Where are the kids? - Children under three years old
August 26, 2009
The first of a five-part series looking at the spatial distribution of children throughout Vancouver.
By Erick Villagomez, re:place magazine
Kingsway: Block types
July 30, 2009
Text and map by Laura Kozak, re:place magazine
The urban ‘bones’ that make up a city – streets, sidewalks and blocks – have a startling impact on the way things work. This plays out at every scale, from the arterial traffic patterns that traverse the city down to the arrangement of shelves in a store. This is because urban geometry is nested – shapes form within shapes. Read more
Kingsway: Building footprint figure-ground
June 3, 2009
By Erick Villagomez, re:place magazine
(Map courtesy of ENDS 402_w09 class, digital format © 2009 - class individuals named at the end)
Kingsway is one of the most significant streets in Metro Vancouver. With its rich history that pre-dates European arrival and its unique diagonal urban structure spanning three municipalities, its importance has not diminished over time. Quite the opposite, in fact. Read more
Vancouver’s solar neighbourhoods
April 15, 2009
By Erick Villagomez, re:place magazine
Map courtesy of Erick Villagomez © 2009
Although there is a lot of international praise for Vancouver urban design excellence, it is often focused on the events within the past three decades - starting with the development of the downtown core. Sure there is a lot to applaud, but our success is greatly the result of the fortuitous decisions made by early settlers and surveyors of the Lower Mainland. Sadly, these people are rarely recognized for their achievement that ultimately made Vancouver the exemplar of urbanism we know today. A slight variation of a few feet per lot or the decision to shorten our standard block would have lead to a very different city. Read more
How we get to work - transit, biking and walking in Metro Vancouver
January 28, 2009
By Erick Villagomez, re:place magazine
Map courtesy of Erick Villagomez © 2009
What better way to start off 2009 than with another map. Given how the unexpected snowy weather seemed to paralyze this fine city of ours over the holidays, I thought is would be more than fitting to see how we all get to work. Read more
Vancouver’s north-south streets
November 3, 2008
By Erick Villagomez, re:place magazine
Map courtesy of Erick Villagomez © 2008 (india ink on vellum, 24×36).
As a follow-up to the last map depicting Vancouver’s east-west running streets, here is a drawing of all the north-south roads in the city. Read more
Vancouver’s east-west streets
September 16, 2008
By Erick Villagomez, re:place magazine
Map courtesy of Erick Villagomez © 2008 (india ink on vellum, 24×36).
As the primary paths of access and circulation, streets play an extremely important role in any city - ancient and new. With this in mind, the pattern created by streets - their distribution and aligned - is significant to both the experience and functioning of a city. Read more
Rising Tides: Metro Vancouver Flood Map
June 30, 2008
By Richard Balfour, Metro Vancouver Planning Coalition
Map by R. Balfour (edited by Erick Villagomez)
In the SSP Manual: A Civil Defense Manual for Cultural Survival (Balfour & Keenan, Old City Foundation Press), a map of the Lower Mainland of BC is shown with a projected tide rise of 6m which would wipe out the Fraser River floodplain, one of the most precious farmland areas on the planet. This was projected from data available at the time, not a certainty if we change our wasteful habits in carbon fuels. Read more
Vancouver’s deviant grids
May 26, 2008
By Erick Villagomez, re:place magazine
Many Vancouverites think of this fine metropolis as a “grid city” - with straight north-south/east-west streets that intersect primarily at right angles. Navigating the city tends to support this observation as the majority of the most travelled streets - Broadway, 12th, Cambie, Granville - tend to run in straight lines with a few deviations.
Vancouver’s park structure
May 1, 2008
By Erick Villagomez, re:place magazine
Parks are an important part of any city. Given Vancouver’s predisposition for all things natural, parks play a significant role in the perception and use of the city. Read more
