Why Woodward’s? Investigating the Woodward’s redevelopment

This research examines Woodward’s, a mixed-use, mixed-income development that opened on a heritage site in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside in the spring of 2010. The purpose of this project is to answer the following question: Is Woodward’s an example of urban social sustainability. As many of the substantive impacts of the development will only become apparent over the next five to ten years, this research investigates the vision underlying the project and how well it aligns with principles of social sustainability. The conceptual statements that Woodward’s makes about neighbourhood transition and the low-income community in the Downtown Eastside are explored using data generated from six in-depth interviews with key respondents. Woven throughout this exploration of Woodward’s is a discussion of gentrification and what it means in the context of the Downtown Eastside.