Vancouver is growing

When I moved to Vancouver in 2007, I was amazed to find myself in a city of so much construction. Sprouting from the tops of buildings, towering above False Creek, in the evenings, at sunset, I would try to count the cranes that pierced the skyline. There were too many! I was dazzled.

Through the last decade, Vancouver has maintained its pace of vibrant growth, and I’ve maintained a big interest in urban planning. I watched as Olympic Village was converted from an industrial area of old warehouses into a bustling community, full of parks and and public space we now know and love.

Did you know the mixed-use, high-density glass condo-tower-set-back-from-street-level-shops that characterizes Yaletown’s Concord Pacific developments sparked the term “Vancouverism” as a global example for sustainable city design? It’s true! And our cycling network, and ridership, is among the best in North America.

Our world-famous city attracts people from all over the world, and the kids who grow up here are shaped by its forms. (Including whether or not families can find places to live within its boundaries…) In Big Kids Club, we share Vancouver values with the kids, through their existing interests – for many children, nothing is more interesting than construction. Especially construction vehicles.

And maybe, that last part goes for me, too… 😉

#BKCSummerJourneys is about getting out and about in Vancouver, and my Friday class is about how Vancouver is growing.

We’ll visit some landmark developments, including this Friday’s fieldtrip to Mount Pleasant, to visit the construction site for The Independent at Main and Broadway, some of the construction pieces that build our city, like the port cranes at Crab Park (there’s also a water park here, so we’ll be splish-splashing while… learning – about city history). And for the final trip, at the end of August, we’ll visit every Vancouver child’s most loved landmark, for the grand opening of the new, free, science playground at Creekside Park.

We’ll talk about vehicles, play with materials, and read books. And we’ll enjoy the air conditioned cool at Buddings, when the afternoon sun is blazing down on the hot asphalt. Roll down the windows and pump the tunes. Summer is the construction season, and there’s road work ahead.

Fridays from 1 – 4pm, and fieldtrips 1 – 5pm, until Aug. 31.