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Home , False Creek, Granville Island

TOURISM AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ON ’S WATERFRONTS: SUMMARY OF THE WATERFRONT TOUR

Robert F. Goodwin School of Marine Affairs University of Washington (U.S.A.)

Abstract: Vancouver, a major coastal Keywords: Vancouver, coastal zone metropolis, has an extensive marine shoreline. planning, waterfront revitalization, water One-day field trips during the symposium dependency provided an opportunity for participants from around the world to observe first-hand, some of the shoreline planning and marine Introduction conservation issues in two areas, and . Diverse issues in coastal development

abound in the very city in which the four-

Figure 1. Map of Vancouver 350 Appendix I: Summary of the Waterfront Tour

day symposium was held, Vancouver, A look at two areas with differing histories . One-day field trips as and challenges explore sustainable part of the symposium provided an development issues that have emerged in opportunity for participants from around Vancouver and the approaches taken the world to observe first-hand, some of towards them: False Creek and Granville the shoreline planning and marine Island. conservation issues being addressed in the region. False Creek False Creek embodies a tension commonly Vancouver, a major coastal metropolis, has found in areas undergoing urban an extensive marine shoreline. The City’s waterfront redevelopment today: downtown occupies a peninsula bounded competition for waterfront space between on the north by , a long east- traditional marine industries and new west fjord; on the west by English Bay, recreational, residential, and mixed-use and on the south by False Creek, a shallow developments that threaten to displace inlet. Coal Harbor, a protected natural them. On False Creek, shorelines once anchorage off Burrard Inlet, is the historic heavily dominated by traditional marine port area, now the locus of downtown industry are undergoing redevelopment waterfront redevelopment. Hotels, a with recreational marinas, restaurants and cruise ship terminal, smallcraft moorage pubs and linear public access. Tugboat and a walkway now line Coal operations, as well as boat repair and sand Harbor. occupies the entire and gravel companies are among the west end of the peninsula (See map). industries most at risk from these land-use trends on False Creek

Local Challenges Tour participants had the opportunity to discuss this and other issues with An originally planned bicycle tour of the stakeholders present on the boat cruise, waterfront and a marine including a tugboat operator and the two conservation/whale watching tour were city council members, one of whom combined into a single boat tour, championed Vancouver’s Blueways incorporating the two themes of sustainable Initiative, a blueprint for the future of the waterfront development and nature-based City’s waterways that enunciates tourism and ecosystem management. The tour principles to protect navigation and water- began near the conference hotel at Coal dependent industry. Harbor, and made its way around Stanley Park, English Bay and False Creek to With a relatively fixed amount of Granville Island where participants developable waterfront on urban enjoyed a catered luncheon. In the coastlines today, the allocation of space afternoon participants reboarded the boat among industrial and recreational for whale watching in Haro Strait. The waterfront-dependant uses is an tour brought together conference important issue and one that will remain participants and stakeholders of different at the forefront of urban coastal tourism stripes, including approximately 30 and development. conference participants, two city council members, city and regional land-use Granville Island planners, and commercial maritime Granville Island illustrates another interests. Stakeholders had a wide range situation in coastal development. A small of views and interests concerning the island off of Vancouver’s southwest coast - forces and effects of tourism and changing ---, it is widely perceived to be a successful development and spoke of the past, and well-planned example of coastal present and future of Vancouver’s coastal development. It’s institutional and zone. physical setup is unusual in in that the entire island is owned Appendix I: Summary of the Waterfront Tour 351 by the federal government and entity ensures that day-to-day decisions management is undertaken through a conform to long-range planning and public development corporation created management goals. specifically for that purpose. Granville Island was historically made up entirely of factories for marine industry: boat Conclusion building, shipyards, wireworks, barrel and chain manufacture, etc. A downturn Current and future plans and projects in in those industries led to the closing of the coastal zone will need to balance a most of the factories and the onset of myriad of uses, conflicts and concerns. dilapidation. Through dialogue, interaction observation and experiences in Vancouver during this Key to the successful redevelopment of field trip all participants gained a the island has been the active involvement heightened awareness of how one N. of stakeholders in the planning and American metropolis is meeting these decision making process. The federal challenges. owners engaged in public meetings and other community-based planning activities with the remaining industry References representatives, recreational boaters, residents, tourist interests and others to McCullough, Michael. (1996). Granville create a multi-use redevelopment plan Island, An Urban Oasis. Canada that addressed the needs of all. Mortgage and Housing Corp., Canada. Through a guided walking tour, Gourley, Catherine. (1998). Island in the participants were able to observe the Creek: The Granville Island Story. island firsthand on their stop there, and Harbour Publishing, Canada. learn about the redevelopment process from the principal of the architectural firm that developed the plan and from two representatives of the Granville Island Office, the authority that manages development and leases property.

Granville Island mixes recreational boating, marine industry, educational institutions, a hotel, houseboats, a brewery, retail stores, art studios and galleries, restaurants and places “for kids only” – all in a pedestrian-friendly environment in which cars and trucks are able to move slowly on narrow, brick- paved alleys, sharing the road with tourists on foot or bicycle. Old industrial buildings have been adapted for new uses and infill structures echo their industrial architectural heritage.

The success story of Granville Island was clearly influenced by its unique advantages. Federal ownership of the island played a major role in the “ease” of development, and a single management