Vancouver 2028 Summer Olympic Master Plan by Justin J. Cain

NATHAN HOWE’S STUDIO Architectural Design Studio 7 - Kansas State University JOHN BAGAROZY JUSTIN CAIN COOPER DAHMS WILL DUBOIS MELISSA GADDIS RYAN HERGOTT SHANNON HUSH ALEX KUCHINSKAS LINDESY LEARDI BECKA LIU NATHAN LONG VY NGUYEN HANNA SUL

CONTENTS

PART I VANCOUVER

PART II MASTER PLAN

OVERVIEW

OLYMPIC OVERVIEW

CONTEXT

HISTORY

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

INFRASTRUCTURE

MATERIALITY

OLYMPIC VENUES

TRANSPORTATION

VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

GREEN SPACE

DRIVING CONCEPTS

ZONING AND CITY GUIDELINES

TOPOGRAPHY

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

SALT MARSH

WIND AND SOLAR

COUPLET

ECOSYSTEM

VENUES

WATER DRAINAGE

WARPED GRID

FALSE CREEK FLATS

OLYMPIC PARK

102

SITE ANALYSIS

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION In the fall of 2015, our graduate architectural design studio, instructed by Nathan Howe, took on the task of evaluating Vancouver for a proposed 2028 Summer Olympics bid. Once the city and site were chosen, we worked together to develop a long term Master Plan. The plan was weaved together using parametric logic to create a Master Plan that was developed using explicit parameters. Our studio selected the city of Vancouver for its aesthetic Pacific Northwestern experiential qualities. Vancouver was also the host for the 2010 Winter Olympics, making it a realistic candidate for accommodating a summer Olympics. The site we focused on for the Olympic Park and Village was False Creek Flats, a primarily industrial and poverty stricken residential area. The site was determined to be a good opportunity to redevelop and revive an eyesore of the city. Our major concern for the site was designing for the future and creating a lasting legacy, not just designing for the temporary 2028 Summer Olympics. Additionally, we wanted to work towards Vancouver’s Greenest City Action Plan, which is the city’s strategy for staying on the leading edge of urban sustainability.

Vancouver’s vision is to create opportunities while building a strong local economy, vibrant and inclusive neighborhoods, and an internationally recognized city that meets the needs of generations to come. Our primary concerns for the site included: the existing railways and elevated sky train, incorporating water into the site to bring it back to its historic routes, mitigate the risk of rising flood levels, and creating connections between surrounding neighborhoods, all while incorporating a working Olympic Park for the 2028 Summer Olympic Games. The following document is a compilation of our studio’s research findings relating to the city of Vancouver and the Olympics; culminating with our final Master Plan proposal.

INTRODUCTION

OVERVIEW CONTEXT

OVERVIEW

CONTEXT

The occupation of groups of First Nations

Fraser River Gold Rush

The Spanish and British arrive to explore

8,000 YEARS AGO

1791-1792

1858

By: Hanna Sul & Melissa Gaddis

In order to design a successful master plan within the City of Vancouver, it is essential to understand its historical context. The initial impression of the City is a spectacle of contemporary buildings that preserve the visual reference to the distinctive natural landscapes in the background. Vancouver is often considered to be one of the most livable cities in the world by the Economist Intelligence Unit. This life and beauty of the City today is the result of its rich historical context.01

various entities. Important land divisions include: the military reserve, now known as Stanley Park, the “Bricklayers’ Claim”, now known as the West End, the Hastings townsite and the Granville townsite, which includes Gastown.02 Development occurred, but not fast enough to catapult Vancouver into major growth. In hopes of establishing international trade, Vancouver

became a railroad terminus for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) which spurred rapid growth. In exchange, British Columbia became a part of Canada in 1871. On April 6, 1886, the city of Vancouver was established. The city included: old Bricklayers’ Claim, Granville and the CPR land grants downtown and across False Creek up to 16th avenue, shown in Figure 01. Figure 02 further expands upon how people settled as the

Burrard Inlet

OVERVIEW

16th Ave.

Nanaimo St.

1937

1886 City of Vancouver 1911

1911 Hastings Townsite

Knight St.

Main St.

