About
Gordon Price is the Director of the City Program at Simon Fraser University. (www.sfu.ca/city).
In 2002, he finished his sixth term as a City Councillor in Vancouver, BC. He also served on the Board of the Greater Vancouver Regional District (Metro Vancouver) and was appointed to the first board of the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority (TransLink) in 1999.
He has spoken at numerous conventions and conferences in many countries, writes a monthly column for Business in Vancouver on civic issues, and conducts tours and seminars on the development of 
Vancouver. He also publishes an electronic magazine on urban issues, with a focus on Vancouver, called “Price Tags,” (recent issues at www.pricetags.ca), as well as this blog.
In additions to presentations in the U.S. and Australia, Gordon is a regular lecturer on transportation and land use for the City of Portland, Oregon and Portland State University. He has written several extensive essays on Vancouver and transportation issues (The Deceptive City, Local Politician’s Guide to Urban Transportation). In 2003, he received the Plan Canada Award for Article of the Year - ”Land Use and Transportation: The View from ’56“ - from the Canadian Institute of Planners.
In 2007, he recieved The Smarty - an award of recognition by Smart Growth B.C. – in the People category, and was made an honorary member of the Planning Institute of B.C.
He sits on the Boards of the Sightline Institute and Sustainable Cities International.
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President’s Award for 2012
SFU City Program director Gordon Price has just returned from a speaking engagement in Amsterdam, where he shared his insights on Vancouver’s high global city ranking with participants and media.
It’s just one of many examples of why Price is the winner of SFU’s 2012 President’s Award for Service to the University Through Public Affairs and Media Relations.
The award acknowledges his consistent media availability to the media to discuss urban issues ranging from rapid transit, the Olympic Village and the Port Mann Bridge to oil pricing, TransLink, rental housing and homelessness.
A former six-term Vancouver city councillor, Price’s long political career, knowledge of the city and discerning analysis of urban trends give him a unique perspective that is much in demand.
“I try to provide more depth to an issue, particularly by drawing on previous experience on council, and giving the back story,” says Price.
He’s been quoted more than 1,200 times in Canada’s major newspapers and “thousands more times” in community newspapers, radio and television, says Vancouver urban affairs journalist Francis Bula, who frequently solicits his astute analysis.
And his rapport with media extends internationally to The New York Times and other global media outlets.
Price is committed to community engagement, frequently serving on community panels, hosting city tours for visiting delegates, and making public presentations. He also writes frequently on urban issues in local publications, including a monthly column for Business in Vancouver and his blog Price Tags.
Price uses his voice, says one nominator, “to keep reminding people about the importance of urban planning, of good transportation policy, of the way that buildings and bridges and other parts of our designed physical world affects us.”
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Gordon, please read my blog post expressing concern over the changes to the 502 bus route in Surrey. http://www.erikarathje.ca/blog/2007/06/translink_ditches_cloverdalian.html (That would read “Cloverdalians,” actually; it’s not just about me!) Thank you.
P.S. Is there anything you can do?
In September, the 395 will be permanently routed via Fraser Hwy, 168 St, 64 Av, to 200 St. Plus, there will be a new 341 route from Cloverdale to Guildford via Newton Exchange, replacing the eastern part of 340, running every 30 minutes. Finally, there will be a new community shuttle, C70 between Cloverdale and Willowbrook via Clayton Heights.
That sounds great, but it doesn’t address this issue at all unless the 395 is being given the service the 502 has… and even then, that’s not until September.
Hi Gordon,
I remember you as a City of Vancouver councilor. I also think you might know a friend of mine, Jim Kerr, who is an architect working with Paul Merrick in Victoria. Regardless of that I am writing to you because I am involved in a project in the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, just outside the Town of Osoyoos. We are proposing to do a compact 800 to 1,000 unit development on 75 acres of land. I am looking for some studies or documents which compare the environmental “footprint” of single family homes compared to multi-unit buildings. I believe we are doing an environmentally sound project, but I would like to have some studies to back me up.
I stubled across your blog because the the Strip Search article. It looks like a great site!
Thanks for any help.
