A Streetcar Named… Revival?
Tags: heritage, interviews, Media, transit oriented development, Transportation
Sorry all, another lame title by me! Anyway, check out PP’s shiny new exclusive video.
A Streetcar Named… Revival? from Planning Pool on Vimeo.
Did you notice the vintage ads in the old streetcar, I reckon they’re a bit more modest than the stuff Vanessa saw in Portland. And be sure to pay special attention to the fantastic soundtrack, performed by our own very talented Vanessa Kay!
Having long been interested at the sight of those old streetcars that still made a circuit along Vancouver’s Southeast False Creek, trundling along with elegance and poise when seen against the car traffic that rushes past, I thought it would be neat if PP did a feature on it. After all, the old streetcar system has a storied history that’s intimately tied to Vancouver’s development as a city.
The Transit Museum Society’s Peter Finch walks us through this narrative, speaking eloquently about the rise and fall of the streetcar, our experiments with the private automobile, and Vancouver’s cautious first steps back toward using this charming mode of transport.
In a way, and in a nutshell, Peter recounts the history of North American planning.
Vanessa said:
Sep 14, 09 at 1:13 pmHey, great job Farzine! I just feel the need to clarify that I did not compose the second set of tunes in the video (Over the Waterfall and the Reel de Joie, both of which are traditional) or, for that matter, Home on the Range.
I hope the Downtown Heritage Railway folks like this video too!
Daniella said:
Sep 15, 09 at 10:09 pmLovely video & great music, Farzine and Vanessa!
Bonnie Robertson said:
Oct 28, 09 at 10:38 amStreetcar revival is a wonderful concept that would add yet another interesting dimension to life and movement in Vancouver. While the novelty of the streetcar is interesting, in itself, the additional issues of transportation planning as part of city life was also touched upon.
Over here, in Kuwait, there is little planning, as far as buildings and infrastructure are concerned, but the major roadways are generally excellent. It seemed strange to me, at first, to be traveling in the opposite direction to where we wanted to go, but the use of U-turns, alternating traffic signals, and traffic circles makes the flow of traffic much more efficient for moving large numbers of cars. Yes, it is a gas-guzzling, environment-polluting, SUV and high performance car heaven here (a bit of an oxymoron here), where the streetcar would be absolutely out of place.
It’s nice to see concepts that have aesthetic considerations included as well.
Bravo! Mumtaz (excellent).
Gift #50 A Desire for Streetcars « Guerrilla Giving said:
Nov 03, 09 at 5:38 pm[...] have a look at this great post called “A Streetcar Named…Revival” at Planning Pool–especially the neat video about the history of Vancouver streetcars and [...]