25th Ave

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1952 1929 Municipality of Point Grey

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Musqueam Indian Reserve

1929 Municipality of South Vancouver

59th

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Figure 01. Divisions of Vancouver Up Until 1952

Boundary Road

Camosun St.

OVERVIEW

False Creek University of British Columbia

Alma St.

English Bay

Blanca

The history of Vancouver starts 8,000 years ago with the initial occupations of the land by groups of Aboriginals known as the First Nations. They occupied the area until the Spanish and English arrived in 1791 for the inventory of the land’s resources. In spite of the efforts used to explore possible features like the Burrard Inlet, little interest in the area was generated. It wasn’t until gold was discovered around the Fraser River in 1858, that there was a true influx of people into the area. The result was British Columbia, a new colony subject to developments such as townsites, military reserves, native settlements, and district lots bought by

British Columbia joins Canada 1871

The City of Vancouver was created and the Great Fire occurred 1886

The first CPR train arrived in Vancouver 1887

city grew. Movement continued outwards with a higher concentration of people in the North. During the same year, a fire laid siege to the newly founded city and, like the Chicago Fire of 1871, spurred a rebuilding of the city that helped to improve its development. Sturdier brick buildings were constructed and the new technologies of the time were embedded into the city framework with the inclusion of streetcars and gas street lamps.02

The District of North Vancouver was created

Burrard Inlet

English Bay

False Creek

VANCOUVER

POINT GREY

SOUTH VANCOUVER

100 per acre 50 per acre 40 per acre 30 per acre Fraser River

20 per acre

Figure 02. Distribution of Population in 1950

1892

1891

At the same time, the economy relied on big companies, such as the sawmills and the CPR. The CPR made intercontinental trade possible with items such as silk and tea via the fleet of ships they supplied. Soon, other shipping companies expanded port activities. The port became a major node through time as various parts of the world came through. For a while, grain trade occurred as a result of the opening

The Districts of South Vancouver and Burnaby were created

of the Panama Canal. Shipyards, created during World War II, became a holder for Asian-Pacific containers while also being a mediator for cruise ship activity. The new Waterfront Convention Centre built in anticipation of the 2010 Winter Olympics, helped revitalize the port as well.02 NEIGHBORHOODS

Based on the townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s initial divide and streetcar routes, people began to form their own neighborhoods. The Granville Townsite, which included areas from Gastown to False Creek, housed diverse workers who came to live around Hastings Mill. Gastown maintained workers who wanted affordable dwelling units. The main street was laid perpendicular to the CPR rail terminus. The Bricklayersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Claim, or the West End, became a residential area for the upper class until they moved to Shaughnessy during the First World War. This area occurred south of Vancouver and was defined by winding, irregular roads, completely unlike the grid-like streets of the main city which helped to boost its exclusivity. The municipality of South Vancouver eventually separated into two with the creation of Point Grey and the University Endowment Lands, where the University of British Columbia is located, as seen in Figure 01. However, eventually both municipalities OVERVIEW

The City of Vancouver was created and the Great Fire occurred 1886

The first CPR train arrived in Vancouver 1887

joined with Vancouver in 1929. Hastings townsite became apart of the city in 1911 due to the efforts of the landowners. Our 2028 Summer Olympics site is False Creek Flats, located in the district of Strathcona and bordered by Mount Pleasant in the south, shown in Figure 03. 02 MOUNT PLEASANT

Mount Pleasant’s origins go back to a stream that ran through the area and attracted breweries from 1888 to 1912. It was once considered a workingclass neighborhood, but underwent gentrifications in the early 1990’s.03 It is known for its up and coming neighborhoods surrounding the downtown peninsula and is also considered a center for industry and commercialism. Mt. Pleasant has been elected repeatedly as the favorite shopping destination of Vancouver. It is known for its unusual stores, heritage buildings, artistic residence, and art festivals. As discussed, Mount Pleasant has a growing residential market and is one of the hottest residential markets in Vancouver with hundreds of condominium units currently under construction. The area was considered to be one the first suburbs in Vancouver, and is now home to young professionals, first time homeowners, and a growing number of families. The Winter Olympics Village is located within this 08