Len Chaston
This article in today’s NYT caught my eye. Also an interesting pictorial accompanies it.
“Kevin Fry, president of Scenic America, believes the characterless environments in which Americans live are damaging our society.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/us/23land.html
(link to the multimedia)
http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/us/20071223_LAND_FEATURE/index.html
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Why is Vancouver City Manager Office not being investigated?
If Vancouver was a Public Corporation, which in a sense it is, and information about a resignation of the top Finance official was witheld from the shareholders/public prior to a major company event, there would be a criminal investigation. Yet, in this case, the City is using its employees, the police, to “investigate” the source of the leak of information that the public needed to know. This is what a police state does.
Since Judy Rogers is the City Manager and she is the one that announced the resignation of Estelle Lo, one can assume that she was also the one to whom the resignation was tendered. Yet, despite the fact that an election was coming up, and news of the $100 Million loan had already been made public, this information was witheld from the public till after the election. We are also led to beleive that it was witheld from City Council as Peter Ladner and others claimed to have no knowledge of her status. I wonder what was done to keep Estelle quiet about her resignation till after the election. When you are handing out $100 Million of taxpayer money in secret, whats a few dollars to keep it quiet. I assume Vancouverites will never know the details of the severance package.
Its surprising to me that her office is not being scrutinized closer in this whole affair, especially since she is also on the board of VANOC. I guess she knows too many secrets and where the skeletons are buried. Even the media has not cast any questions in this direction.
http://vancouvercontempt.blogspot.com/
Hi Gordan,
This is Jas Johal from Global Television. I regularly read your blog, in fact it’s in my favorites. I am writing to you in hopes of getting a contact number or email for Larry Beasley. I am considering doing a profile on him and some of the other Vancouver planners who are now working in Abu Dhabi. We wanted to do a story on the Abu Dhabi experiment and some of the challenges involved, and how these planners are using their Canadian experience and knowledge to help build a city that uses renewable energy and sustainable building practices.
I wanted to get an idea of what Larry’s schedule is like and his availability. The feature would air Canada wide on Global National news, 16:9 (our new current affairs show), as well for Global BC’s NewsHour. We are hoping to film the entire segment in Abu Dhabi, with some footage from Vancouver.
Just in case you don’t remember me, my bio is attached below.
Sincerely,
Jas Johal
South Asia Correspondent
Global National News
New Delhi, India
011-91-987-1994-720 mobile
jjohal@globaltv.com
Jas Johal Biography
Based in New Delhi, India Jas Johal is Global National’s South Asia Correspondent where he covers major stories throughout the region. Since joining GN, Jas has reported from Mumbai after the recent terrorist attacks in that city, as well travelled through Afghanistan three times covering the continued war in that region, as well as reported on events in Pakistan after the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. He has also traveled to Lebanon to report on ceasefire conditions after its civil war. He’s also reported from Israel after the takeover of Gaza by Hamas. In Canada, Jas has filed stories from Mayerthorpe, Alberta after four RCMP officers were killed, as well traveled to Prince Rupert, BC after the sinking of the Queen of the North ferry. Jas has also followed several high profile court cases including the Air India bombing, the trial and sentencing of millennium bomber Ahmed Ressam, and that of accused serial killer Robert Pickton.
Jas began his journalism career as a producer and reporter at Vancouver news radio station CKNW, followed by eleven years as a senior reporter at BCTV News covering stories as diverse as the Gustafsen Lake standoff, the 2003 Okanagan forest fires, the APEC summit, and federal and provincial elections. His favorite topics of interest include organized crime and politics. Jas is a past recipient of the RTNDA, Can-Pro, and Canadian Association of Broadcasters Awards.
In 2001, Jas was recipient of the Jack Webster Award for best feature after producing and hosting India: Giant on the Move for the Global Television Network. The national hour long special looked at the impact of economic liberalization in India and its repercussions on the west. In 2005, Jas produced and narrated a national documentary titled, “Road to Bollywood,” which followed young South Asians pursuing stardom in India’s movie capital. In 2008, Jas was chosen by the Vancouver Sun as one of the 100 most influential Indo-Canadians in British Columbia. He also sits on Simon Fraser University’s advisory council on India. In his spare time Jas enjoys traveling, reading, and jogging.
