Vancouver

Modern engineering practices explicitly design concrete to be more resilient to earthquakes, but older buildings predate such practices. That makes them especially vulnerable.

Intro:

In 1957, Vancouver took a decisi

ve turn in its urban development when city council lifted the eight-storey height limit in the West End neighbourhood on the downtown peninsula, opening the door to high-rise living along English Bay. Over the next two decades, more than 300 mid- to high-rise concrete apartment buildings went up, some rising beyond 30 storeys.

Today, these towers form the backbone of the West End, and a crucial share of downtown Vancouver’s housing supply, including much of what remains relatively affordable.

But there’s a catch. These buildings may be dangerously susceptible to damage from earthquakes. When many of these buildings were designed, seismic requirements in Canada’s national building code were rudimentary.

Since then, earthquake science and engineering have advanced significantly, and building codes have changed with them. Seen through today’s lens, many of Vancouver’s 1960s- and 1970s-era high-rise apartment buildings, while code-compliant at the time of construction, are now considered seismically vulnerable.

Our recent study of typical older West End high-rise concrete buildings estimated a significantly high risk of major damage if a strong earthquake were to strike the region.

Our findings confirm what many local engineers have long understood. The City of Vancouver and Natural Resources Canada have also previously highlighted that a small number of older mid- and high-rise concrete buildings drives a large share of seismic risk, and are clustered downtown and in the West End neighbourhoods.

I am testing out a scheduled post each week to help break the ice for discussion. Please let me know with any feedback :)

Right now, the posts are scheduled for Thursdays at 5pm.

Since the Feb. 1 closure of London Drugs at Woodward’s in the Downtown Eastside, or DTES, there is a 27,000-square-foot retail hole in the Vancouver neighbourhood. Mayor Ken Sim is suggesting it be filled with a police training centre.

London Drugs’ president and chief operating officer, Clint Mahlman, previously said that vandalism, crime and violence in the neighbourhood led to the decision to close the store.

But a business group and several neighbourhood organizations say what the neighbourhood needs is affordable retail, not more police presence.

“When an anchor retailer like this leaves the community, especially one that’s very important, it affects foot traffic, access to basic goods, it impacts overall street activity, and it has those ripple effects for small businesses and residents,” said Landon Hoyt, executive director of the Hastings Crossing Business Improvement Association.

“If we’re considering a policing training centre here, can we slow down the process to really understand: is that the best use?”

Two years ago at YVR for a late night flight

@vancouver@lemmy.ca

#night #moody #filmnoir #blackandwhite #liminal #liminalspace

A BC human rights inquiry also found that the police board ‘abdicated its legal responsibility’ when investigating complaints.

An inquiry by B.C.’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner has found that news media faced numerous problems accessing the scene of a decampment operation on April 5 and 6 in 2023, despite the Vancouver Police Department’s continued claim that there were no restrictions.

The actions police took to bar media from entering a two-block stretch of East Hastings Street during the forced removal of numerous tents set up by homeless people was “not in accordance with human rights standards,” the inquiry’s final report found. That in turn affected the rights of the vulnerable unhoused people living in the encampment, the report found.

“Human rights advocates and the press must be permitted to work without unreasonable interference, to gather and distribute information about incidents of forced eviction in order to protect the rights of unhoused people,” Kasari Govender, B.C.’s current human rights commissioner, said during a Wednesday press conference.

“As noted by one resident after his belongings were destroyed during an encampment eviction in Prince George, he said: ‘I want the court in this city to know we are people and we exist. We just want to survive and be treated like human beings.’”

Vancouver councillors voted Wednesday to explore new tenant protections after news reports and increasing complaints about landlords spying on tenants, aggressive eviction attempts and allegations of unsafe room partitions.

Green Party Coun. Pete Fry’s motion calling for increased tenant protections passed unanimously Wednesday at a council standing committee. Just over half of Vancouver residents rent their homes.

The motion asks city staff to report back on the feasibility of a new annual rental business licence for multi-unit landlords to “ensure minimum standards of maintenance, accountability, and enforcement."

Finding David Duprey in Mount Pleasant isn’t too difficult if you know where to look.

The longtime entrepreneur could be talking with regulars at Uncle Abe’s. Maybe he’s helping out at the Narrow or putting up a sign outside Slim’s BBQ Joint, applying for a change in how late the restaurant can stay open. And, of course, there’s a chance he’s at one of the many stalled real estate development sites that he leases out to artists, like Main Street’s City Centre.

Duprey, who grew up in Kitsilano in the ’70s and ’80s, runs all of those businesses under the Narrow Group umbrella with the energy and enthusiasm—and, it must be said, angst—of a much younger man.

If you’ve had any run-ins with Duprey or read about the man, you likely know how the old-school entrepreneur operates. Few people live “Don’t ask for permission, beg for forgiveness” like the guy who got caught running the Rickshaw Theatre for two and a half years without a liquor licence.

Thank you for all the fog these past few weeks. Here is a photo of some residential Vancouver streets in the fog.

@vancouver@lemmy.ca

#vancouver #cityscape #wintercity #nightphotography #thenightfeeling #moody #fog

Trying to cut back on the amount of plastic I use.

Consider your winter dining plans sorted. Bookings are officially open for the 2026 Dine Out Vancouver Festival, returning from January 21 to February 8 with its biggest lineup yet.

More than 450 restaurants and venues are taking part across the city, including over 25 MICHELIN-recognized spots. Fixed price menus fall into three tiers between $20 and $70, while diners ready to splurge can book $110 tasting menus at MICHELIN One Star faves Burdock & Co. and Published on Main.

Running for 19 days, the festival gives locals and visitors alike plenty of reason to plan repeat reservations, with special events and limited-time offers on flights, hotels and attractions rounding out the experience.

One of the most anticipated returns is Street Food City, which rolls back into downtown Vancouver from January 22 to 25. Now in its 14th year, the four-day street food celebration takes over šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énk Square at the north plaza of the Vancouver Art Gallery, bringing together a rotating lineup of food trucks and mobile eateries.

The last remaining photo from my old account. Another angle while looking out at the ocean from UBC campus

@vancouver@lemmy.ca

#evening #ubc #vancouver #sunset #citylife

The event details are here: https://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/festival-of-lights.aspx

Another photo from my old account, looking out at the ocean from UBC campus

@vancouver@lemmy.ca

#evening #ubc #vancouver #sunset #citylife

You can find information about outages in your area on this page:

https://www.bchydro.com/power-outages/app/outage-map.html

Original title was "The best arcades in Metro Vancouver to release your inner child", but that felt like clickbait since it's just a list of well known arcades