Mobilities, Sustainability and Space on Vancouver Streets
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Moving Targets: Mobilities, Sustainability and Space on Vancouver Streets by Peter Marriott M.A., Simon Fraser University, 2011 B.A., University of Alberta, 2008 Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Urban Studies in the Urban Studies Program Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Peter Marriott 2017 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Spring 2017 Approval Name: Peter Marriott Degree: Master of Urban Studies Title: Moving Targets: Mobilities, Sustainability and Space on Vancouver’s Streets Examining Committee: Chair: Karen Ferguson Professor Urban Studies and History Peter V. Hall Senior Supervisor Professor Urban Studies Meg Holden Supervisor Associate Professor Urban Studies and Geography Mimi Sheller External Examiner Professor Department of Sociology Drexel University Date Defended/Approved: March 27, 2017 ii Ethics Statement iii Abstract This project explores the politics of mobility in Vancouver, as expressed through debate over the allocation, configuration and use of street space. Using a mobilities framework to explore the social relationships embodied within these choices about the allocation of physical movement of people within cities, this research consists of two in-depth case studies of commercial streets in Vancouver that have been the subject of recent neighbourhood plans. The project uses multiple qualitative methods, including document analysis, in-depth interviews and contextual observation, to locate a complex and sometimes contradictory discourse around mobility policies in Vancouver. Sustainability targets that rhetorically call for a reduction in automobile use are not realized in the actual interventions made to street space; instead, more symbolic measures are pursued that leave the social relationships of auto-mobility unchallenged. A deliberate re-politicization of mobility spaces is required to achieve a more intentional, sustainability and equity-focused distribution of urban mobility. Keywords : Mobilities; urban transportation; streets; mobility politics; modal conflict; Vancouver, BC iv Dedication To all those who made it possible to finish another one. v Acknowledgements It turns out that it doesn’t get any easier the second time, but it’s still worth it. Completing a degree and writing a thesis are, as always, collective efforts, and I am grateful to many people for the support and insight they offered throughout this journey. Particular thanks are due to the entire Urban Studies faculty and staff: Peter Hall, Meg Holden, Karen Ferguson, Paddy Smith, Anthony Perl, Terri Evans and Matt Hern. Throughout this project, I was fortunate to benefit from Peter Hall’s research rigour, wisdom and knowledge base, and from his encouragement and patience through many of my more aspirational deadlines. Meg Holden has continually challenged me to think critically and actively: to be both utopian and pragmatic. Through coursework, speakers, events, field trips and more, the Urban Studies program has profoundly changed how I think about and interact with all aspects of the city. In writing this paper, I am enormously grateful to all of my interview participants for their generosity of both time and ideas. Thanks as well to Mimi Sheller for sharing some of her time in Vancouver to serve as my external examiner. The last three years have been a series of adventures: late nights in the skybridge, meaningful brunch debates, American karaoke bars, course readings on mountain summits. We’ll always have Ioco (until it gets blandly redeveloped). The common and lasting thread has been the chance to share space with and learn from an extraordinary group of people, many of whom have become extraordinary friends. Thanks to all. vi Table of Contents Approval.......................................................................................................................... ii Ethics Statement.............................................................................................................iii Abstract.......................................................................................................................... iv Dedication ....................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ vi Table of Contents...........................................................................................................vii List of Tables.................................................................................................................. ix List of Figures.................................................................................................................. x Chapter 1. Introduction .............................................................................................1 1.1. Signposts................................................................................................................1 1.2. Research Question.................................................................................................3 1.3. Relevance and Applicability....................................................................................3 1.4. Project Outline........................................................................................................5 Chapter 2. Key Concepts...........................................................................................6 2.1. Cities, Transportation, Policy and Politics ...............................................................6 2.2. Urban Movement and Urban Mobility....................................................................10 2.3. A Mobilities Paradigm...........................................................................................12 2.4. Complete and Incomplete Streets.........................................................................14 2.5. Summary..............................................................................................................17 Chapter 3. Methodology ..........................................................................................18 3.1. Case Study Approach...........................................................................................18 3.2. Case Selection .....................................................................................................19 3.3. Research Methods ...............................................................................................20 3.3.1. Document Analysis..................................................................................20 3.3.2. Semi-Structured Interviews......................................................................21 3.3.3. Observations and Additional Data Collection ...........................................22 3.4. Analytical Approach..............................................................................................23 Chapter 4. Vancouver: Mobility Policy and Action................................................24 4.1. A Network of Mixed-Use Streets...........................................................................27 4.2. Streets, Policy and Planning.................................................................................34 4.2.1. Mode Share, Hierarchies, Ambition and Change .....................................34 4.2.2. Constructing and Operating Space..........................................................37 4.3. Change in Practice ...............................................................................................41 Chapter 5. The West End: Contested Ownership ..................................................45 5.1. Neighbourhood Context........................................................................................47 vii 5.2. Mobility Networks .................................................................................................50 5.2.1. Walking ...................................................................................................50 5.2.2. Cycling ....................................................................................................53 5.2.3. Transit .....................................................................................................56 5.2.4. Driving .....................................................................................................60 5.3. Planning the West End .........................................................................................65 5.3.1. Launching a Community Plan ..................................................................65 5.3.2. Action While Planning..............................................................................67 5.3.3. A Complete Community Plan, and Beyond ..............................................70 Chapter 6. Commercial Drive: Incomplete Vibes...................................................75 6.1. Neighbourhood Context........................................................................................78 6.2. Mobility Networks .................................................................................................82 6.2.1. Walking ...................................................................................................82 6.2.2. Cycling ....................................................................................................87 6.2.3. Transit .....................................................................................................91