encouragebikeuse.Bike lanesarewide
andabundant.Bikeshopsareallover the
cityanddoabriskbusiness. In fact, thecity
itself iscurrentlyproposinga$150million
investment in its (already top-notch)
transportationsystem,partofwhich is
upgrading its (already fantastic)cycling
infrastructure.
ThisgoeswithwhatDallas’premier
expertonwalkableandbikeablecities,
PatrickKennedy, saysmakesVancouverso
enviable. “Citiescanandshouldbeamena-
ble, accessibleandempowering toallages
and income levels,”saysKennedy, apartner
in theDallas-basedurban-designfirm
SpaceBetweenDesignStudio. “Vancouver
hasshown therestofNorthAmericawhat
a21st-centurycity looks like. Ithasshown
thatcitybuilding isaboutmeeting the
needsofresidentsand thata functional,
beautifulcity isaservice in itself.”
AbikeridearoundStanleyParkonly
reinforced thisnotion. (Note: I tried toget
Megan,whocanrun26.2milesbutcan’t
rideabike, to try the two-seaterbikes
beingrentedat thestore justoutside the
park’ssouthernentrance.Shewouldhave
noneof it.)Glidingalong thebay’sedge, a
slightlycoolbreeze inmy face, thepark full
ofmen,womenandchildrenyoungand
old,ofallnationalities—Vancouver isvery
diverse— itreallydidseemas though the
citywasmoredream thanreality.Vancou-
ver,Couplandwrote, isnotsomuchacity
but“adreamofacity,”onewhere there
isa“covenant”between theshimmering
architecture, thewater, thedaysofrain
andoccasional sun, andhordesofbeautiful
people thatmovebriskly through it.
WhenIwasdone, Iwaswaitingby the
park’sentrance forMeganwhenanelderly
manranup tome.Hewassweatingand
breathinghard, allbonesandwideeyes.
“Justdida lap [6orsomiles]”heyelled
tome. “Notbad for90yearsold,huh?”I
congratulatedhim. “Whyaren’tyouon
thebike?”heasked. IsayI’mwaiting for
someone. “Well, youshouldmoveuntil she
comesback. Ihave threemore laps.When
I’mdone, I’llgo to [namesahotel] tohave
coffeewithmywife.Youandyourgirlfriend
shouldcome.”Andhe’soff.DidImention
thatCanadiansareridiculously friendly?
“Anycity that justattempts to take
something fromVancouverandapply it
withoutcalibrating forcontextand to the
particularproblemacity faces issetting
itselfup for failure,”saysurbanexpert
Kennedy. “In thatway, thebest lesson from
Vancouverism isabout theproblem-solving
process.High-density,high-valuecities like
NewYorkandSanFrancisco,oremerging
cities likeAustin, are learning it,while
Here, though, as inhighlywalkablecities
likeNewYorkorSanFrancisco,wide
sidewalkswerepackedwithpedestrians.
TOPANDBOTTOM
:
AtMikuon thewaterfront, they
prepare “aburi-style”flame-seared sushi.
RIGHT
:
Food trucks and stands abound throughout
downtownVancouver.
AMERICANWAY
OCTOBER2015
63
