The Condominium Mentality

In the continued drive to be more energy efficient and walkable, cities are increasingly adopting the condominium as the preferred choice for city living. So it was with interest that I found reference to a specific 'condominium mentality' in a recent article (see here).  The phrase is attributed to the literary critic Northrop Frye, who originally developed the concept of a 'garrison mentality' to describe the closely knit Canadian communities with unquestionable social and moral values.  As described in this article by Kyle Carsten Wyatt, the 'condominium mentality' has similar characteristics to the garrison in that it forces people to huddle together in a defined space. But, as Wyatt astutely describes, the major difference is that the condominium building only gives the illusion of a social unit and in fact facilities isolation and loneliness.  Describing his condominium near Toronto, Wyatt writes: 

We take the elevator to the lobby or the underground parking garage, fiddling with our iPhones instead of visiting with the person standing next to us. We post complaints about our neighbours’ barking dog on “community-building” Facebook pages, rather than knocking on their door andhaving an actual conversation. We threaten to call the cops when our neighbours enjoy their balconies, instead of joining them for a beer. We flip our units as soon as we can afford a better one in a better building, or as soon as our view is destroyed by a rival development down the street. We’re all alone with our high-speed Internet and embarrassment of social networks, as concrete walls mute the existence of our real neighbours.

Clearly, the 'condominium mentality' is not a positive one. But the first thing that struck me was that it is unfair picking on condos per se.  I have no doubt all of the above are issues which are more connected to modern times and are equally applicable to the suburbs or other types of urban form.  Robert Putnam did not call his noted work on sociology 'Bowling Alone' without reason; describing the decline in social capital across America since the 1960s - in both downtowns and suburbs alike. To some extent we get the housing that we want.  I do believe that architecture can have transformative powers, but the dominant urban forms also strongly reflect the type of people and communities we are and aspire to. 

No Starbucks in Recoleta, Buenos Aires!

Secondly, Wyatt sees the solution to this North American malaise in the urban patterns of Buenos Aires.  Having just returned from Buenos Aires myself, I agree that the city provides a host of lessons for creating walkable neighbourhoods, active and lively public spaces,and a tasteful mix of contemporary and heritage architecture.  However, Wyatt suggests that the specific lesson from Buenos Aires is that high-rise condos should be built without retail or commercial space at the street level.  This is an interesting perspective because ever since planning school I have had it beaten into me that city builders must promote life at street level by encouraging mixed-use communities with active frontages, i.e. shops beneath residential. Wyatt's reasoning is that the distinct lack of retail units directly below condos will force residents into the larger community. Unfortunately this ignores the major differences between a city like Buenos Aires and Toronto. In Buenos Aires and other South American cities, locals will bring out chairs and sit outside their buildings in the evening and throughout the day.  This creates the authentic socializing that eliminates the need for a coffee shop under each condo building. Unfortunately this spontaneous social life is less apparent in the residential areas of NorthAmerican cities and the need for ground floor commercial space is more pressing.  If we want to focus on overcoming the 'condominium mentality', I suggest we focus more on the mentality and less on the condo.

Musing Urbanist on Tour: Toronto

Vancouverites are not meant to like Toronto.  Putting ice hockey obsession aside, there is plenty to differentiate the two cities.  Toronto is home to big finance and media; Vancouver home to the 'good life' of mountains and beaches.  In my short introduction to Candian life I've been told on more than one occasion that in Toronto you "live to work", but in Vancouver you very much "work to live".  What I didn't expect was for this generalization to become so clearly obvious on my short visit to Toronto recently.


Having lived in Vancouver for 8 months I was caught unaware of how different a 'big city' can make one feel.  The difference between rural and urban life is obvious, but the changes that occur when comparing a mid-size city like Vancouver to a truly big city like Toronto are unexpected (at least for me on this occasion).  Vancouver punches above its weight no doubt and has built a successful brand of sustainable urbanism that is now internationally recognized.  But do not be fooled into thinking that Vancouver is a big city - it isn't.  Being in Toronto made me realize this more than ever.  Jumping from London to Vancouver last year led me to think that many of the differences I noticed in city life were because of the change of country.  This still holds true, but a lot of the changes also stem from departing a global city of 13 million to a city of approximately 2 million. 

