SUBJECT: CITY CENTERS
PURPOSE:
This briefing note is a recommendation for changes in policy pertaining
to city centers.
ISSUE:
There is not enough regulation for the management of populations in city
centers.
Background
Metro Vancouver is a growing city. The Metro Vancouver board in early 2021,
shared data which revealed that within the next 30 years there will be 3.8
million people living in the area. With
this sprawl comes many issues of which notably are crime rate, pollution and
congestion. Metro Vancouver needs to
first look at the crime rate. Per
Paladin Security, a private security company operating in Metro Vancouver, they
specify that in 2019 there were 8.46 offenses of violent crime per 1000 people
in Vancouver. There was also property
crime in Vancouver was 6.2% in 2018. For
comparison, BC’s property crime rate was 4.77% and Canada’s at 3.34%. According to the Chicago School city centers
can be divided into concentric zones.
The central business district is in the center (The area roughly
covering Burrard and West Georgia), followed by a layer of factory zone (Before
the Cambie bridge facing the core) which is then preceded by a layer of
transitional zone (Chinatown, Downtown East Side and Hogans Alley), than a
working class zone (Such streets include Granville, Main Street and Broadway)
followed by a residential zone (West End, Kitsalano, part of Main Street,
Commercial Drive and Granville) and an outer layer of a commuter zone (Marpole). The theory states that crime occurs more
frequently in the inner city (Central business district) and the transitional
zone (Including the factory zone). For
Vancouver, this area is something like the Downtown East Side, the corridor
near Hastings and Main Street. These
areas are the least desirable places to live and walk in. There are many drug pushers and users who
continue to conduct illicit activity.
There’s also a lot of homelessness and prostitution that occurs in the
area. There are many break and entries
and robberies that also occur. To add
insult to injury there is a high risk of being mugged in these transitional
zones especially at night. The fear of
being a victim and the feeling of safety are interrelated. Vancouver should consider ensuring that fear
in the area is high because, it is a factor that allows people to take
necessary precautions to avoid victimization.
The incivility in the Downtown East Side needs to be addressed and it is
a pressing issue that needs work. The
social decay in this area causes community decline which the causes people to
innovate to resort to criminal activity.
By promoting a more walkable transitional zone, Vancouver can ensure
that, they are making a safer community in the Downtown East Side.
Managing sprawl is going to be a major
concern as Metro Vancouver cities grow.
Metro Vancouver consist of a federation of 21 cities which means that
under the concentric zone theory, Metro Vancouver would have 21 circles one per
city all of which follow the above noted criteria. For the purposes of this briefing note, we
will focus on the municipality of Vancouver exclusively.
Pollution is an issue in any downtown core. Specifically when it pertains to Metro Vancouver, as mentioned it will grow to 3.8 million strong in the next few decades. Plastics discarded by people is a negative of having more walkable cities however, Vancouver is on track to reduce its plastic usage. What’s more concerning however is the management of air pollution. Great progress has already occurred to reduce the air pollution in the city. According to the Vancouver Sun, in 2019, electric vehicles made up 9% of new vehicle sales in the province. In fact, electric vehicle sales are the highest per capita in North America. This is very promising however it doesn’t mean that the province should stop there.
Traffic Congestion is a major issue in
large cities such as LA and NY. This
problem could soon come to Vancouver. Data
presented to the Canadian Institute of Traffic Engineers revealed that Dewan
Masud Karim found that wider lanes make cities more dangerous. This is because drivers often tend to speed
up. Now, the municipality of Vancouver
over the century has created narrow residential roads in neighborhoods and that’s
good. However, according to ICBC the Lower
Mainland experienced a 5 year average of 210,000 car accidents ending
2019. When it pertains to Vancouver,
ICBC reveled that Knight Street, Boundary Road and Grandview Highway,
Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, Boundary Road and Kingsway and the Lions Gate
Bridge were the most dangerous roads in Vancouver. Notice that these areas are all past the
transitional zone. Each zone has their
own issues that need to be addressed. By
making a CPTED conscious factory zone and transitional zone perhaps it could
have residual benefits to the zones that layer it. The roads mentioned are all wider which validates
Karims findings. However, in the future
the city needs these roads as it prevents traffic jams. Therefore, the city of Vancouver must find
other methods to reduce the danger of these roads.