OVERVIEW

The District of North Vancouver was created 1891

The Districts of South Vancouver and Burnaby were created 1892

district on the north side, next to the water. STRATHCONA

Strathcona is one of the oldest residential districts in Vancouver. It was an area that grew up around Hastings Mill and was then primarily vacated by WWI. 04 It was a wealthy area until English, Scottish, and Irish Residents moved to wealthier developments on the West End. After it emptied

out, new waves of immigrants moved in. They had no other living options due to institutionalized segregations. The area then became associated with poverty and vice. Strathcona is now considered to have the highest crime rates in Vancouver. Despite these hardships Strathcona has a strong working-class soul, and the people there have a lot of pride and care what happens to the district. People of Strathcona call themselves the “Brooklyn

GASTOWN

CHINATOWN DOWNTOWN

STRATHCONA

Site Outline Figure 03. Vancouver’s Districts

MOUNT PLEASANT

The District of West Vancouver was created 1912

The opening of the Panama Canal initiated grain trade 1914

of Vancouver”, as they have the most affordable housing left in Vancouver, with close proximity to the downtown area. Currently Strathcona is dealing with attempts at gentrification from within and the threat of high rise developments from without. The district around Prior Street on the north side of our site has also come about as a debate amongst citizens. Prior Street currently connects the districts to parks and community gardens; however there are thoughts about widening the whole street, which would cut off any community ties to the green space because of high traffic. When planning for this district the studio will need to consider how they handle the current residents, what can be done to hold on to the spirit of the area, and is there any way to make it an affordable district for residents of Vancouver. These are just a few of the many considerations needed to be taken for the master planning of Strathcona, but the points listed above are the issues that matter to the current residents in that area. TRANSPORTATION

The CPR didn’t last long as other companies like the Vancouver, Westminster, Yukon and Canadian Northern Railway all established termini in several areas of Vancouver. The electric streetcar system

South Vancouver and Point Grey amalgamated into the city of Vancouver 1929

Lions Gate Bridge opened and helped to initiate suburban growth 1938

stopped its usage in the 1950s when cars started to appear. The infrastructure of the streetcars were replaced as they started to age. Most of Vancouver’s roads were built by the 1930s. Highways appeared in the 1960s with their attraction stemming from North American cities. Alongside that, transit was developing with busses, the “Skytrain” of 1986, and the “Canada Line” of 2010. 02

transportation and along prominent divisions of land. From 1900 to 1929, the same kind of development grew out of this initial lay of the city which can be seen in Figure 05. Figure 06 further expands this growth for the period betwen 1930 and 1999. However, what can be said of the growth that has occurred within the past few decades that catapulted the city into a contemporary society?

What is important to gather from this brief history of Vancouver is that many phases of its transformation were influenced by outside forces which could explain the diverse meeting ground that Vancouver represents today.

“Vancouver is a city of neighbourhoods.. defined by three factors: original surveyed, gridded district lots, the people who were drawn to each, and the streetcar routes which gave birth to business and social life.” 02

One source, The Neptis Foundation’s “Growing Pains” report examined two of Canada’s fastest growing city-regions, Metro Vancouver and the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. A closer study of Vancouver’s growth patterns is unraveled within the last two decades. In evaluating the dwelling patterns of various Canadian cities, the report found that Vancouver’s consistent approach to planning policy contributes to the city’s success. However, it’s important to know that policy refinement based on present and future change is needed for longterm success. The strength in the organization of the implementation of strategies and the strategies themselves are telling of what the trends in growth have shown over the years.05

This is evident in Figure 04 which shows developed land to be located along established routes of

Three trends in growth: 1. Metro Vancouver is intensifying (2001-2011)

PATTERNS OF GROWTH

There are various ideas about how Vancouver developed. The Vancouver Historical Society states,

OVERVIEW

Creation of Langley City 1955

The era of protests with Vietnam and environmental activist groups 1960â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

as is recognized with 69% of net new residents being accommodated in existing urban areas and 76% of net new dwellings being accommodated in the existing areas as well. This intensification is seen with the density of purple dots on the map in Figure 07. Intensification was evenly spread; between 1991 and 2001, the urban area grew by 16% and only by 4% between 2001 and 2011. The population grew by 24% in the former and by 16% in the latter.05

