.

my Driveability score= 65/100


Now I'm not going to tell you where I live, but those scores are so clearly wrong for where I live. These scores are measured plain and simple by distance to services. Getting over the fact that they are using Googlemaps and the magical database of however things are input onto Google, I've got a few beefs with these scores.

1) Yes maps are wonderful to show distance, but has googlemap and these walk/drive scores mastered topographical maps? A km in Vancouver is very different than a km in San Francisco. WHile the grocery store may be close, if between my and thqat store is a huge ass hill chances are I'm going to not walk to that store. Same as in Vegas- everything looks close, but really when you afre detoured through hotels it really does take an hour to get a centimeter on the map.

2) Quality control- Not all of these place count for quality places. Would you shop at the grungy Produce City on that stanky corner on Cambie (probably not there anymore because of the Canada Line but you get the picture). These are not all places you want to be and in all likelihood you'd only go to that independent small (and overpriced) pharmacy if it were an emergency.

3) Variety- They count the number of shops of services but they don't measure your score on type of establishment. What good does it do me to have 100 restaurant but no grocery store? Espeially if I were poor?

4) Neighbourhood- Amenity rich does not equal place I want to be and spend time in.

5) Culture of walking/ driving. I like to walk. I've been walking a long time. And really, when you have graduated from UBC where you need to do the daily walk between Buchannon and the Forestry building you a few kilometers seems like nothing. Maybe my neighbourhood has nothing in it, but 10 blocks away there are tonnes of businesses and services. And I really don't mind doing that lengthy walk because I've grown up used to walking. Now on the other hand there are people who are glued to their cars. There are some people who would rather drive a block, or drive to the other end of the city to go through the drive-through rather than walk to a closeby restaurant. Believe me, these people exist. There are some people who live that driver lifestyle and wouldn't have it any other way.

So all in all I'm quite disappointed by this count. I'd put my neighbourhood right up in the 80s for walkability and a definite 100 for driveability. I just find the whole score decieving and real trouble for the intended audience of new homebuyers.

What's your score? and What do you think of it? RECOMMEND this Post on Progressive Bloggers CLICK HERE!