Not only vehicles pose the risk to congestion
but population density also is a factor that Vancouver needs to be concerned
with. Vancouver is the most populated
city in British Columbia with an estimated population of 2.26 million. Its
population density is at 5,492 people per kilo square meter. Managing population density should be one of
the cities most pressing concerns as higher population density not only affects
nature but diseases spread quickly among people who live in close
proximity. Another issue that needs to be
prevented as the city grows is overcrowding.
Overcrowding reduces the quality of the living conditions and
sanitation. This then serves as breeding
grounds for agents of disease not only for people but for animals and wildlife.
Considerations:
Crime can be handled in the business
district, factory zone and the transitional zone by having a thorough knowledge
of CPTED- Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. There is a lot of evidence that supports a
walkable city reduces crime. This is so
because, walkable cities have improved lighting which have positive impacts on burglary,
theft, fear and violence. Walkable
cities also have larger volumes of people appreciating the scenery which means
that there are many witnesses to any single crime which is a form of target
hardening. The city could also consider
increasing CCTV options as these have positive effects on the same issues. There is already a significant amount of
police surveillance in this part of the city however, through positive
reinforcement, these personnel can collaborate with the community in reporting
crimes. By encouraging activity support,
criminals can be dissuaded from engaging in illicit activity. There should be more programs that appeal to the
ownership of land in the area as it would prompt people to take action.
Pollution and congestion is a major issue
in city centers. COVID has taught
society, that these can both be reduced by implementing restrictions. Specifically pertaining to Vancouver city,
tolls are being proposed for entry into the downtown core area and
Broadway. However, we believe that these
tolls won’t be sufficient to reduce both traffic and pollution. Pollution is a major issue in cities like
India and China. In fact, India’s
pollution according to PBS News is caused by cars and vehicles emissions which
causes smog that induces illness. The
city declared a public health emergency to cope with the issue. This is an existential threat that could come
to Vancouver city which is why Vancouver should set the agenda to prevent
sprawl. It is a matter of time that
Vancouver city will grow to be as large as cities like Los Angeles, a
population of 10 million in 2016. Los
Angeles, like India has a traffic problem.
“LA’s congestion levels” are actually amongst the worst in the world
according to CNN. Car ownership in LA is
the main source of the problem, they had 7.8 million car registrations in 2016
alone. As a preventative measure, Vancouver
should not only implement tolls, they should form policy to further tax car
purchases for residents who live in the core region. They should also add a core city tax to those
vehicles who need to refuel or recharge who purchased gasoline or electricity
in the core. Lastly, they should also
begin to designate days in which the general population can enter the noted
locations with their cars. Taxing
residents of the core area for new car purchases will allow these residents to
consider other methods of transportation.
It will reduce the amount of vehicles in the core area and promote a
walkable and clean city. However, from
an equity stand point, it could be viewed as a violation but, the question here
is does Vancouver want a city that is more safe, clean and walkable or do they
want convenience and risk? Therefore,
policy pertaining to vehicle ownership in core centers needs to be implemented
in such a way that it socialize people to admire a Vancouver core area that is
free of pollution and is walkable.
Further as a legitimation measure, such policy should act as a prevention
method by which growth can be sustainable for both the people, nature and the
environment. According to Jeff Speck a
walkable city is needed because it would benefit business in the core area but
would also help with signs of humanity which means lively desirable cities that
attract people rather than put them in danger.
It is the implementing of these proposed policy that is going to be a
challenge which is why experts must keep advocating the concept of the walkable
city to help people understand its benefits.
Lastly, nature areas need to be protected as the do ty grows. British Columbia is partly a rain forest and
many species of animals live in these natural habitats. Putting fare gates in popular tourist sites
would reduce the amount of people entering into these areas. Venice during the COVID lockdowns experienced
the returning of nature as human traffic was reduced. It is important that we protect nature and
realize that it is natures biodiversity that will aid us progress as a
civilization. The main stakeholders for
this matter are the residents of the core downtown area, the government and
those citizens that travel into the core regularly.
Options:
Option 1:
Tolls at entry points into the core.
Vancouver is already implementing tolls
into the Vancouver core area, however they haven’t really isolated the entire
core. We believe that all points of
entry into the core should have tolls actually.