GLOBAL NATIONAL NEWS
Global National with Kevin Newman is Canada’s most-watched national newscast, reaching Canadians coast-to-coast (www.globalnational.com). The multi award-winning half-hour newscast is broadcast live seven days a week at 5:30 p.m. (6:30 p.m. in the Maritimes) with news bureaus and correspondents in every major city in Canada, as well as Washington, D.C., London, New Delhi, Jerusalem and Beijing. Global National provides an early evening national news alternative for Canadians with a distinctive voice and approach to the day’s top stories.
Led by anchor and executive editor, and two-time Gemini Award winner Kevin Newman, Global National continues to strengthen its positioning of “News Understood” – connecting with audiences coast-to-coast, bringing clarity to complex issues and events of the day and making them relevant to viewers.
Friday May 15th, 2009
Thanks for the blog, I’m new here but have so far really enjoyed the insight into transportation around the lower mainland.
Take care and keep up the great writing.
I believe that I read an article here the other day (although I have not been able to find it again) about the conversion of Burrard Brige for cycling, and you mentioned that we now need Pedestrian Advocates because the pedestrian is being forgotten about because the cycling lobby is so loud.
I fully agree. I live in the WestEnd, one of the best walking neighbourhoods in the world, in my humble opinion. A couple of years ago, either Translink or the City of Vancouver reorganized the sidewalks for cyclists, which to this day infuriates me.
If you know the WestEnd, then you know that the streets are blocked to reduce traffic flow. The blockage was in the way of connecting sidewalk to sidewalk in a diaganol angle, so the cars coming from either side were forced to make a right turn and not continue straight down the street, Bidwell and Pendrell is an example.
The old sidewalk was just a continuation of the sidewalk, great for pedestrians. At the curb of the sidewalk was a wheelchair or bike lip – to allow a smooth transition up onto the sidewalk or down to the road.
Someone decided that this was to difficult for the poor cyclists, of which in the WestEnd, grandmothers out number 10 to 1. So they cut two pathways through the sidewalk so cyclists could ride their bike through. And in between the two paths they put a huge tree, blocking access for pedestrians. So now a cyclist coming down bidwell just drives right through the middle of the sidewalk on the cut through path (I should note that they have done this to all the blocking sidewalks in the WestEnd). Fine for the cyclists, but now a pedestrian must cross the street one way, then cross back to the side where the adjoining sidewalk joins. Or what most people do is just walk in the street at the side of new bike friendly sidewalk to get around the big tree and cyclists cut throughs. For me, no problem, for a WestEnd grandmother, not so friendly.
What erks me, is that for years these sidewalks have been there with no troubles at all. Pedestrian traffic flowed on them, wheelchairs flowed, and cyclists crossed them with no troubles. Then they spend a pile of money to fix these especially for the cyclists, and they are hardly used. And on top of that they have put the walkers in danger because most walkers will not take the long route around so the now walk in the street.
These are the things in urban design that need to be considered. Like an architech that creates a beautiful garden with two walkways adjoining at a 90 degree angle. After a month the garden is trashed because people will always take the shortest route to where they are going.
I hope that this makes sense, describing this sidewalk design without pictures is a little tricky.
Anyways, that is my rant of the week
cheers,
You need to update your Bio. I would leave out your age. You are much to young for 60.
Hi Gordon,
Jas Johal emailing from India. Hope you’re doing well. You had sent me Larry Beasley’s email months ago. For some reason I did not save it. Could you send it again. My apologies.
Thank You.
Jas Johal
South Asia Bureau Chief
Global National News
Hi Gordon,
Ignore my previous message. I found the email address. Hope you’re doing well.
Jas
Hi Gordon,
In line with your continuing examination of the Olympic goings on, I thought that you might be interested in a website that I helped launch that is tracking real-time energy consumption for Olympic Venues (www.venueenergytracker.com). We’re looking to build in creative ways of communicating to people how to reduce their own energy consumption in attending events at these facilities. Any suggestions you or other have would be warmly welcomed.