UBC Planning Students Map Out and Re-Vision False Creek South

Fourteen graduate students from UBC’s School of Community and Regional Planning – SCARP have made two presentations to residents, community planners and other interested parties on the future of False Creek South in Vancouver in May 2014. While acknowledging existing housing inventory and community plans, their primary focus is to develop and refine a long term vision for the future of the area, with a specific emphasis on the City of Vancouver owned leased lands.

The first presentation was hosted by the False Creek South Neighbourhood Association’s *RePlan Committee on May 1, 2014 in the community room of the False Creek Housing Co-operative. It was very well attended by over eighty residents. The students created maps which detailed various aspects and assets of the community, noting existing uses, amenities, flora/fauna, building shadows, future sea level height increases, and potential sites for future development consideration, redesign of the building types and layout, etc. Students posted each of the maps and then explained them in detail. This first meeting gave the students a great opportunity to openly discuss their ideas and get direct feedback from the community which was very open in asking for the thoughts behind the presentations and how the maps might be refined in the future. A lively discussion carried on well after the planned closing hour.

The second presentation was made on May 16, 2015 held at UBC’s Centre For Interactive Research On Sustainability and was attended by approximately thirty invited guests. The students again made small group presentations, having revised their initial maps presented on May 1. The focus of this presentation shifted more towards a vision of what the area might look like in 2114, a hundred years from now. While there were some very interesting changes suggested in building orientation and community amenities, it is interesting to note that the SCARP students’ presentations maintained the low-rise medium density building types currently seen throughout the neighbourhood and did not adopt the high-rise model seen on the north shore of False Creek Yaletown area. There was a real focus on maintaining access and connectivity to False Creek and the water and providing an opportunity for residents and visitors to continue interact and feel this is welcoming people place.

The common thread that coursed through both meetings was that False Creek South has been a successful urban experiment that is recognized around the world for how it has integrated various social and income groups seamlessly. The SCARP and their audiences were united in their belief that there is something incredibly valuable to be learned from how this neighbourhood functions and how it might be preserved and renewed and used as a model in other areas.

Please contact us if you would like to obtain a copy of the False Creek South Community Atlas.