Why Woodward's?
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WHY WOODWARD’S? INVESTIGATING THE WOODWARD’S REDEVELOPMENT by Geoffrey Robinson BA, University of British Columbia, 2008 RESEARCH PROJECT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF URBAN STUDIES In the Urban Studies Program © Geoffrey Robinson, 2010 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Fall 2010 All rights reserved. However, in accordance with the Copyright Act of Canada, this work may be reproduced, without authorization, under the conditions for Fair Dealing. Therefore, limited reproduction of this work for the purposes of private study, research, criticism, review and news reporting is likely to be in accordance with the law, particularly if cited appropriately. APPROVAL Name: Geoffrey Robinson Degree: Master of Urban Studies Title of Thesis: Why Woodward’s? Investigating the Woodward’s Redevelopment Examining Committee: Chair: Dr. Karen Ferguson ___________________________________________ Dr. Anthony Perl Senior Supervisor Director, Urban Studies Professor, Urban Studies and Political Science Simon Fraser University ___________________________________________ Dr. Meg Holden Supervisor Associate Professor, Urban Studies and Geography Simon Fraser University ___________________________________________ Dr. Penny Gurstein External Examiner Professor and Director School of Community and Regional Planning University of British Columbia Date Defended/Approved: November 15 2010 ii Declaration of Partial Copyright Licence The author, whose copyright is declared on the title page of this work, has granted to Simon Fraser University the right to lend this thesis, project or extended essay to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. 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Simon Fraser University Library Burnaby, BC, Canada Last revision: Spring 09 STATEMENT OF ETHICS APPROVAL The author, whose name appears on the title page of this work, has obtained, for the research described in this work, either: (a) Human research ethics approval from the Simon Fraser University Office of Research Ethics, or (b) Advance approval of the animal care protocol from the University Animal Care Committee of Simon Fraser University; or has conducted the research (c) as a co-investigator, collaborator or research assistant in a research project approved in advance, or (d) as a member of a course approved in advance for minimal risk human research, by the Office of Research Ethics. A copy of the approval letter has been filed at the Theses Office of the University Library at the time of submission of this thesis or project. The original application for approval and letter of approval are filed with the relevant offices. Inquiries may be directed to those authorities. Simon Fraser University Library Simon Fraser University Burnaby, BC, Canada Last update: Spring 2010 ABSTRACT This research examines Woodward‟s, a mixed-use, mixed-income development that opened on a heritage site in Vancouver‟s Downtown Eastside in the spring of 2010. The purpose of this project is to answer the following question: Is Woodward‟s an example of urban social sustainability. As many of the substantive impacts of the development will only become apparent over the next five to ten years, this research investigates the vision underlying the project and how well it aligns with principles of social sustainability. The conceptual statements that Woodward‟s makes about neighbourhood transition and the low-income community in the Downtown Eastside are explored using data generated from six in-depth interviews with key respondents. Woven throughout this exploration of Woodward‟s is a discussion of gentrification and what it means in the context of the Downtown Eastside. Keywords: Woodward‟s; Social sustainability; gentrification; mixed-income; inclusion/inclusivity. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Anthony Perl, for helping me to complete this project. I would also like to extend my thanks to Nathan Edelson, Gregory Henriquez, Douglas King, Bob Rennie, Tom Laviolette and Jim Green for being patient and accommodating with me – without them, this project could not exist. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Approval .......................................................................................................................................... ii Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................. v 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1 2: History of Woodward’s and the Downtown Eastside ............................................................. 4 3: Literature Review .................................................................................................................... 14 3.1 Social Sustainability .............................................................................................................. 14 3.2 Practical Importance of Housing ........................................................................................... 20 3.3 Conceptual Importance of Housing ....................................................................................... 24 3.4 Social Mix and Mixed-Income Developments ...................................................................... 26 3.5 Multiple Marginalizations ..................................................................................................... 34 4: Methodology ............................................................................................................................. 37 4.1 Data Collection ...................................................................................................................... 37 4.2 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................................ 42 5: Findings ..................................................................................................................................... 45 5.1 Woodward‟s Role in the Downtown Eastside ....................................................................... 45 5.2 The Woodward‟s Statements................................................................................................. 48 5.3 The Woodward‟s Vision: A Mixed-Income Development in a Mixed-Income Neighbourhood ...................................................................................................................... 57 5.4 Woodward‟s, Gentrification and the Inevitability of Change ............................................... 70 6: Conclusions – A Step Towards Social Sustainability? .......................................................... 80 6.1 Meeting Basic Needs ............................................................................................................ 80 6.2 Building Individual Capacity ................................................................................................ 83 6.3 Building Community Capacity .............................................................................................. 84 7: Final Thoughts .......................................................................................................................... 88 7.1 The Intersection of Social and Ecological Sustainability ...................................................... 88 7.2 A Clarification of Agendas...................................................................................................