Shaping Vancouver Series 2015: What is Neighbourhood Character?

In this panel, speakers explore the hot topic of neighbourhood character in Vancouver.•What features give areas their distinctive character?•How can we balance heritage conservation with other community and financial interests?•How can we ensure new development is responsive to the neighbourhood context?
PANELISTS: Caroline Adderson | Caroline Adderson is the author of four novels, two collections of short stories, as well as books for young readers. Her work has received numerous prize nominations including the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, two Commonwealth Writers’ Prizes, the Governor General’s Literary Award, the Rogers’ Trust Fiction Prize, and the Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist. Winner of two Ethel Wilson Fiction Prizes and three CBC Literary Awards, Caroline was also the recipient of the 2006 Marian Engel Award for mid-career achievement. She is the creator of the Facebook page Vancouver Vanishes, which currently has 5,773 members. A book based on the page will by published in fall 2015 with Anvil Press.Ian McDonald | Ian is a registered architect and partner with Bruce Carscadden Architect. The firm's work includes significant heritage projects including the 33 and 55 Water Street, the Burns Block Microlofts, and the recent onfill project 564 Beatty Street. In addition to practice, Ian was adjunct faculty at the UBC School of Architecture + Landscape Architecture from 2005 until 2013 in both the graduate vertical studio stream as well as the core undergraduate and graduate design media courses. He has held positions as Board Member for Vancouver’s Centre A Gallery and committee member with the Vancouver Urbanarium.Mike Harcourt | As a former Premier of British Columbia, mayor of Vancouver and city councillor, Mike Harcourt helped British Columbia earn the reputation as one of the most livable places in the world. Mike is a passionate believer in the power of cities and communities to improve the human condition. His focus on conservation and sustainable development has played a significant role in promoting quality of life for those in Canada and abroad. Mike Harcourt is a speaker and advisor internationally on sustainable cities, always providing tangible solutions aimed at improving the creativity, innovative capacity, and environmental sustainability of communities.Donald Luxton | Donald Luxton is the principal of Donald Luxton & Associates Inc., a leading heritage and museum consulting firm as well as the principal consultant for the City of Vancouver Heritage Action Plan. Involved in the field of heritage resource management since 1983, he is a well known consultant, advocate, educator and author, and has worked on numerous projects throughout Western Canada, including municipal planning projects, museum development and the restoration of residential, commercial, and institutional buildings. In 1983, he was a founding Director of the Victoria Heritage Foundation. In 2009, he was the recipient of the British Columbia Heritage Award.
MODERATOR: Ian Waddell is a lawyer, former M.P. and Provincial cabinet minister, writer and now filmmaker. He served as a Member of the Canadian Parliament for over 14 years representing the Vancouver-Kingsway riding then Port Moody-Coquitlam. He has enjoyed teaching a Criminology course at Simon Fraser and Canadian History at UBC as well as being a visiting scholar at Massey College, University of Toronto several times. A longtime member of the Board of Governors for the Arts Club of Vancouver and the Heritage Vancouver Society, Ian is actively involved in the cultural aspects of Vancouver. Ian is a published author and filmmaker of the documentary "Why Young People Don’t Vote".