I have seen the future, and it is UniverCity

Welcome to your future! We call it... EcoDensity

As I trudged along the steep, sidewalk-less dirt path that runs along the outer ring road of SFU’s sprawling Burnaby Mountain campus—having gotten off the bus one stop too early, packing two bags, and rolling my ankle along the way—I developed what you might call a slight negative bias towards the secluded UniverCity residence. But once I turned on to University Crescent, the main street that curves through the middle of the mini town centre, all my grumbling washed away.

I live in a dense residential neighbourhood, I’ve visited EcoDensity-style sites, and I’ve been to SFU’s main campus on several occasions—but I was still pleasantly surprised by what I saw at UniverCity. Maybe it was just the heat that day, but it occurred to me as I walked along the many medium-density developments that this is what the future of urban living would look like.

My bit of urban exploration to the outer reaches of Burnaby later recalled (i.e., sent me to Wikipedia) a journey made in 1919 to the Soviet Union by a journalist named Lincoln Steffens. Somewhat bafflingly, given the time and place, Steffens became enamoured with that country’s brand of communism and stated as much upon his return to the U.S. in 1921.

“I have been over into the future,” he said, “and it works.”

The benefit of hindsight tells us that Steffens was, alas, not quite on the mark, though for ardent skeptics of anything that vaguely resembles civic planning today, comparisons to the Soviet style of government are still inevitably dredged up.

However, far from being the kind of soulless, centrally planned commune that EcoDensity’s most ardent detractors envision, UniverCity actually represents the best of both residential worlds—neither of which includes Gulags or windowless housing blocks.

The two worlds that I’m referring to both exist right here in North America, and especially in the Lower Mainlaind: vibrant, amenity-rich urbania, and quiet, pastoral suburbia. UniverCity manages to combine these positive attributes without the accompanying downsides of busy-ness, dirtiness, isolatedness or car-dependentness.

Of course, that’s not to say that UniverCity is totally sustainable, being as it is on the top of a mountain and practically in Port Moody. Even taking transit requires lumbering up and down the hill in chugging diesel buses; cycling to and fro is clearly only for the die-hards; and walking anywhere beyond campus itself is right out.

The point is, this idyllic hilltop development is—like the castle in Monty Python and the Holy Grail—only a model. Regardless, it’s one that could be implemented elsewhere—closer to transit, closer to jobs, closer to sea level.

But UniverCity, which first broke ground in 2001 and is still under construction, never purported to be a civic solution for the Burnaby or Vancouver or anywhere else: it’s a university residence, and for that purpose works brilliantly.

That said, there are plenty of things that city and suburb folk alike would enjoy about this hidden gem. There are walkups, and townhouses, and condos, but not of the towering Yaletown or Coal Harbour variety that many people find overly imposing. There are sidewalks, there are bike paths and, yes, people here also drive cars (gasp!). They also have patios and barbecues, as well as pets and wooded areas. But there is also a transit hub within walking distance, as well as commercial amenities and even an elementary school on the way.

In other words, there is a mix—one that feels safe, inviting and, to all but the most ’burb-hardened, inevitable.    

Sustainable sushi (slowly) makes its way to the Lower Mainland

Alright, so you only buy wild, sustainably harvested, mercury-free fish that jumps straight into your kitchen window from the creek behind your solar-powered cabin, but what about the six plates of all-you-can-eat sushi you pound back every Friday night?

Ocean Wise, a Vancouver Aquarium initiative, has been giving its blessing and its logo since 2005 to establishments that serve up sustainably harvested seafood, but this has mainly applied to fish dishes.

 

Until recently, those looking for sustainable sushi were out of luck—that is, until Zen Japanese Restaurant in West Vancouver became the first restaurant in the Lower Mainland to partner with the program.

According to Ocean Wise program manager Mike McDermid, “one of the top questions that we always get from consumers is, ‘Why aren’t there more sushi places on board?’” However, since the program doesn’t actively solicit restaurants, “all we can recommend to consumers is to let [restaurants] know” and to demand sustainable menu items.

One tool for increasing this awareness is the SeaChoice Sustainable Sushi Guide—a portable, pocket-sized brochure that rates the sustainability of sushi-related fish based on factors like population, region and harvest management—the latest edition of which was released at Zen’s Ocean Wise menu launch in April.


