Planning Pool

“Olympic Line” Streetcar Demonstration in Vancouver, Canada from Planning Pool on Vimeo.

January 21 2010 at 9:30am -that’s today! – marks the start of a two-month demonstration of modern streetcar service in Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympics. This three-minute slideshow shows a sneak preview of the streetcars themselves, on loan from Brussels, Belgium. It also observes the City of Vancouver’s interest in finding funding and galvanizing political will to reinstate permanent streetcar service in the city.

The demonstration streetcars will be free to ride, so if you find yourself in Vancouver during the Olympics, it will be worth venturing out into the crowds to check them out. The Olympic Line will run from 6:30 AM to 12:30AM every day, with … Continue Reading

The University of British Columbia’s School of Community and Regional Planning is hosting a symposium on March 13 and 14. Entitled “From Sustainawhat? to Sustainahow! Moving from knowledge to action,” the symposium will explore the implementation of sustainability planning. Specifically, speakers will be focusing on affordable housing, resilience of government institutions in climate change planning, intercultural communications and multicultural planning, collaborative and participatory design, regional water governance, and many other topics.

 Confirmed speakers include :

• Dr. Tom Campenella: Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Design at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
• Stephen Owen: Vice President, External, Legal and Community Relations, UBC
• Dr. Leonie Sandercock: Faculty, SCARP, UBC.
• Dr. John Freidmann: Professor, SCARP, UBC.
• Karen Stone: Executive Director, B.C. Not-for-Profit Housing Association
• Brent Toderian: Director of Planning, City of Vancouver 
• Naomi Steinberg: Professional Storyteller
• Shannon Daub: Communications Director, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, B.C. Chapter

Perhaps most excitingly, … Continue Reading