Planning in a short-term world

Working as a long-range planner I am no stranger to the roadblocks caused by other people or agencies adopting a more short-term approach.  This is not to say that a healthy tension is created between differing attitudes, but it can often feel as though the commitment to long-term planning can suddenly be shelved for short-term benefit.  Often this is found when planning locks horns with political strategy and no better example can be found than a few weeks back when the Premier of British Columbia rejected the local Mayor's calls for a new tax to pay for transit improvements (see here).  With a by-election to win and a Provincial election around the corner, the Premier does not want to be associated with any new tax rises, whatever the long-term benefits they may obviously bring.  So it was with relief that I read Chris Shepley's thoughtful article in a  recent UK planning magazine on the vital role of long-term strategy.  

Bridges - who benefits?

I recently came across two interesting stories on how new bridges are planning to change their respective city’s.  The Bridge of Knowledge in Rio de Janeiro is just one sign of the insatiable growth of the Brazilian economy (now 6^th largest in the world) and at $35 million will link the Federal University with the Red Line motorway.  Yet, this article in The Guardian focuses less on the economic boosterism and more on how the construction of the bridge required bribes be paid to pacify local drug gangs.  Furthermore, the new bridge and road has required noise barriers to be constructed, according to the article, in order to hide the surrounding slums from view – possibly with an eye to the influx of visitors for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics.  


In a similar story the Washington Post reports on how the Baluarte Bicentennial Bridge in Mexico could end up aiding rather than hiding the criminal drug gangs (see here).  The bridge is part of a wider $1.5 billion super highway which will connect the states of Durango and Sinaloa and provide a link between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean.  Yet, unfortunately the new infrastructure could be used as a convenient route for drug smuggling.  It seems bridges and roads can be a vital tool for economic development, but who benefits is a different question.

The Baluarte Bicentennial Bridge

Front Pages News - Planner Sacked!

I have quickly understood that the planning profession is more high profile in Vancouver compared to other cities I have lived and worked in.  But the sacking last week of Director of Planning Brent Toderian really emphasized the point.  The news that Mayor Gregor Robertson had sacked Toderian was just that – it was news.  Lead story on the CBC radio news.  Front page of the Vancouver Sun.  What would it take for the Director of Planning in London to make the front page of the Evening Standard?  More to the point, who is the Director of Planning in London?

Partly this situation stems from the differing governance structures, where in the UK the head of planning is less visible in articulating a vision for the city and it is normally the lowly ‘case officer’ who presents development schemes to Council.  In a discretionary system I would argue the UK planner has less influence on proactively setting policy compared to the US and Canada where land is actively zoned and rezoned. 

The other reason Toderian’s firing got such extended media coverage was the emphasis placed on city planning in Vancouver.  The city likes to take planning very serious, as shown by the premium placed on urban design reviews, substantial amenity contributions and the development of a ‘Vancouverism’ model.  Because the city lacks a longstanding urban form (especially compared to European cities), Vancouver has seen significant change over the last 25 years.  This has allowed the planning department to masterplan large tracts of brownfield land, including Coal Harbour and South East False Creek.  It should also be remembered that Toderian has followed in the footsteps of Larry Beasley who raised the profile of planning both locally and internationally through a sustained branding of what Vancouver urbanism entails.  This has meant that real estate and development are highly visible to locals on a day to day basis and, by association, the Director of Planning is hard to escape from.

Either this or it was just a slow news day.

The Need for Speed

One third of the growth previously forecast by HS2 Ltd to occur on the West Coast Main Line between 2008 and 2043 has been achieved in the last three years. (p.16)

The above quote is taken from the Updated appraisal of transport user benefits and wider economic benefits to support the planned High Speed rail line from London to Birmingham and then on to Manchester and Leeds (known as HS2).   It clearly shows how inaccurate economic forecasts are.  Even with the best economic minds at work, the Department of Transport got the forecast for HS2 passenger volumes so wrong in February 2011 that they have now come up with a new figure.  Whether the revised forecast is any closer to reality, nobody knows.  The worrying fact is that these forecasts are the basis for the Government's decision to commit £30 billion on what they deem a 'key and vital investment in Britain's future'. 



Taking the economic appraisal at face value, here are a few assumptions which caught my eye:

• People are expected to make more longer (over 100 mile) trips in the future.  Currently the average person makes 0.8 long trips per year and this is forecast to increase to 1.3 trips.  This doesn't appear much but it means the number of long trips will increase by 92% in a period of time when the UK population will only grow by 19%;
• 81% of trips between Scotland and England will be undertaken by High Speed rail by 2037.  Currently the figure is 54%; and
• Only a small percentage (8%) of trips on HS2 will be shifted from private car.  The majority (65%) of trips will be diverted from existing rail routes.  This suggests that if the aim of HS2 was to decrease car use, it will not make a significant impact.

