Re:connect – Time to Vote
November 22, 2011
Ready for another election?
Sure, why not. Here’s the link to the results of the Re:connect competition – ideas for redesigning the Viaducts and the Eastern Core (the lands underneath).
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‘Visualizing the Viaducts’ got 104 submissions from 13 countries – 75 percent within Metro Vancouver. Lots of fun stuff, as this random smattering of images suggests (click to enlarge):
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7 Comments
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I can’t possibly download 104 submissions to read about each one.
So I’m supposed to vote on a thumbnail image?
Please tell me there is a more efficient way to study this.
Thanks!
On the other side of this, it sure would have been nice to know that they were planning on focusing in on the thumbnail, displaying them at 200×200 (instead of the 1024×1024 max they listed), and ordering them based on what time you submitted. Why did I bother doing a detailed and pragmatic design and making boards, when I could have just dashed off a tiny, impossible to implement, photochop?
I’m sorry, but this is only being pushed forward because of Visions ties to developers – like the Graville bridge exits being removed – developers only??? Why do you think Concord has not developed the last piece of land in False Creek. They are clearly waiting/pushing for the removal and the increase in value of an already valueable piece of real estate.
I’m sure this comment will be flamed, but you have to look at debate from all sides.
MPM, please explain your reasoning. Why do you think this is only being pushed because of Vision’s ties to developers? I expect you think it’s a bad idea to remove the viaducts. If so, then why?
Put me down as one of those that think removing the viaducts is a bad thing. The viaducts have a minimal of 40yrs life left in them. Currently they reduce the amount of cars travelling along the surface roads below and connect downtown to the rest of the city, Let’s not forget there is almost a 50ft change in height that needs to be accounted for. Keeping the viaducts doesn’t mean we leave the area under the viaducts in this condition. We can build under and around the viaducts making it a very vibrant area.
I don’t share the same feeling that this is a present for developers that MPM shares though, I feel it’s more personal and represents a two birds one shot desire by Meggs to get remove traffic from Strathcona and push the war on cars.
It’s probably not worth tearing down the viaducts immediately, but every year the cost of maintaining them will continue to increase. They are also not built to withstand any seismic activity, so it is possible an earthquake will significantly damage them. At some point it will make economic sense to tear them down.
I think it’s a good idea to consider what could be done with the space when the viaducts are removed, even if it is on a 15-50 year horizon. Let people dream big, re-envision the city. I went to one of the talks where people like Larry Beasley and Bing Thom talked about the potential for that area and being ‘bold’ (summary by Stephen Rees).
Why are we so wedded to our auto infrastructure that the thought of replacing some if it with more humane uses sends chills down some people’s spines?
I agree with JoeJustJoe, no rush when there is a nice timeline infront of us, of course that should not keep us from dreaming big. For the record why not just a lot more multilayer development like the COSCO? Not all of the city needs to be ‘beautiful’ residential towers, we need industrial land too.