CiTR -- The City

In June 2013, City of Vancouver planning staff released the draft community plan for the Grandview-Woodland neighbourhood in the heart of East Vancouver. Residents are shocked at the proposed 22-36 storey towers and the upzoning of substantial parts of the neighbourhood known for its existing affordable housing stock and unique feel and character.

Where did these directions come from? Are planning staff listening to the community? What does public consultation mean to residents and staff? What are the implications for the neighbourhood? How will condo towers and a growing culture of property ownership affect the neighbourhood?

How can cities be more attentive to the needs of women and girls? How do we design, plan, and foster the ideal city for women and girls? From the 2013 Women Transforming Cities conference in Vancouver, we hear from urban scholar Dr. Tiffany Muller Myrdahl as she discusses interventions for feminist urban futures.

Precarious employment is increasing in the Hamilton and Greater Toronto Area and its harmful effects on individuals, families, and community life are documented in a recently released research report. Today on the program, we?re talking labour economist Wayne Lewchuk and lead author of a research study that explored poverty, employment precarity, and household wellbeing in southern Ontario. The report seeks to broaden the public discussion around poverty, and implicate deteriorating work conditions as a major aspect of poverty and social wellbeing.

He?s been fighting substance use allegations and defending his ability to govern the city of Toronto. We?ll be discussing the Rob Ford saga with rabble.ca contributor Michael Laxer. Does this be the end of Mayor Rob Ford?s bumpy tenure at city hall? And in the second half of the show, we hear about the Women Transforming Cities 2013 Conference from Associate Professor Margot Young (UBC Law), which is designed to facilitate discussion about transforming our cities into places where women are more involved in electoral processes, and municipal governments are responsive to the priorities of women and girls in Canada?s urban centres.

He?s been fighting substance use allegations and defending his ability to govern the city of Toronto. We?ll be discussing the Rob Ford saga with rabble.ca contributor Michael Laxer. Does this be the end of Mayor Rob Ford?s bumpy tenure at city hall? And in the second half of the show, we hear about the Women Transforming Cities 2013 Conference from Associate Professor Margot Young (UBC Law), which is designed to facilitate discussion about transforming our cities into places where women are more involved in electoral processes, and municipal governments are responsive to the priorities of women and girls in Canada?s urban centres.

In July 2012, UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing Miloon Kothari spoke on the right to adequate housing as part of Simon Fraser University?s Public Square speaker series. In 2000, Mr. Kothari was appointed the first Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living. His mandate ended in 2008. On the podcast, Miloon Kothari discusses Canada's housing problems in global context, policy solutions, and the right to the city for marginalized groups.

In 2011, Simon Fraser University?s Department of History hosted a lecture series, Think you know Vancouver? Think Again. On January 27th, local authors Matt Hern and Charlie Demers addressed the question of whether Vancouver, as it is often branded, is indeed the best place on earth. Their humorous discussion provides a critical take on Vancouver, its history (or perceived lack of history), and why we need to think about Vancouver with a bit more honesty. In a March podcast, we heard from local author and comedian Charlie Demers. In this podcast, Matt Hern provides a short commentary on Vancouver and then Charlie Demers joins him in discussion.

In 2011, Simon Fraser University?s Department of History hosted a lecture series, Think you know Vancouver? Think Again. On January 27th, local authors Matt Hern and Charlie Demers addressed the question of whether Vancouver, as it is often branded, is indeed the best place on earth. Their humorous discussion provides a critical take on Vancouver, its history (or perceived lack of history), and why we need to think about Vancouver with a bit more honesty. In a March podcast, we heard from local author and comedian Charlie Demers. In this podcast, Matt Hern provides a short commentary on Vancouver and then Charlie Demers joins him in discussion.

Vancouver City Council, under the direction of the ruling Vision Vancouver party, wants to remove two remnants of the never fully realized inner city highway system in the downtown core. But, in the process, two long-standing community gardens are threatened with demolition. In this documentary, Green for All or Green for Some, Peter Driftmier explores the debate around the removal of the viaducts through the twin lenses of gentrification and environmental sustainability.

As of April 2013, city staff have yet to come back to council with final recommendations on the removal of the viaducts. In recent months, the Strathcona Residents Association has expressed serious concerns about the possibility of increased traffic volume on Prior Street, and community groups in the Downtown Eastside have also expressed similar concerns regarding increased traffic along Hastings Street.

This documentary was originally produced for Redeye on Vancouver?s Coop Radio 100.5 FM and aired in Fall 2012. Peter Driftmier is a producer with the Redeye Collective, and we are pleased to bring you this documentary.

UBC geographer Nicholas Lynch is co-author of a recent study, Divisions and Disparities in Lotus Land: Socio-Spatial Income Polarization in
Greater Vancouver, 1970-2005. The research presents worrisome trends, with an increasingly divided Vancouver and a disappearing middle class. We discuss the social geography of polarization across the region, the implications, and possible policy solutions.