Rapid Rail Transit Around the Globe
July 22, 2010
With interest in rapid transit systems increasing daily, this information graphic compiles and compares data from 21 rapid rail transit systems from around the world.
By Erick Villagomez, re:place Magazine
A Year in Five Minutes: Vancouver 1971
May 31, 2010
Pender Street in Chinatown in 1972, which was now part of a designated historic area. Item # CVA 780-447. Photo courtesy of Vancouver Archives.
In 1971, Greenpeace was making waves, there was a riot in Gastown and the CBC started filming a very popular series on the Sunshine Coast.
By Chuck Davis, The History of Vancouver
Vancouver’s 1975 downtown transit plan
April 7, 2010
Transit service map circa 1975.
In 1975, the Bureau of Transit Services prepared a transit service plan for downtown Vancouver. Now that 35 years have passed, it’s time to look at what actually got built.
By John Calimente, re:place magazine
Vancouver Becomes a Transit City for 17 Days
March 31, 2010
It was a cool experiment, and perhaps North America’s largest traffic trial ever. Take one auto-oriented-but-making-progress city and for 17 days remold it into a transit city. Happily, it worked beyond anyone’s expectations. Now it’s time to take what we’ve learned to improve Vancouver’s transportation system.
By John Calimente, re:place Magazine
The Urbanist’s Guide to Vancouver Part 4: Explorations
March 5, 2010
For the final part of the Guide, re:place looks at some of the wonderful suggestions you had for learning more about the our city.
By the re:place team and re:place readers
A Year in Five Minutes: Vancouver 1958
March 1, 2010
North Vancouver Ferry #5 was the last to sail in 1958. Photo by Walter Edwin Frost. Item # CVA 447-7232.1
There were a lot of major construction projects started and completed this year, which was also BC’s centennial. It was also a year of tragedy at the Second Narrows Bridge.
By Chuck Davis, The History of Vancouver
Photos courtesy of Vancouver Archives
Streetcars returning to North America
February 3, 2010
With new low-floor and catenary-free models at the forefront of a revolution in streetcar technology, the time is ripe for streetcars to make a full-fledged comeback in North America. A conversation with Steve Hall, General Manager of Bombardier’s Vancouver office.
By John Calimente, re:place Magazine
Are gas stations becoming an endangered species?
December 10, 2009
This piece investigates the phenomenon of closing and abandoned gas stations over the past decade, and asks whether this is part of a larger trend.
By John Calimente, re:place magazine
Pedestrians need their share of the road
August 20, 2009
The needs of pedestrians need to be considered along with cyclists.
By Jayalath (Jay) Ameresekere
Photos by Leszek Apouchtine
Planners and Engineers have, in the past, tended to be more concerned with the ease and comfort of the motorist to the detriment of other road users. This trend seems to have changed over the years and today we find greater attention being paid to non- motorized transport, mainly the bicycle. Bicycle lanes have become almost an integral part of road planning and it is easy to understand how this came into being. Cycling as a mode of transport is backed by environmentalists as it does not ‘pollute’ in the way a motorcar does, by physicians as it is a very beneficial physical exercise and by cycling enthusiasts. It has even been transformed into an international competitive sport. In the city of Vancouver, I have observed numerous signs displaying figures of a motor car and a bicycle with the caption “Share the road”. While this kind of sharing is to be commended, I was intrigued by the omission of the pedestrian from this sign; after all, the pedestrian is the first user of the road, having been a road user even before the wheel was invented. Read more
Canada Line craziness: An adventure on the rails
August 17, 2009
Thousands wait outside Waterfront Station for a free ride on the Canada Line.
Article and photos by Leszek Apouchtine, re:place magazine
The first day of the Canada Line saw thousands of people line up at many stations, while other stations sat practically empty. Read more
