Shaping Vancouver: What do we do about neighbourhoods?

WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT NEIGHBOURHOODS?Neighbourhoods are often positively associated with community. They tend to have a combination of qualities that communities identify with which can make them distinct. These include the people, the types of interactions they have with each other, nature, types of commercial spaces, housing tenure, and public spaces in addition to the type and design of buildings. However, there are conflicting views as to whether this distinctiveness is positive or not.Particularly with regard to residential neighbourhoods, some argue that "neighbourhood character" must be maintained to preserve the diversity of the city. Others note however that "neighbourhood character" frequently serves as an instrument of exclusion, making people feel unwelcome and marginalizing them.Neighbourhoods that do not evolve risk stagnation; while neighbourhoods that change too rapidly erase the attributes that make them unique. Are there then qualities of neighbourhoods that should be cultivated or protected? As Vancouver faces a housing crisis, how do we go about discussing neighbourhood change? In our second talk in this year’s series on “What’s the use of Heritage?”, we take a city-wide view of neighbourhoods as the city embarks on a City-wide Plan.We ask:How should we define neighbourhood character?What are the roles and obligations of Vancouver’s neighbourhoods in relation to the whole?How do city wide goals factor into residential neighbourhoods and are there neighbourhood attributes that are important and should be nurtured or protected?How should neighbourhoods be governed?What is heritage’s role in shaping a neighbourhood in response to today’s needs?How do we go about having difficult conversations around neighbourhood change?