     

City takes the middle road on Burrard Bridge

With the Burrard Bridge bike lane trial set to begin in June, Adam Gaumont finds out why it's taken more than a decade for the City to commit to a "full" trial run

After considerable debate, cyclists will be getting more space on the Burrard Street Bridge—though perhaps not as much as they would like.



On May 7, Vancouver City Council opted for the third of three lane reallocation options: the east sidewalk will be dedicated to northbound cycle traffic, the west lane to southbound bicycle traffic, and the west sidewalk to pedestrians. A safety barrier will also be in place between the southbound cycling lane and other vehicle lanes. The trial is slated to begin around the third week of June.



Despite the heated rhetoric leading up to the City’s decision, which was delayed for two days to allow more public input, response so far has been “muted,” says Councillor Geoff Meggs—likely because drivers haven’t yet been confronted with any new signage or lane changes.

Cyclists, on the other hand, are “positive” about a trial taking place at all, he says, but “very disappointed it was a one-lane trial as opposed to two lanes”—another option that Council was presented with.



Lisa Slakov of the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition (VACC) says the one-lane decision was disappointing for her organization, but that “it’s a difficult political decision for Council to make to do any lane trial reallocations, and from that perspective we really appreciate the fact that they’re moving forward.”



Slakov, who represents the Vancouver-UBC area for the VACC, says reaction from her community has been “pretty mixed,” but predicts that “overall, cyclists are going to be thrilled to have one lane coming out of downtown that they can freely ride.”

Those who commute by car, on the other hand, may not be thrilled, as southbound vehicle flow will be reduced by one lane; though Councillor Meggs said drivers have plenty of other options.



“What’s going to be news to motorists, although it’s been a fact for at least 12–14 years, is that the Burrard Bridge is the primary crossing the City identified a long time ago for pedestrians and cyclists—not for cars. The cars have Cambie and Granville as well as Burrard, and it seems hard to imagine that Granville could be made bike-friendly in its current configuration,” says Councillor Meggs.



“For a long time it’s been a City priority across various administrations—NPA, COPE, Vision—that the Burrard Bridge was the place to focus on for pedestrian and cycle crossing.”



Indeed, though most of the Burrard Bridge debate has revolved around pedal-pushing, it may end up being those who choose bipedal transportation that end up losing out. Pedestrians heading in both directions will be required to traverse on only the west sidewalk, and according to Councillor Meggs, “that is a frustration for pedestrians who see themselves being [made lower priority] in the sustainable transportation list.”



Still, he says, “the point of the trial is not to disadvantage pedestrians… it’s to demonstrate what happens when you open the bridge to cycling. And until we overcome the safety and comfort [issues] for cyclists we won’t really be opening the bridge to cyclists.”



Alternative solutions, such as widening the bridge and even constructing a new one, have been touted, and may eventually come to fruition. But the cost of bridge deck expansion has been pegged at over $30 million (on top of existing $30 million post-Olympic renovation plans) and would involve multi-year closures of multiple traffic lanes, while a new bicycle-and-pedestrian-only bridge spanning False Creek would be even more costly and time-consuming, according to the City’s estimates. The reallocation trial, meanwhile, is a relative bargain at $1.4 million.



Many opponents of lane reallocation also point to a similar trial conducted in 1996, which was cancelled after just one week due to public furor over congestion and confusion. According to the City’s own report, “The lack of effective public communications is often cited by both staff and elected officers as a contributing factor” to the failure of the 1996 trial.



This time around, the City is promising things will be different, with a heightened public awareness campaign and improved signage and traffic control. But while premature cancellation is unlikely, it’s still not clear when the trial is slated to end: monitoring will occur throughout, with an interim report due to Council by the end of September, but an exact closing date has not been established.



According to Slakov, “what we’ve heard is that, pretty much for sure, it’s going to end in time for the Olympics”—though she’s hopeful the City will extend the trial to accommodate the increased Olympic traffic.



And while, as with the 1996 trial, she expects backlash from drivers early on, Slakov is also optimistic that the new trial will be a success.



“This is most likely going to be Phase One—it’ll be a two-lane before we know it.”



For diagrams, route maps, FAQs, and more, visit the City of Vancouver's Burrard Bridge Bike Reallocation Trial webpage.