“Our competitiveness and prosperity are at stake,” said Holland. “This dynamic will have us change the story.”

This is going to take discipline and rewriting of public interests assumptions, he said, suggesting that the capitalist model of our society will not be able to deliver long-term solutions to issues like food supply, transportation, energy and livability.

“We are going to have to redefine citizenship” with a changed focus on obligations and responsibilities, he said.

If cities have to become more sustainable to cope with population growth, we need to be looking at solutions that solve four or five different problems, Johnston says.

Looking at how the city of Chicago has led innovation in this area, he pointed to things like using photovoltaic sidewalks and green roofs that can eat smog, reducing need for lighting, minimizing heat sinks that cause health problems and provide spaces for urban agriculture to improve access to local food supplies.

“We’re not looking for a silver bullet. We need silver buckshot.”

Commentary on the City in 2050: Creating Blueprints for Change

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Vancouver writer Frances Bula points out a big problem with consultations on social housing projects in Vancouver, in this case referring to a new proposal for my neighborhood of Mount Pleasant:

As is always the case with “public consultation” these days, the open houses are always designed to split people up, rather than have a big open meeting, so that the angry ranters don’t get a chance to dominate.

That’s good, but I was struck by what I noticed in the conversations I had, which was a tendency among the explainers (city planners, architects, housing groups) to take on a tone of “but you just don’t realize the facts and I’m now going to explain them to you.” Very annoying, as it felt like I wasn’t really being listened to…

In the small groups I eavesdropped on, it sounded as though others were having the same experience and not being persuaded by it. One explainer said the neighbourhood didn’t have to worry about problems with the project because there had been a housing project built on Fraser and everyone had been worried about that, but it was completely unnoticeable now that it was up. But, said the woman listening, that project was much smaller, only 30 or so units, and this was is 100. And the people accepted there were people who’d gone through rehab; this one is for people who still have a lot of problems that aren’t going away any time soon.

Talking past one another is only part of the problem. But another factor is that stakeholders in these public forums may be encouraged in the impression that if they can just talk things out, a compromise solution will be found. But in some aspects of the social housing debate, there may be no middle ground.

Does the argument hold that all citizens, regardless of how addicted or delusional they may be, or whether they are a danger to themselves or others, are entitled to shelter? And that the shelter they are entitled to must be in a location and have amenities that offer a better quality of life than your typical bug-infested Downtown Eastside hotel? Well, then, some people, somewhere, in a community that has managed to create a positive experience for its residents, will necessarily have their own livability diluted.

It’s no stereotype that living next door to newly-moved-in drug addicts and the mentally ill is no picnic — it’s just the way it is. The level of inconvenience and public safety is likely to go down. But how much of a downgrade in livability is the community willing to tolerate so that their more unfortunate fellow citizens can have a chance at a better life?

Well, that really goes to the heart of what cities have always been about. Living in an urban setting has always been about trade-offs in access to amenities, economic opportunities, views, safety and just how comfortable you can be with your neighbors.

As a thought exercise, I suppose I’m comfortable with the idea of a single social housing facility going up in my neighborhood. But right now, I’m fuzzy on precisely how these new residents might affect the neighborhood overall. Won’t the potentially negative impact of the new neighbors be diluted in a densely-populated area of 54000 residents?

I’m also a bit more able to be more welcoming, since I know the project isn’t going up right next door to me. I judge the likely impact on my own standard of living to be relatively small. This seems to be borne out by one recent study showing that social housing facilities in Vancouver thus far seem to have little to no impact on the host community. I’m certain I’d be more emotionally involved if I lived on the same block as the new residents. I can afford to be more open-minded. But the NIMBYists do have legitimate concerns. What we have here is a failure to communicate — though it doesn’t have to be.

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A mob of demonstrators blocked the Olympic torch relay last week and protests are expected to continue from now until the Olympics are done. Which brings us to the main question: What is the point of these protests?

Plenty of demonstrators seem incensed at the money spent on the Olympics instead of, say, health care, education or housing. But that money has already been spent. And it’s not like the protesters are going to be able to actually prevent the Olympics from taking place. So what do you think the demonstrators want? Isn’t the traditional media falling down on the job here in terms of probing the protesters with basic questions…

Continue reading this article in the Vancouver Sun’s Community of Interest.