Justine Greening MP (right) and a train

A major justification for HS2 is the potential to decrease travel times between major cities.  London to Birmingham will be cut by approximately 20 minutes, and the London to Manchester route will drop from the current 2 hours to approximately 1 hour 20 minutes.  But are these time savings worth the considerable investment?  


The journey time savings are forecast to be worth a saving of £24.5 billion.  Yet for me there is not enough evidence in the appraisal to justify the economic value of cost savings.  Business people can work on trains so what will a saving of 20 minutes do for the economy?  In addition, the time savings will be strongly dependent on where the HS2 stations are located.  There is no net benefit if stations are not easily accessible to other city locations by local transport.  What is the point if you save one hour on the HS2 train to Manchester but then get stuck on a bus or tram whilst traveling through the city.  For me, this is the key point.  I support the opinion of Sir Simon Jenkins (see here) who argues that the money could have been better spent on providing trams or light rail for all the major cities in the UK.  I support the principle of high speed rail, but in a country such as the UK it doesn't seem appropriate and instead we should focus on improving the public transport within cities which can generate much better economic, health, social and environmental benefits for a greater share of the population. 

Guernsey Development Plan Review - Places, Spaces & People

I like to keep an eye on land use and transport planning back in my home island, so it was good to see the States of Guernsey committing to some long term policy development through the review of the two island Development Plans - the Rural Area Plan and the Urban Area Plan.  Consultation is currently ongoing on a series of Topic Papers which cover a range of issues and can be found here.  The deadline for responses is 16 March 2012.  


I have read through one of the overarching Topic Papers ('A Sustainable Approach') and have put together a few thoughts on the issues it raises below.  Not surprisingly I have focused on transport, which I think is the most important issue facing the island over the next 10 and 20 years.

'Spacing Vancouver' - Book Review of Making Healthy Places

You can read my review of the book Making Healthy Places here.  The book introduces some important connections between the disciplines of urban planning and public health. 

Housing the 99%

The front cover of architectural magazines are often graced by the latest Rogers, Foster or Hadid building.  This is no surprise, just as Vanity Fair prefers Lady Gaga to Joe Public.  Glamour projects often grab the headlines as they tap into human nature’s interest in the exciting and the daring.  This also goes for politicians, as Sir Simon Jenkins has recently shown (see here), who often become obsessed with glamourous skyscrapers from big name architects. 

But the majority of people do not live or work in these types of buildings.  Even those who do work in London’s signature office towers will jump on a commuter train at the end of the day to their 2 up 2 down in the suburbs.  So why doesn’t architectural and planning commentary in the media focus on what really matters – run of the mill family housing?  Or to borrow a phrase, the homes of the 99%.

This issue came to my attention following this review of Kevin McCloud’s foray into house building.  For those readers outside the UK, McCloud is a designer who has gained fame through his Grand Designs television programme.  In the show he documents the construction of a house from initial plans through to construction and completion.  Through this exposure he has become in the last 10 years one of the most prominent talking heads on issues of architecture and planning.  So it was interesting to see him attempt to undertake a housing development by himself. 

The Invisible Economy - Design in Vancouver

In a previous article I wrote about how the Vancouver city region is struggling to define itself economically – is it a port city? Is it a resort city? Or can the future be built on savvy tech entrepreneurs?  Last week I got a glimpse of one part of the economy which generates less headlines but could be as important to the city over the coming years.  I undertook the Eastside Cultural Crawl which does exactly what is says on the tin.  Beginning in 1997 the crawl is an opportunity for artists, craftspeople and designers to increase their visibility through a series of coordinated events and programmes.  Mostly it just involves studios being opened up to allow the general public a better idea of what is being produced in the Strachcona neighborhood.  I was hugely impressed with both the turnout (not everybody enjoys walking around an industrial estate on a freezing weekend) and, more importantly, the quality of the products on sale.  With my eye on a new coffee table I was particularly impressed with the carpenters and would recommend the work of Enrico Konig as a start (see here).

  

Parklife - Making London Greener

Two stories related to parks in London grabbed my attention this past week.  First was Rowan Moore’s excellent review of the proposed London River Park which is quickly turning into the capital’s new planning saga (see here).  The proposal is for a new walkway on the northern side of the River Thames, stretching from Millennium Bridge in the west to the Tower of London in the east.  The initial plans include landscaping, seating, a swimming pool and a series of pavilions which can be used for exhibitions and cultural uses.   

