Ep. 251: How can we create a great downtown?

Guest: Charles Gauthier, Downtown Vancouver BIA

If you were under the impression that downtown Vancouver was thriving, you were right. In fact, it’s booming.

Tech giants are descending on the city, tourism numbers continue to climb, office and retail construction goes on unabated and more and more people are calling it home.

The downtown is just shy of four square kilometers and comprises a 90 block area. It accounts for just 10% of the city’s population, but it’s home to more than 35 percent of the jobs that exist within the more than 8,000 registered companies it houses.

Over the last decade, the downtown population has grown three times faster than the rest of the city and the backgrounds of residents are diverse. The majority of whom, about 90%, are either of European or Asian ancestries and the rest represent the world. The average age of residents is 37 years and the average household income is $66,000.

Finance, science, tech, hospitality, insurance and retail make up much of the top industry sectors which collectively employ 135,000 people. And when it comes to starting a new company, especially a clean tech enterprise, well, Vancouver is an exceptional incubator for start-ups – it’s ranked number two in Canada.

So what makes for a great downtown? Transit, services, open spaces, entertainment and safety all play important roles, each of which Vancouver ranks at or near the top of the list. Transit is a big issue. When it comes to getting around downtown, buses and SkyTrain are good at getting people in and out of the core – once in the heart of the city, walking and cycling become attractive and efficient options.

A couple of other interesting transportation facts about Vancouver are related to ride hailing and ride sharing. First, we are the largest North American city without Uber or Lyft. That fact may have influenced the fact that we are the number one car-sharing centre in North America. And we’re right up there when it comes to bicycle sharing where, last year, close to half a million shared bike trips were taken.

And also on the list is homelessness. Vancouver is no different than other major cities where people who can not afford a place to live end up on the street. The City of Vancouver continues to develop services and housing options to address the needs of people who call the street home and more needs to be done.

We invited Charles Gauthier of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association to join us for a Conversation That Matters on the state of downtown and what it says about the model the city is setting for liveability in an urbanized world.