The Value of Investing in Canadian Downtowns - International ...

2. Building complete communities
Interviewees all commented on the City of Vancouver’s commitment to building stronger and more inclusive
communities. This commitment is reflected in the growing number of community facilities in the downtown, such as
new childcare facilities, non-rental housing, and upgrades to the Central Library.
Over the past decade, five new Childcare Centres have been established in the downtown. The $5.6M in capital
investment that was required to develop these facilities came from the private sector or other agencies, but these
facilities are now owned and operated by the City of Vancouver. This helps demonstrate the City’s innovative
approaches to funding community facilities, its commitment to promote downtown’s liveability and that living
downtown is a feasible residential option for families.
The City has also invested heavily in non-market rental housing in the downtown core. The City has invested $15.6M
in five new developments throughout the past decade. This investment is crucial given the housing affordability
challenges experienced in downtown Vancouver to allow the City to achieve more diverse and complete
communities.
Additionally, the city has invested approximately $0.7M in street tree planting over the past decade. This is a critical
investment as it creates a more beautiful, greener and more sustainable downtown. Street tree plantings have also
been consistent across the core, to tie neighbourhoods together and create a more cohesive public realm.
The City has also been engaged in many planning and community building efforts downtown, such as in the
Downtown Eastside (just outside the boundaries of the study area). The Woodward’s Project represents an excellent
example of the City of Vancouver’s commitment to creating pedestrian-scaled, mixed-use communities. This
development combines market and non-market housing, commercial/retail, and institutional arts space, and
champions social, environmental, and economic sustainability. The Woodwards Building is now an important rallying
point for the Downtown Eastside community and a place where many relationships are being built to strengthen the
downtown and inner core of the City.
3. Investing in Arts, Culture and Entertainment
The City has invested in cultural facilities, such as ArtStarts in schools, film centre, Orpheum redevelopment,
Symphony Orchestra Music School, playhouse, Queen Elizabeth Theatre and the Granville Street Redesign. These
investments are helping to strengthen Vancouver’s identity as a cultural hub. Moreover, diversity of investment in
cultural infrastructure ensures these projects are accessible to both Vancouver’s high and low income residents.
The City has also invested heavily in public art and street projects. In the past 10 years, twelve public art projects
have been commissioned. These reach a total of $3.5M. These have been funded by the private sector or other
agencies, but are now owned and managed by the City.
The downtown has also benefited from the redevelopment of the Vancouver Convention Centre. The final cost of this
project was in the order of $800M. This project was driven by the Province of British Columbia. 18
Also, just beyond the boundaries of the downtown, a large investment was made in BC Place. This investment was in
the order of $400-$500M and involved the refurbishment to the Provincially-owned stadium downtown (completed in
2011).
Overall, significant investments have been made in downtown Vancouver that are strengthening the downtown and
making it a more enjoyable place to live, work and spend time.
18
Dembicki, Geoff. (2009). Over-budget convention centre an ‘economic powerhouse’: Premier. Retrieved from:
http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/Olympics2010/2009/04/03/convention-centre-expansion. Accessed 2011 October 15.
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