But it is the creation of a pseudo-public space that angers Moore the most.  Drawing on Anna Minton’s highly recommended book Ground Control, Moore describes how the river park will in fact turn a public river view into a highly controlled private space.  In addition, the effort from the architects appears to have been spent on the revenue generating pavilions and not on the walkable areas in-between.  So if London is trying to ape New York’s High Line it will have to put considerably more effort into the ‘park’ element of the scheme.  Latest news is that the planning application will not be considered by the City of London at the November Planning Committee and the project will now miss being open for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.  Open for the Olympics?  We will see.

Vancouver Election Preview

With Vancouver municipal elections on November 19th, I thought now was a good opportunity to reflect on what are the key issues that should be being debated in the weeks ahead.  I stress 'should be' because unfortunatley the past weeks have been dominated by the continued occupation of the Vancouver Art Gallery.  For a group that claims to want to discuss the 'big issues', it is ironic that their occupation of VAG has deflected all attention away from the real substantive issues facing the city.  So to put this right, here are my top three issues that prospective politicians should be focusing on in Vancouver.   

Lecture Review - Patsy Healey on Progressive Planning

Reading a lecture script on planning theories and governance structures is not easy.  But the hard work can be worth it, as it is for Patsy Healey's recent RTPI Nathanial Lichfield Annual Lecture (full script available here).  Healey is Emeritus Professor at Newcastle University and through her work on strategic spatial planning has received the RTPI Gold Medal and become a fellow of the British Academy.  I have always found her work engaging with its ability to mix both abstract planning and public policy theories with the everyday reality of city life and the role of the planning profession.  

Her RTPI Lecture captures the current enthusiasm for localism but instead of critiquing the Conservative Government's Localim Bill she digs deeper to deconstruct what form local political action should take.  This is wise because the fundamental issues of governance and civic capacity must be understood before exploring the types of planning controls needed.  Healey's main concern is the way in which debates over governance often break down into shouting matches between polarised sides calling for either less or more Government.  She categorizes these sides as either market idealists or idealised communitarianism.  Instead, Healey proposes a form of 'network governance' that blurs the boundaries of state, economy and cicil society.  This allows for a more flexible state of governance that retains some Government safeguards but permits experimentation and capacity building at the local level.  It is only within this networked governance does Healey believe true local planning can emerge.

Viewing Planning as a Public Health Tool

The origins of planning, in particular in the UK, can be closely traced to increasing public health concerns.  The growing industrialization of nineteenth century cities created specific health impacts, from the air pollution generated by factories to the overcrowded housing for workers.  Early urban planning models were therefore partly driven by a desire to address the worsening state of public health.  Most notably, Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City Movement referred to a utopian town where the air and water were pure and smoke and slums had been eliminated.  Even the urban renewal of the 1960’s was loosely justified as a tool to eliminate overcrowding and the associated negative health conditions.  Yet reading most current city plans it would be easy to forget the close connections between health and the built environment.  Health issues may crop up in relation to environmental impacts, but very rarely is public health fully considered as a topic to which planning can effectively contribute.

It was therefore refreshing to attend the Walk21 conference held in Vancouver in early October to reconnect the health and planning professions. 

'Spacing Vancouver' - Book Review of Block by Block

My review of the Jane Jacobs themed book Block by Block can be found here on the 'Spacing Vancouver' blog.

 

Guest Article: Reigning in the Chain Stores

Nick Havard recently spent time in British Columbia and has kindly guest authored this article for Musings of an Urbanist.  Nick explores the issues surrounding food and grocery stores in Vancouver and why the city could do more to build on the healthy attitudes of the local population.  Thanks Nick!

I don’t recall seeing many fruit and vegetable shops in Vancouver when I visited recently. However, when we did find these shops the quality was fantastic. I noticed occasional roadside stalls on the drive to Calgary, but generally it seemed pretty difficult to stay away from the big chains, especially in the cities. I suppose this isn’t all that different from the high street in England, but it just seemed to me that it was more of a challenge to quickly pick up an apple in Vancouver than it is over here.

Cutting a Deal - Heritage in Vancouver

Since arriving in Vancouver it has not taken me long to realize that the city lacks heritage.  'But we're a new city' is the response I often hear from locals in this 125th anniversary year of the city's founding.  And coming from Europe this makes sense.  125 years is only two generations above me so there is no value in making comparisons with London or other European cities which have longer and more varied histories. As a schoolboy I was ignorant towards the fact that my high school was founded in 1563.  But to a Canadian this is beyond comprehension.

