Tag Archives: City of Vancouver

Happy Pride!

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This weekend the West End’s streets were jammed with an estimated 600,000 people. Despite a crazy rainstorm hours before (that hit me while I was riding through Strathcona), this year’s Pride Parade enjoyed huge crowds and a beautiful sunny Vancouver day. Here are some photo highlights for me. Particularly big “shout outs” to the City of Vancouver and Vancouver School Board, the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation, Vancity, TD Bank, the CBC and the Vancouver Police marching band. Amazing floats/exhibitions! Talk about an inclusive and fun event.

Community Dreaming

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I have a friend whose capacity to dream inspires me and has opened my eyes to the value dreaming in my own life. Right now, I don’t have a one-year plan let alone a vision for myself in 5 years or 10 years time and as I carry on somewhat aimlessly through life I have been wondering about our dreams for community.

Our public institutions are encouraging in these matters. The City of North Vancouver has published a 100-year sustainability vision – a collective dream to create a ‘livable, sustainable and resilient’ city and of course there is the City of Vancouver’s vision to becoming the ‘Greenest City’.

While there is civic discourse around community planning – notably with a sustainability focus – I’m intrigued about what our personal dreams for community might be. Perhaps these dreams are about collective values, relationships and human rights. Or perhaps they reflect our wishes for emotional and spiritual development. Are they tangible and practical dreams for green space and communal neighbourhoods. Do they cross cultural and ethnic boundaries to harness our capacity to create?

Given that I’m new at this dreaming business, I want to open the floor to you to hear your community dreams, starting a collective thread of dreaming right here on the best community blog in the world.

Gumboot Community Dreaming!

Dream a little dream of community: What are your dreams for your community?

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Community Building in the West End

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The following is a column by Vancouver writer Jackie Wong – exclusive to the Gumboot! Enjoy.

Vancouver’s growing up. Like a teenager on the cusp of big changes, the city — and people who live here — have lots of questions. What does affordable housing look like? What does livability mean? What impacts will climate change have on how neighbourhoods look, feel, and operate? How will we deal with population growth and density?

As a dense urban neighbourhood where 80 per cent of residents are renters, Vancouver’s West End is often looked upon as a desirable place to live. But what makes it so great? And is it possible for the West End to emerge as a sustainable, livable, affordable leader in Vancouver? What can residents do to optimize change in the neighbourhood and plan for the future?

In efforts to explore intersections and tensions between affordability, sustainability, and livability, the West End Residents Association is hosting an interactive forum this weekend that will feature a planning workshop for residents and a presentation by Brent Toderian, the City of Vancouver’s director of planning. The goal is to encourage progressive and inclusive dialogue about the future of the community. Join us!

Date: Saturday, May 29
Time: 1-3 p.m.
Place: Empire Landmark Hotel, 1400 Robson Street
Admission: Free