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The buzz from the Twittersphere tells the story:
YouthJuiceBC: The real estate market is rising. My listing just went into multiple 5 days on the market and way above list price!!!!
AderaHome: May 2009 Vancouver Real Estate Stats: GOOD times ahead
westcoasthomes: Real Estate market in Vancouver is becoming Hot again. Homes are selling fast and in some communties the M word–Multiple Offers!!!!

Undoubtedly, over-exuberant realtors catching their breath after months of hard slogging are adding to the frenzy with some strategic propaganda. But there are some other big reasons why people in Vancouver are buying houses, or closet-sized condos, once again:

5 Reasons for the Vancouver Real Estate Land Rush of 2009
1. The Olympics are coming. Nuff said.
2. Historically Low Cost of Borrowing Money for a Mortgage. They aren’t going to get any lower. Actually, they just went back up. Savvy buyers may have been able to pressure brokers to lock in the best rates for a little while longer, but those agreements won’t last long.
3. It’s Just That Time of Year. As it was explained to me, May and June just happen to be stronger months for real estate sales year after year. Nice weather is getting the people outdoors, where they can notice those open house signs.
4. A Variation on the Duddy Kravitz syndrome. If a man without land is nothing, then a man with land in Kitsilano is really something else.
5. Sustainability and Livability. Vancouver’s unique geography, eco-minded culture and a fortuitous foundation of good urban planning has made this city into one of the most livable metropolises in the world. Really. We’re not exaggerating, rest of Canada. It’s just that nice over here.

In case you were wondering about the condo I’ve put on the market, you can see the details and the pretty pictures in my real estate listing.

UPDATE 20 June 2009: My condo was shown on CTV news today. On the CTV site, click on St. John Alexander on Real Estate. See Leroy Patterson wandering around my living room. Thanks, news team!

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But I also recognize that the vast majority of Canadians do like sports in general and that there are significant benefits for hosting a sporting event like the Olympics specifically. Nebulous benefits like “putting the city on the map” can actually translate into tourism dollars supporting local workers. Getting the attention of the world puts pressure on higher levels of government to pour money into our area to build infrastructure that otherwise would have no chance of existing. Creating jobs and building venues for sports activities that many people seem to enjoy are not bad things.

There’s a sense amongst anti-Olympics protesters that in a zero-sum game of government spending, any dollar spent on the Olympic oval, for instance, is a dollar that doesn’t go towards, say, feeding the homeless. But that ignores the fact that a lot of this money from higher levels of government wouldn’t have gone to anything if the Olympics wasn’t in town.

Secondly, you could apply the spending argument to anything; why spend dollars on roads and bridges when you’ve got people sleeping in the alleys in the downtown eastside — or Kitsilano? Striking a budget balance where all priorities get what they need is an art, not a science.

Are our priorities wrong on this? Given that we’re not contemplating an Olympics that even comes close to the titanic spending for the Beijing games ($42 billion, in a country where a good proportion of the population still lives in grinding poverty), I don’t know that our spending on the Olympics is a problem. But I’d love to hear from readers.

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When I got out of the car to get them to stand aside, they only leaned in closer to stop us from proceeding. Then one pushed me.

I have no intention of charging him with assault. But I do charge him with the offense of being a bullying loser who wouldn’t have the guts to try the same thing if he didn’t have a contingent of his friends to back him up.

Critical Mass is not traffic. It’s a collection of selfish jerks. And in case you think I’m just an isolated crank, here are a few other opinions I’ve gathered quite easily from Critical Mass’ own Facebook page:

Kasia

I’m all for bikes, I think bikes are sweet, I have a bunch myself. I’m all for going green, that’s awesome too. But blocking off Stanley Park and the bridge is the dumbest, stupidest thing ever. It just makes motorists hate cyclists more, not to mention half the city is trapped in traffic. People can’t get home to pick up their children from school, make dinner for their families, or just get to whever they were going without having to sit in traffic for 2 hours. And what’s worse, you don’t represent the real roadies: the ones who wear helmets, abide by the law, and yet still get treated like crap because all you people have lost all respect for cyclists in Vancouver. So do everyone a favour, and display your movement in such a way that yields positive results and does not make the whole city angry.

