In the last few years, we have seen a trend that is encouraging for those who are interested in how we live in cities around the world: residents are increasingly claiming an active role in shaping the future of their communities. After all, they are the people who make up the community, they are the ones who use public infrastructure, and they are the ones affected by city planning.
We are excited to help give Vancouverites a voice in determining the future of the city’s shorelines.On January 28th, 2014 (6pm-9pm), Georgia Strait Alliance is hosting Vancouver’s first Waterfront Citizens’ Forum at Creekside Community Centre, 1 Athletes Way (Olympic Village) to envision what a sustainable and prosperous shoreline could look like. To help us with the planning of the event, we ask all participants to register here! All participants will have a chance to win tickets for an exciting zodiac tour of the harbour with SeaVancouver and a family pass to Science World.
Our city’s shorelines along Burrard Inlet and the Fraser River are beautiful, but they are also under threat from development and pollution resulting from increasing urbanization, industrial and population growth that is not based on principles of sustainability. How can we work together as a community to find answers to these challenges?
If you live in Vancouver – no matter how near or far from the water’s edge – this Forum is your chance to join the conversation about the future of our city’s harbour, beaches, shoreline parks, seawall, and to become part of a collaborative effort to strengthen Vancouver’s connection to the water. What do you want Vancouver’s shores to look like in the future? How are we going to move people and goods around on the waterfront? How can we all continue to benefit from the city’s connection to ocean and river? These are some of the questions that we will be discussing at this Forum.
We hope you will be part of this dialogue. If you can’t make it, there will be further opportunities to share your ideas and views with us. We also encourage you to join the continuing conversation online.
If you would like to learn more about the Forum or our Waterfront Initiative, please contact Sebastian Merz at 604-633-0530 and sebastian@georgiastrait.org