The Greater Vancouver Regional District incorporated 1967

Figure 04. Developed vs Undeveloped Land 1870-1899

2. Metro Vancouver is developing its transit infrastructure. Almost 50% of the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s net new population were accomodated near a frequent transite route and 23% were accomodated within 800 metres of a SkyTrain Station.05 3. Vancouver has developed a better balanced housing stock by creating more housing type choices.05 From their findings, the Neptis Foundation arrived at three lessons: 1. Growth management can be supported with a hard urban boundary and a clear regional structure. Additionally, growth can be managed by concentrating it in urban centres served by frequent transit.05 10

OVERVIEW

Figure 05. Developed vs Undeveloped Land 1900-1929

Figure 06. Developed vs Undeveloped Land 1930-1999

B.C. established an Agricultural Land Reserve to prevent urban expansion 1973

The exposition of 86 which brought international recognition 1986

Livable Region Strategic Plan 1996

2. Land use and transportation planning must be done in concert with each other.05 This will accommodate efficient connections. 3. Regional growth management requires cooperation and monitoring. Metro Vancouver is a regional entity that works with smaller entities across the region in order for them to support the strategies implemented.05

Metro 2040: Shaping our Future - Introduced the Urban Containment Boundary

The Winter Olympics 2010

2011

better accommodate the transit network that’s being further developed.05 SUMMARY

So, what can be gathered from the brief history of Vancouver and the analyses set forth by various entities to explain the emergence of the city as it is today? As exterior influences continued to define the city of Vancouver, there continued to be an internal

effort to prevent the spread of growth beyond major urban areas. In this parallel effort, the intensification that will result may provide opportunities to create intimate interactions among the public. With this in mind, an important objective of the 2028 Olympics should be to find where those important public centres are and to expand on them through the creation of connections that can evolve over time and continue to advance the city of Vancouver.

WEST VANCOUVER

Urban containment is the goal as various policies such as the 1973 Agricultural Land Reserve, the 1996 Livable Regional Strategic Plan and the 2011 Metro 2040: Shaping Our Future plan were created to limit urban expansion into important natural environments. Intensification is set to accommodate nearly all growth inside the Urban Containment Boundary until 2041. So far the growth patterns of the past two decades have all been within zones of intensification rather than in Greenfield Development zones as can be seen in Figure 07. The generation of nodes of activity is expected through the designation of an additional 17 Municipal Town Centres proposed in Figure 07 as well. The idea of a “polycentric” structure is being incorporated with a balance of jobs and housing in multiple centres which can

NORTH VANCOUVER Burrard Inlet

COQUITLAM

English Bay

PORT MOODY VANCOUVER

BURNABY

Fraser River

Straight of Georgia

MAPLE RIDGE

NEW WESTMINSTER

RICHMOND SURREY

DELTA

Population Gain

LANGLEY

Boundary Bay

Population Loss Municipal Town Centre Urban Town Centre

WHITE ROCK

Figure 07. Population Gain and Loss in Existing Urban Areas of Greater Vancouver, 2001-2011 OVERVIEW

BUILT ENVIRONMENT MATERIALITY

TRANSPORTATION

GREEN SPACE

ZONING AND CITY GUIDELINES

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

MATERIALITY By: Vy Nguyen

Vancouverites have access to gorgeous natural views due to the city’s mountainous and oceanic location. The city’s design culture is centered around its climate and geography. Vancouver’s architectural designs reflect the unique coastal Northwestern region by utilizing local resources such as: wood (Douglas fir and red cedar), stone, brick, and plywood. Glass has had a huge impact on the city and it’s push towards sustainability. Even though it currently has the nickname the City of Glass, Vancouver is attempting to become the Greenest City by 2020.01

Figure 01. City of Glass

utilizes glass as much as possible to create a transparent skyline - giving the city it’s nickname, ‘The City of Glass.’02