And this one from a guy who I like because he has the same name as me (different spelling, though)…

Jonathan

If Critical Mass does not stop doing the Lions Gate Bridge I will never attend again.
Shutting down the bridge for over an hour is the most stupid obnoxious and cruel thing it could ever do.
Making hard working people suffer in traffic for that amount of time so that douche with a bullhorn can yell about no blood for oil is an insult to the human race. I hate cars and carbon emissions and the fact that we as a species are about to go extinct, but there is no reason to make people suffer in the mean time.
Consider the effects of your actions! Since that is exactly what the mass is supposed to be all about.

And for full disclosure, I ride a bike too. And when I do so, I obey the traffic laws, just like all the car traffic around me.

I’m traffic. You’re not, Critical Mass.

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I sat in on a presentation hosted by the BCTIA where some of BC’s most promising tech companies talked about the possibilities for success through creating solutions that people actually need, not just want. They also talked about how tech companies can cope with the overall economic trends, which ain’t good. Get the story in Techvibes.

But it’s been a busy week, and I haven’t just been focusing on tech for profit. A little follow up to my previous Fearless City post, you can see how Phones for Fearless is helping bridge the digital divide in Vancouver’s downtown eastside in my contribution to the Vancouver Observer. Will the experiment in social media for social change be emulated in other North American cities? I’m curious to see what happens.

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But there is an interesting experiment going on in the downtown eastside, Fearless City, bringing new technology and media tools to energize the neighborhood’s artists and other residents. Empowered with donated camera cell phones, other mobile devices, and peer training, the people of the downtown eastside get to tell their own stories and have a greater voice in our fast-changing city. With a camera phoneThe Vancouver blog Raincoaster provides some details on phase 2 of Phones for Fearless.

Excellent overview of what Fearless City is all about on Global TV. If you want to donate a cell phone or get involved, here’s how to contact them.

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Gillian Shaw reports today on a Twitter flash mob assembling in the downtown eastside to distribute warm clothing (Vancouver Sun). An excerpt:

“Here’s a coat,” said Steve Jagger, a Vancouver tech entrepreneur on Twitter as @sjagger, rooting around in the bottom of a bag to come up with something for a homeless man looking to warm up. “No, take this one instead, it’s a better fit and it’s cool.”

Kudos also to John Chow, who has raised over $12,000 for the Union Gospel Mission at a time when Vancouver’s hungry and homeless appear to need our help the most. John is better known for being better known – with 44,203 registered subscribers, his “Make Money Online“-themed site probably beats the readership of most Canadian print publications. Way to give back.

Miss604‘s Best of 604 Awards raised $1,800 for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society (which included my donation as well).

Meanwhile, Beautynight stuffed 500 Christmas stockings for their clients hoping to make positive lifestyle changes.

I often blather on about social media and Web 2.0 stuff, so for all you out there who were wondering about whether Twitter and social media really matter, here are some great examples of instant successes that have brought about positive change in the community. It actually works. If anyone else has come upon other examples of this kind of social-media making a difference locally in the last while, go ahead and leave a comment with the details.

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Well, not exactly no one. I went in a few times just to check out the place, since it was about two steps away from my building. I try to support local businesses. But it was always dark in there and either too hot or too cold. And no newspapers for me to read. The coffee was fine (really, it’s hard to mess up plain old coffee), but in Vancouver, the beverage is almost always a secondary concern for cafe patrons. I didn’t become a regular, even though it was so close.

I hardly ever saw anyone else go in there, either. I think it lasted about two years. Then it closed its doors for good sometime at the end of summer — I’m not really sure when. I’m sure not too many others were paying attention, either.

But my wife noticed a Starbucks sign on the empty building perhaps a month ago. The place re-opened yesterday. I haven’t gone in yet, but lots of people from my neighborhood clearly have. The brightly-lit place is absolutely packed whenever we go by, in the morning or the evening.

I’m not a big fan of Starbucks coffee, but I could see myself holding the odd meeting with one of my freelance clients in there. Which goes to show that being a local business will only take you so far when it comes to winning customer loyalty. If local businesses want MY business, that sometimes means their taking a cue from the big players. The big ones weren’t always big — they got successful because they were doing something right.

It pays to look at what the busy guy on the corner is up to.

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