When we arrived in Vancouver in the mid-1970s, anything seemed possible. Pundits disparaged Vancouver, calling it “a setting in search of a city.” I only saw a wonderful profusion of architecture, mountains and water. As I began to learn about and work in the city, I came to realize that in many ways the setting is our city.
Our opportunities to see that natural setting have been under attack during the entire five years I have been writing City Conversations, starting in March 2021 with one of my first Conversations, titled “A Setting lost to the City.” Please read it for some important context. The issue has been pressing enough that I have also written about building height and the problems of excessive high-rises here, here, here, here and here and most recently under the heading Vancouver’s Plan to die and what we can do to save it—#1 Protect our views. The subject is mentioned in many other City Conversations.
Vancouver’s Planning Department is now proposing a lightning speed “public consultation” called Higher Buildings Policy Review, designed to clear the path for the wholesale blockage of what views remain of our setting—except, of course, for those wealthy enough and uncaring enough to buy their view at the expense of ours. If this happens, ours will truly be “a setting lost to the city.”
The Original 1989 View Cones—arbitrary, sure, but they worked
In the fashion of this planning department and Mayor and Council, public consultation is limited to an online survey (by May 31st) and a trio of moments in early May when you can see an exhibit:
The city’s Shape Your City statement on how to get involved.
As is now so often the case, the real impacts of this proposed policy change are being modelled by private individuals:
Above: Rezoning application at 1926-1978 East Broadway shown as a massing model (tower in centre). This is in the currently-protected view from Trout Lake that staff are looking to amend. One of the Safeway towers at 1780 East Broadway can be seen at the left (this project is located just outside the extent of the current view cone; the tower at the left of this image is the easternmost tower). Massing model and photo description by CityHallWatch, who are currently working on the modelling of another tower proposal that will block yet more of this view.
Since this image was published, two more high-rise developments that will further erode mountain views from Trout Lake have been proposed. Somehow this information has not been included anywhere in the planning staff work. I know, I know, these are not in the downtown core, but it’s indicative of staff’s hiding of real impacts from the public and Council.
What you can do?
Take the survey before May 31st. Below are my responses to several of the survey questions—your model will differ.
Write Mayor and Council expressing your views, as the survey is pretty milquetoast, even for this planning staff.
Stay tuned here and to CityHallWatch.com for further developments.
My Survey answers:
Questions 1 and 2—starting off gently
Question 3—no building will block the mountain tops when shot from this perspective!
Question 4—my priorities are first, what any more development needs. I’d have marked them all #1 if I could. Interesting that schools are not even on the list.
Questions 5 and 6 are my favourites. Nobody without an advanced planning degree can read this plan.
This is a conclusion question, not numbered, but at least easy to understand.
Like the Trout Lake view illustration near the top of this post, the non-drone image above is a truer explanation of what we’ve got so far, shot from one of the hundreds of public locations throughout Vancouver. The mountaintops are already violated by seven of the buildings in this image—how many more before it’s all gone?
This post is only 630 words (not including illustrations)—about the 3-5 minutes citizens are allowed when they speak to the current Vancouver City Council, in their efforts to suppress democracy. If you appreciated this post, please share to your social media and consider becoming a free subscriber to City Conversations at
Brian Palmquist writes in the ancestral lands of the Musqueam people. He is a Vancouver-based architect, building envelope and building code consultant and LEED Accredited Professional (the first green building system). He is semi-retired, still teaching, writing and consulting a bit, but not beholden to any client or city hall. City Conversations mix real discussion with research and observations based on a 50-year career including the planning, design and construction of almost every type and scale of project. He is the author of the Amazon best seller and AIBC Construction Administration course text, “An Architect’s Guide to Construction.” A glutton for punishment, he is threatening to write a book about how we can Embrace, Enhance and Evolve the places where we love to live. Some of its content may appear above.
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