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The Origins Of Traffic Calming In Vancouver’s West End by Adrienne Kinzel B.A., (Geography), Simon Fraser University, 2006 Research 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 Adrienne Kinzel 2014 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Spring 2014 Approval Name: Adrienne Kinzel Degree: Master of Urban Studies Title: The Origins Of Traffic Calming In Vancouver’s West End Examining Committee: Chair: Meg Holden Associate Professor, Urban Studies and Geography Anthony Perl Senior Supervisor Professor, Urban Studies and Political Science Karen Ferguson Supervisor Associate Professor, Urban Studies and History Nicholas Blomley External Examiner Professor Department of Geography Simon Fraser University Date Defended/Approved: April 9, 2014 ii Partial Copyright License iii Ethics Statement iv Abstract This thesis argues that an evolving understanding of the concept of livability was integral to the historic development of traffic calming and mini-parks in Vancouver’s West End. Traffic calming was pioneered in the early 1970s by progressive planners who wanted to improve livability in the newly densified West End by getting rid of unwelcome traffic and creating new park space and pedestrian amenities to combat resident feelings of alienation. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, traffic diversion also became a key policy in a civic drive to remove street prostitution from the West End, a struggle that invoked discourses of ‘livability’ which were used to justify exclusion of socially undesirable people from valued space on the streets in this downtown neighbourhood. Although I conclude that traffic calming is a means to create a more walkable, green and sustainable city, I also find that it contributed to heightened social divisions in the neighbourhood and across the city. Keywords: Traffic Calming, Mini-parks, Livability, Prostitution v Dedication I dedicate this thesis to my partner Geordie, my children Julius and Georgia, and my parents Sharon and Jim. vi Acknowledgements I could not have finished this thesis without the support and encouragement from many people in my life. I would like to acknowledge my senior supervisor Anthony for sparking my passion for sustainable transportation and for his patience, advice and comments as I completed this project. I would also like to thank my other supervisor Karen for many things, but especially for challenging me towards a critical understanding of the power of planning in urban history. This project attempts to marry my two major Urban Studies interests in sustainable transportation and the history of urban inequality. I would like to recognize Paddy Smith, Peter Hall, Matt Hern, and Terri Evans, for enriching my academic experience in the M.Urb. Special thanks to Len Evenden for his valuable insights. To my fellow Urbsters, I greatly enjoyed connecting with you in class, over beers, and on field trips. Thanks for the good times, encouragement and commiseration. I am particularly indebted to Stacey Bishop for encouraging me to follow in her footsteps in writing about “the Wacky West End” and also to the staff at the Vancouver Archives for cheerfully helping me over months of research. Finally, special gratitude goes to my family and community for support and encouragement. Thanks to Sandy, Pam, Tim, Laura, Kyla, Jim and Sharon for providing all the childcare that allowed me to attend classes and write my papers. Thanks Dad for everything including helping me with edits. Thank you Geordie for being there and believing in me. vii Table of Contents Approval .............................................................................................................................ii Partial Copyright License .................................................................................................. iii Ethics Statement ...............................................................................................................iv Abstract ............................................................................................................................. v Dedication .........................................................................................................................vi Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... vii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................ viii List of Acronyms ................................................................................................................ x Preface ..............................................................................................................................xi Chapter 1. Question and Justification ....................................................................... 1 Chapter 2. Literature Review ...................................................................................... 5 2.1. Introduction .............................................................................................................. 5 2.2. Livability ................................................................................................................... 6 2.3. Livable streets .......................................................................................................... 9 2.4. The History of Cars in Cities and the Innovation of Traffic Calming ....................... 11 2.5. Inclusion, Exclusion and the Politics of Turf ........................................................... 15 2.6. Forgotten History .................................................................................................... 17 2.7. Conceptual Framework .......................................................................................... 19 Chapter 3. Methodology and Research Design ...................................................... 21 Chapter 4. The West End before 1972 – Historic Context and the Shift in Planning Paradigms During the NPA Regime ...................................... 23 4.1. Traffic and Development in the West End .............................................................. 23 4.2. Transportation Planning in the West End ............................................................... 24 4.3. Setting a Social Planning Agenda in the West End................................................ 29 Chapter 5. The West End under TEAM – Livability, Mini-Parks, and Implementing Phase 1 and 2 of the West End Traffic Plan ................. 40 5.1. TEAM’s Agenda ..................................................................................................... 40 5.2. The West End Traffic Plan Phase 1 (1973) ............................................................ 44 5.3. Implementing The Mini Parks West of Denman (1974-5) ...................................... 48 5.4. The West End Traffic Scheme 2, Downtown Transportation Planning and the Ring Road proposal (1974-1978) ..................................................................... 55 5.5. TEAM’s Legacy ...................................................................................................... 64 viii Chapter 6. The West End from 1977-1984 - The Crusade against Prostitution, Shifting meanings of Livability, and Implementing Phase 3 of the West End Traffic Plan .................................................... 66 6.1. The Crusade Against Prostitution........................................................................... 67 6.2. Planning Mini Parks East of Denman, 1980 ........................................................... 74 6.3. CROWE and Mike Harcourt ................................................................................... 81 6.4. Implementing the Mini Parks, 1982 ........................................................................ 95 6.5. Traffic Calming, Livability and the Social Sanitization of the Central City ............ 100 Chapter 7. Conclusion ............................................................................................ 102 References ................................................................................................................ 106 Appendix. Maps, Photos and Illustrations .................................................................... 118 ix List of Acronyms ASP Alliance for the Safety of Prostitutes CPR Canadian Pacific Railway CROWE Concerned Residents Of the West End ITE Institute of Transportation Engineers NPA Non-Partisan Association STJ Shame The Johns TEAM The Electors Action Movement UBC University of British Columbia VPD Vancouver Police Department WELD West End Livability Directions Project x Preface This thesis argues that an evolving understanding of the concept of livability was integral to the historic development of traffic calming and mini-parks in Vancouver’s West End. Traffic calming was pioneered in the early 1970s by progressive planners who wanted to improve livability in the newly densified West End by getting rid of unwelcome traffic and creating new park space and pedestrian amenities to combat resident feelings of alienation. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, traffic diversion also became a key policy in a civic drive to remove street prostitution from the West End, a struggle that invoked discourses of ‘livability’ which were used to justify exclusion of socially undesirable people from valued space on the streets in this downtown neighbourhood.