This would limit congestion into the area. It would also promote people to use the bus
system. By isolating the core area with
tolls, it is expected that there will be public push back. However, what’s more important here is the
fact that Los Angeles, New York, New Delhi and Beijing have grown in a way
which the cities were unsuccessful in managing congestion, ie. they didn’t implement the right interventions
to control congestion and thus these cities are experiencing serious threats to
their infrastructure. These cities are
also more polluted and have higher crime rates.
The citizens of Vancouver city must make the decision, a walkable safe
city or a city filled with risk and danger?
From a sustainability perspective, this is very appealing as it would act
as a way to limit the vehicles but also the overall people per square meter in
the area. This option provides equity to
the residents of the core area, as they will have more freedom to enjoy their
property a proponent of CPTED. Therefore,
they will be more likely to take action if anything negative happens around the
area which thus keeps the activity support in the area high. Although there are those benefits, those that
work in the downtown core and use cars would be naturally upset that their
equity is being reduced however, they have other options to get into the core
such as but not limited to walking, bike, or bus. The feasibility of this option is very low as
municipal funds would need to be collected to fund the project. Perhaps isolating the whole downtown core
would take some time.
Option 2:
Tax car purchases for those who live in the core city center.
This option would really upset the
residents of the downtown core, however, as mentioned, a walkable city provides
a safer city. The beauty of living in
the core area, is that all amenities are in close proximity or bus routes run
often which means that a vehicle is not that necessary. Regardless, there are those that still would
like a vehicle ie, for the purposes of travelling outside the core. In that case, purchases should prompt for the
use as well as insurance. Now the
problem here is that who is even going to admit that they will use the care for
the Vancouver core? Law enforcement
should therefore be burdened with the task of checking insurance policy to
verify that citizens are not evading tax.
From an equity stand point, this option helps the citizens that want a safer
and more walkable city. The feasibility
of this option is very high as it would be easy to enforce a tax however, it
would require a lot of cooperation from various parties. From a sustainability stand point, it would dissuade
people from purchasing a car.
Option 3:
Additional tax on gasoline and electricity purchased in the city center
used for vehicles.
This is the most feasible option. Taxing vehicle consumables is very environmentally
friendly. It would encourage car users
to not use their cars in the downtown core.
By implementing a tax on gas and electricity purchased in the core for
cars, Canada would not only generate income but ensure that the core becomes
more walkable and safe. This option is
very sustainable as it would reduce uptake of such energy.
Option 4:
Fare gates for popular parks.
By adding gates that limit people in
popular parks, the city can be assured that they will be able to control the people
per kilo square meter. This would
increase the quality of living spaces and reduce the taxing of sanitation
systems. It would thus prevent the
spread of disease in people and in wildlife.
This option guarantees that Vancouver is promoting sustainable initiatives
and making sure that its lands are well maintained. With fair gates in these areas, more wildlife
is expected to return, which is a good thing for the environment. The equity problem lies with the residents of
those who bought property specifically because they were near that area. These people should be given a pass which
would permit them into these parks.
People are concerned about tourists and visitors to these parks near
their residences, and confirmation of this is the outrage White Rock residents experience
as tourists flocked over to Crescent Beach despite COVID restrictions.
Option 5:
Mixture of options 1, 2, 3 and 4.
This is the least feasible option. However, using and adding to the methods
specified in this briefing note as a template that can expand to other Metro
Vancouver cities would be the best thing that can be done to manage population
growth in the next few decades. As it
becomes evident, various cities noted herein have not been successful in
managing sprawl and they are suffering as a result. Thus, Vancouver and Metro Vancouver can start
preparations to make their cores more walkable this includes the business district,
factory zone and transitional zone in the hopes that it would have residual effects
to the other zones.
Option 6:
Status quo.
Vancouver is the safest it has ever been
because of law enforcement. It uses
renewable energy to power its buildings and some of the vehicles. Its population density is pretty safe. However, is Metro Vancouver prepared to grow? Because Los Angeles, New York, New Delhi and
Beijing all thought they were however, they continue to experience existential
problems which limit their development.
Vancouver must look at these places despite how prepared they may be to
handle sprawl because it is these places that experienced high booms of
population growth and they are in a constant battle everyday to manage the
effects of it whether it be managing traffic jams or congestion, improper
sanitation such as feces on walkways or even places were disease breeds.
Recommendation:
Option five is recommended.
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