VANCOUVERISM
CHANGING THE RULES OF THE GAME
Using the strongest force: the market
Since the first introduction of Vancouver's Downtown Design Guidelines, massive changes have occurred on Vancouver Island and in the construction business in general.
The problems Vancouver is facing and will be facing a lot more in the future are market- driven phenomena.
The forces that the "hot market" situation is generating are very challenging for the current urban planning policies.
If one wants to improve Vancouver's situation, he or ~he must use these market forces by setting new rules of the game in a way that makes developers follow them for their own benefit.
Strengthening Vancouverism
Analysing the characteristic elements of Vancouverism, it becomes clear that new rules have to be carefully set in order not to destroy positive elements that became the essence of Vancouverism, such as the 4-story podium, the "emerald look" of the towers, the horizontal skyline, the towers' setback and Vancouver's typical main street-back alley system.
These elements have to be identified and then implemented into the new set of rules.
Formal embedment
Vancouver is embedded into a unique and much differentiated landscape: The ocean in the west and the south, the mountains in the north and Vancouver's suburbs in the east. Yet current towers react to all 360 degrees in almost the same way.
New formal rules will generate unique forms, reacting to each building's unique genius loci and promote interaction between buildings and public spaces.
Programmatic interaction
Vancouver's Downtown is much criticized for its mono- culture of residential developments. New rules think every building development as a programmatic impact with differentiated impact circles, questioning the present programmatic mixture.
If a lack of one or more programs is found, (e.g. green space, retail space, office space, cultural space, etc.) the building has to fill these voids.
Complexity, programmatic mixture, coherence, individuality and therefore URBANITY is enabled.
(From competitor's text)
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