Ep. 059: How Can Vancouver Reinvent Itself?

Guest: Charles Gauthier, Downtown Vancouver BIA

Fewer cars. Better transit. More useful public spaces. Affordable housing. A stronger sense of community.

That is the vision, based on the results of an online survey that asked participants to envision the downtown of 2040. And Charles Gauthier of the Downtown Vancouver BIA sees a trend in the results.

Of the 1,100 people who participated, Gauthier says the majority were under 35. “These are the people who will be in charge 25 years from now.”

Gauthier says human-to-human interaction was a consistent theme. “They want a more connected city, better connections with their neighbours. They talked about making it a lot easier for people to get around. There was a focus on public squares, a more vibrant arts and culture community, being more liberal in terms of how we celebrate in the city and part of that was more liberal liquor laws and being able to go out and celebrate in the streets.”