ARCHITECTURAL STYLE

CITY OF GLASS

Vancouver’s architectural development stems primarily from Vancouver’s natural geography and rapid growth in the late 20th century. Located on the Burrard Peninsula, Vancouver sits among Burrard Inlet to the north, the Fraser River to the south, and the Strait of Georgia to the west. Fostering intimacy between these inhabitants and surrounding nature is possible because of the region’s temperate climate. The surrounding bodies of water and distant mountains also create exquisite view corridors. To maintain its gorgeous views, Vancouver

In addition to taking advantage of Vancouver’s stunning views, glass has the ability to create smaller living units that feel bigger then they truly are. As glass became a more desirable material, glass technology simultaneously improved and developers discovered it to be a cheap and fast way to build. Glass construction within new concrete towers allowed developers to coordinate with less trades then if they used traditional materials such as brick or steel. Clips allow glass to grasp onto each floor and enclose spaces

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

instantly without window installation. Because of the increase in glass construction, Vancouverites began to ask for more variety and less energy consumption within building construction. Ultimately, building codes had the largest impact on the move away from glass construction. To meet new national and provincial building code requirements, developers began to look at adjusting clear glass percentages over other materials. Among many others, one thing they explored using were multiple shading device options to reduce heat gain and energy consumption for cooling. Vancouver is still considering stricter building standards today, such as requiring all buildings in re-zoned districts to meet a strict LEED Gold standard.02

typically use glass on all sides, even though the impact of the sun is stronger toward the south and west. Architecturally, glass buildings tend to have a more static monotonous style due to their limited range of construction methods and connections. In a dense city, like Vancouver, the repetition becomes quite apparent and visually obstructive. Each building begins to look a lot like the next one. VISION

SUSTAINABLE OLYMPIC FUTURE

To positively influence Vancouver, it is the designers’ responsibility to analyze and configure the use of various materials in order to improve the quality of the built environment. Use of regional materials such as heavy timber and glass will only serve to strengthen Vancouver’s architectural style.

“Successful cities are made up of many different materials,” Gordon Stratford, a panel member, architect and vice-president at HOK, said “If you don’t get those different materials, you don’t get the richness we love about cities.”02

To better combat energy efficiency, the City of Vancouver created an action plan called Greenest City 2020. The action plan won a World Green Building Council (WGBC) Government Leadership Award in 2013 for staying on the leading edge of urban sustainability and having the best overall green building policy. The Greenest City Action Plan is divided into 10 goal areas addressing three overarching areas of focus: zero carbon, zero waste, and healthy ecosystems.03

In order to accomplish their goals for a more sustainable architecture, designers started modifying different materials in building construction to minimize their negative environmental influence. Energy efficiency can be improved by bringing existing buildings up to new, more efficient, standards. Through their green initiatives, Vancouver can achieve material variety and decrease their percentage of monotonous clear glass that plagues the city skyline. The 2028 Olympics could be used as a catalyst for incorporating these various goals.

Despite the benefits glass brings to construction, the public has raised some concerns towards using too much glass as a building material. The main issues with glass are energy inefficiency and design aesthetics. Glass transfers heat and cold more rapidly than other materials, creating high energy consumptions within buildings. Glass towers

With this accomplishment, Vancouver’s community has created a vision to become a more vibrant, diverse and livable environment; enabling balance of the society and economic needs of future generations to come. The Greenest City Action Plan established a clear goal to lead the world in green building design and construction.03

Designing a sustainable Olympic Park and Village would establish a new urban parameter for the society. It would encourage and support environmental concerns and promote green building development simultaneously. Developing an Olympic Park is not only about building venues, but having a positive impact on the area and its surroundings as well.

Figure 02. View Magnitude CONTROVERSY

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

TRANSPORTATION By: Cooper Dahms

The city of Vancouver is a city shaped by transportation. Original roads and streetcars routes remain the foundation of the city’s transportations system. The city prides itself for being walkable and intentionally did not build a freeway that would divide the city. The past twenty-five years of investment in walking, cycling and transit have transformed Vancouver “into one of the world’s most livable cities.”01 Transportation in large part was a success for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics; Vancouver’s transportation network was largely already capable with handling the increase in population without any significant and costly infrastructure changes. The majority of the impact from the Olympics was on the downtown street network; some streets were closed to automobile traffic, pedestrian corridors were created, parking was restricted and a number of Olympic lanes were created. This was a simple, minimal cost system with no lasting impact on the city, which easily returned to the normal downtown street network after the games.02 During the 2010 Olympic Games, Vancouver provided over forty percent more trips into 16

