Gerald Sutton Brown

Gerald Sutton Brown

Gerald Sutton Brown, Chief Planner 1952-1973, represented the last of the British/London model of development in Vancouver, where development happens organically, incrementally and is resilient, responding quickly to market forces. Because of this, the price of housing remained stable despite rapid growth.

The West End, the Vancouver Special, high-rise residential on the industrial waterfront and the sprinkling of townhouses, mid-rise and high-rise buildings throughout low density areas are part of his legacy.

The TEAM Era

The TEAM Era

TEAM (The Electors Action Movement) was a political organization that won Vancouver City government in 1973. Just prior to the vote, the new NPA Mayoral candidate was caught up in a scandal causing the NPA vote to implode. Although the TEAM vote remained less than was historically required it was enough to elect a Mayor and 8 Councillors.
Harland Bartholomew

Harland Bartholomew

For 40 years, Vancouver developed without government planning. The Canadian Pacific Railway laid out Vancouver’s streets before the city government existed. The London-based BC Electric Company chose the arterial streets to maximize riders on its streetcars. London was the model, where order came from human interaction not human design. Robert Horne-Payne, founder of BC Electric Company sold it in 1928 then died shortly after. That same year, Harland Bartholomew presented his radical Plan for Vancouver, claiming cities are better designed and organized by planners than by natural processes.
Vancouver’s Three Cities

Vancouver’s Three Cities

Living in Vancouver you might not know it is actually an amalgamation of three cities. Their distinctive cultures survive today.

This video has some highlights of this history. In deciding on future development and density, perhaps we should respect this past.

Political Factions in Early Vancouver

Political Factions in Early Vancouver

Before the evolution of political parties in Vancouver, politicians organized themselves in loose political factions. These were related to earlier political factions that had already developed in Victoria.
Urban Density in BC

Urban Density in BC

Only cities have the mandate to permit the density needed to reduce house prices and environmental degradation. Vancouver urban planning is beginning to embrace city densification, and it is important to explain and describe density and its benefits.
Living in Gunter’s World

Living in Gunter’s World

How was Metro Vancouver laid out? This video helps understand urban planning for Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey, Delta, Coquitlam, North Vancouver, Maple Ridge, Aldergrove, Abbotsford, etc.