Yet after attending a talk from Brent Toderian (Director of City Planning in Vancouver) it became clear that the lack of heritage actually stems from the weak planning laws and not the relative newness of the city.  It sounds so simple, but in the UK if a building is deemed to be of merit or value it is placed on a statutory protection list.  Likewise, if a distinct area (neighborhood or street) is judged to have a 'special character' it is allocated as a conservation area.  Put simply, permission is required to make alterations or demolish properties that are either listed or reside in a conservation area.  In British Columbia the opposite is true and the City have no legislative powers to prevent a property owner from obtaining a demolition permit.  As Mr Toderian stressed in his presentation, he has more power to regulate what goes up compared to what comes down.

The reason for this is the odd mix of civic values that try to bridge European socialism with the US-favored protection of personal property rights.  Unfortunately the personal property rights win out and any sense of heritage as a city-wide resource is lost.  This is incredibly hypocritical because whilst the legislation claims to value heritage it fails to provide adequate protection and instead leaves buildings open to the demands of the development sector.  This is the real reason Vancouver has such little heritage, not just the fact the city is so young. 

A Future With No Direction - The Regional Economy of Metro Vancouver

In a recent post I talked about how in the absence of a dominant industry, Vancouver has become obsessed with real estate.  This theme has been excellently, but worryingly, developed by Frances Bula in the current edition of Vancouver Magazine (see here).  In her article, Bula struggles to define the Vancouver economy in contrast to other Canadian cities.  If Toronto is finance, Calgary is oil and Ottawa is politics - what is Vancouver?  She settles on three possibilities - freight movement, tourism and technological entrepreneurs.  But in my mind all three have inherent problems in taking the bigger step to dominating the Metro Vancouver economy.

• Freight - with rail freight close to capacity do we want more trucks on our roads?
• Tourism - an unstable industry that can be impacted by external factors.  Hasn't the city already become a resort-type environment in parts of Downtown?
• Technological entrepreneurs - does the city have the necessary business support structure (and suitable workspace) to upscale small enterprises?  

'Spacing Vancouver' - review of Scientific American magazine

You can see my second feature article for the Spacing Vancouver blog here.  In the article I review the city-themed issue of Scientific American magazine, with a particular focus on 'smart cities' and skyscrapers.

The original Scientific American articles can be found here.

Digitizing the Perfect City

In the not too distant past, SimCity had the monopoly on digital city building.  This game introduced many frustrated teenagers to what happens when your city goes bankrupt or crime spirals out of control.  Yet now digital city building has gained new impetus from multi-national businesses looking to explore what compromises the perfect city.

Two good examples are the PWC 'Cities of Opportunity' research and the BMW-Guggenheim Lab with the 'Urbanology' game.  The PWC research has established a correlation heatmap (see here) that allows you to correlate different variables to judge city performance.  For example, how strongly (or weakly) does life satisfaction correlate to traffic congestion.  The BMW-Guggenheim Lab (see here) makes use of data generated from answering simple questions to predict what is your perfect city (mine turned out to be similar to Toronto).  

The popularity of digital city planning and benchmarking by companies not commonly associated with the development sector is revealing.  Firstly, it reflects a general move towards open source data.  Increasingly, Governments and cities are releasing raw data to allow citizens and experts to develop their own analysis and potential solutions to problems.  Not only does this move show a level of transparency, it is also cost-effective - tapping into creativity outside the normal channels of dialogue, and often for free.  For example,the City of Vancouver released data to allow citizens to formulate their own mock budget.

Secondly, businesses see a future in 'smart cities'.  By this I mean a city which uses sensors and data to provide a greater understanding of how the local infrastructure is used.  This new approach to city building provides endless business opportunities in the creation of new infrastructure and software, and also in consulting (hence the involvement of a company like PWC).  Companies therefore recognize the benefits of early involvement in this growing trend and can establish a presence to capture a higher market share further down the road. 

Finally, these digital platforms are a form of advertising.  The word 'urban' has certain trendy and creative connotations and this allows businesses to associate themselves with this movement.  This is an area of advertising and marketing that could be difficult with their main business function, e.g. financial services.

 

So, though SimCity and other games are still going strong it is interesting to see how and why big businesses are also trying to plan the perfect city.  With the growing move towards open data, the popularity of smart technologies and the interest in city benchmarking, expect a few more big beasts of the business world to take an active interest in what the future city looks like.