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Figure 01. SkyTrain

downtown daily, but with thirty percent fewer car trips. This meant that trips on foot, bike and transit doubled. The 2010 Olympics inspired Vancouver to continue building on the success of its transportation system.01 The Summer Olympics would require a much greater planning effort. The shear size of the summer games is roughly five times greater than the winter games and consequently would demand a transportation network that operates at a greater capacity.02 In 2010 Vancouver easily met transportation requirements due to the city’s scale in comparison to previous hosts and the world leading quality of the transit system. Among hosts in recent years only Turin and Salt Lake City are larger than Vancouver; on the

other hand, Vancouver would be relatively small in comparison to cities that typically host the Summer Olympics.02 This means that the transportation network required to effectively host the summer games would be much greater than a practical transportation network for the city.02 In other words, the city of Vancouver would have to spend millions of dollars oversizing its transportation network that already works effectively at its current scale. Although Vancouver is pushing a plan to improve its transportation system through the year 2040, for the most part this plan mainly focuses on creating a sustainable system, one that improves the livability of the city.

INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS

“With regard to transport, there is an additional traffic flow of between 1.5 million and 2 million journeys per day. A high capacity road and public transport system is required for the city to be able to cope with the specific demands of the Olympic Games, as traffic loads and public transport needs place additional pressure on everyday metropolitan demands.” - International Olympic Committee03

Improvements were made in Rio in order to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup and more are still underway to host the 2016 Summer Olympic games, but with all the improvements it still falls short of Vancouver’s current capacity. At maximum current capacity YVR could handle twenty-five million passengers a year, which is sufficient for hosting the Summer Olympic games. Even so, YVR is under a continual expansion and improvements that plan to last for at least twenty years, which include increasing the footprint of passenger terminals by fifty percent and adding a fourth runway, shown in

Figure 02. Vancouver continues to push the bar when it comes to air travel when it is already ahead of the curve, which consequently puts YVR ranked among North America’s top ten international airports.02 When considering a city’s general infrastructure the IOC places eighty-five percent of it’s decision on a city’s transportation infrastructure, not including its airport. Furthermore the IOC weighs the magnitude and performance of the existing transportation infrastructure at sixty percent and forty

Many cities use the summer games as an opportunity to make city infrastructure improvements, commonly this includes making improvements to the host city’s international airport as was the case in Athens (which at the time was a major city without an adequate international airport). Impressions can be big motivators for Olympic organizing committee’s, who wish to put their city on display; thereby airport improvements can become a large focus because it is the first impression of the city for most visitors.02 Surprisingly, Vancouver International Airport (YVR) already has a much larger passenger and cargo terminal capacity than Rio de Janeiro will have for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

Figure 02. Vancouver International Airport BUILT ENVIRONMENT

percent is weighted to what is planned and additional general transport infrastructure.03

reach destinations, which greatly decreases the efficiency of roadways. An accident would be particularly detrimental especially at the few and important bridge crossings. Vancouver would also need to consider adding additional road capacity by adding bridges and/or tunnels across the Fraser River to the south and Burrand Inlet to the north.02 Much of these roadway infrastructure moves go against the spirit of Vancouver’s 2040 transportation plan.

With the 2028 Olympics in mind, the sites of proposed venues that are required - existing, new and temporary - already rest in close proximity to existing public transportation, shown in Figure 03. Although, at its current state Vancouver’s transportation infrastructure would be insufficient to support the summer games. Due to intentional and beneficial city planning, Vancouver lacks freeways and high-capacity roads that would allow cars and buses to bypass neighborhoods to

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During the Olympics, Vancouver will need to create “Olympic Lanes” with a similar strategy

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Figure 03. Vancouver Rapid Transit and Venues 18

Currently, Vancouver has put forth a plan for a major overhaul of the primary east to west automobile traffic into the downtown area. Currently automobile traffic entering the city from the east either originates from main street and terminal avenues or prior street. This traffic then either flows into central downtown via the Dunsmire Viaduct and exits downtown via the Georgia Viaduct, or traffic flows into the southern part of downtown along false creek via Quebec Street which splits into Expo Boulevard flowing into downtown and Pacific Boulevard returning from downtown.04 The infrastructure of the Dunsmire and Georgia Viaducts along with the SkyTrain create a division between the False Creek waterfront, and Downtown as well as Gas Town.

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to the 2010 Games, but at a significantly larger scale. Non-vital driving will once again be discouraged like in 2010 and similarly to London’s 2012 Summer Olympic Games. The 2010 Games were marked by the success of reducing road traffic by thirty percent, due in large part to the planning efforts.02

flee

Vancouver hopes to tear down theses viaducts and consolidate them into one two-way Georgia Viaduct that crosses over Expo Boulevard and would end in an intersection with Pacific Boulevard, shown in Figure 04. As a second

phase of this overhaul, Vancouver would like to introduce an east-west arterial road that passes through the northern part of the False Creek Flats, which would provide relief for the traffic load currently carried by Terminal Avenue.04

lvd

Exp

Dunsmuir Viaduct Georgia Viaduct Prior Street

Currently the Canada Line runs at half or less of its maximum capacity of forty trains at peak hours, which would be needed for the Summer Olympics. This would require the purchase of new rolling stock. Furthermore, there would need to be major improvements to stations, primarily creating longer platforms to allow for longer trains. The Canada line carried about 230

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Future Georgia Viaduct False Creek Future E-W Arterial Road Existing Viaducts Pacific Boulevard SkyTrain Figure 04. Vancouver’s Plan for the Viaducts

thousand passengers a day during the winter games which required all 20 trains to be in operation; the Summer Olympics would bring the ridership to about 500 thousand passengers a day. The Millennium and Evergreen lines would also need similar expansions. The SkyTrain would also need to enlarge all stations that will be near venue clusters in order to provide space for ensuing crowds.02 Additionally Vancouver would need to build more SkyTrain routes, specifically an extension to the Millennium or Evergreen line that would continue on from the False Creek Flats area to the University of British Columbia. This would be a highly expensive endeavor, upwards of five billion dollars, that may not be entirely practical

Main Street

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The public transit system is also currently insufficient considering that the probable strategy of locating venues near SkyTrain stations, which visitors will be greatly dependent on. “Transit trips jumped from 38 percent to 51 percent of the overall trips in the city, and walking and biking trips doubled” during the 2010 winter games. “In all, over 60 percent of all trips made during the Olympics were made by walk/bike/cycle, up from 40 percent.” 05 In order to provide sufficient public transportation Vancouver’s SkyTrain will require significant expansions. The primary of which would be the Canada Line, the main north-south line running along the coast that connects Richmond and the airport to downtown.02

Terminal

Avenue

for Vancouver’s current needs. Furthermore, Vancouver would need to add LRT and streetcars, much of which are already planned for by the city. Other transit infrastructure improvements would include: increasing the bus system frequency and routes and expanding the west coast commuter rail to be higher frequency and bidirectional.02 THE 2040 PLAN

Vancouver has developed a long term transportation plan to be fully completed by the year 2040. The idea is that people can live, work and play without having to travel far or with great effort and time, with a mindset of putting pedestrians first and creating public spaces that support vibrant communities and commercial life. BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Figure 05. Proposed SkyTrain Expansion Option

They intend to support progressive ideas like car sharing that leaves more room on streets to allow for the moving of goods and services.01 By the year 2040 Vancouver wants to develop a transit network whose population makes twothirds of its trips on foot, bike, or transit and wants to enjoy a city with an exceptional quality of life with a healthy and growing economy.01

inexpensive pilot projects to test innovative ideas and hopefully embrace new technologies that improve the transportation network; collaborating with regional partners when projects span multiple boundaries; and creating local community involvement.06 These goals should become the same planning goals for incorporating the Summer Olympics into Vancouverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s transit system.

Vancouver has set some guiding principles to its 2040 plan which include: Thinking with big picture in mind in order to give projects that provide multiple benefits priority over others; investing with priority on maximizing benefits; coordinating planned improvements to avoid disruptions and added costs; using

The mayor of Vancouver has put forth a ten year action plan that will develop the transportation network so that it strengthens the economy, improves health and quality of life and protects the environment. The primary intent of the plan is to reduce traffic congestion by at least twenty percent, which could save drivers twenty

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

to thirty minutes commuting daily. Much of this will be done by providing better alternatives to driving like higher frequency and new bus routes and an expanded rail system. The ten year action plan also emphasizes on increasing the safety and viability of walking and cycling.07 The plan targets a few main goals that could impact transportation in regards to the Olympics: Adding eleven new B-Line bus routes that provide fast and frequent transit all day (in total 200 km of new routes with 159 new buses, shown in Figure 06).07 which would greatly improve the connectivity of Vancouver in light of the Summer Olympics. Secondly, building the Broadway Subway would extend the Millennium line to Arbutus Street, shown in

figure 05.07 This is perhaps the most promising proposition in regards to the Olympics because the Broadway Subway project would provide a direct connection from the University of British Columbia to False Creek Flats. This is a primary infrastructure improvement that the summer Olympics could demand, as mentioned above, and would probably be the most ambitious and expensive part of transportation improvements. The summer games could become a driving motivator in bringing planned city improvements earlier than anticipated. SITE STRATEGIES

The site planning strategy of an Olympic Park in the False Creek Flats should focus on extending the transportation legacy Vancouver is already pursuing. A successfully Olympic transportation network can be achieved by weaving the transportation plan of the site seamlessly into the long term transportation plan of the city. The city and the new Olympic development should not act independently of each other, but rather be unrecognizable as separate entities. Vancouver takes a great amount of pride in the success of its transportation system and the 2028 Olympic Games can improve the results it originally aimed for. Even though the city is growing in population and business, the amount of trips into the city by car have been dropping and continue to drop significantly. The planning

for the 2028 Games should continue with this goal in mind.

Secondly the northern part of the Park should incorporate Vancouver’s plan for the Viaducts and a future east-west arterial road.

The Olympic Park master plan should strategically incorporate the current transportation plans that Vancouver has proposed in order to continue the city’s vision and create an Olympic Park that is woven seamlessly into the cities growth. The first major strategy to consider will be to determine a long term benefit for the future Olympic Park, specifically the future SkyTrain connection from False Creek Flats to UBC where a number of Olympic venues will be located.

The planning of an Olympic Park in regards to transportation could find precedent in the 2012 London games which were self proclaimed “The Regeneration Games”. The site for the 2012 Olympic games was an industrial wasteland in the blighted East London, that was poorly connected to the rest of London. London used the games as a chance to focus on using the Olympics as a regenerative opportunity rather

New Routes Figure 06. Future B-Line Routes BUILT ENVIRONMENT

than a chance to show itself off. The primary emphasis was on leaving a positive legacy, by building reusable and alterable buildings and reconnecting a poorly and underdeveloped part of the city. The site of the Regeneration Games, although almost twice as large as the False Creek Flats focuses on providing a pedestrian friendly experience.08 A major focus in False Creek Flats as the 2028 Olympic Park will revolve around how spectators enter the Park. Therefore the master plan should carefully consider the connection between downtown and the False Creek Flats, especially because the majority of spectators will be staying in Downtown. Pacific Central Station, Vancouverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s regional train station will also be a key point of entry for regional travelers considering how busy air travel will be. The station has trains arriving from all around the Pacific Coast region, including Seattle; its range also extends to Calgary and Toronto. Attached to Pacific Central Station as a southeast wing is the cities central regional bus terminal, that provides transportation throughout the region similar to the railroads. Also in close proximity to the station is a SkyTrain station and a primary bus stop. Therefore, the importance of Pacific Central Station should be clearly reflected in the master plan as a key entry point into the city and the Olympic Park. 22

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Like the London games, the False Creek Flats Olympic Park strategy should emphasize efficient, and effective transportation systems. Namely, it should focus on public transit, as well as pedestrians and cyclists. This process should involve designs that consider the pedestrian scale and integrate public transit rather than the automobile, which should not be difficult considering the site already has a sparse number of streets. Furthermore, the site planning should put an emphasis on connecting to the existing and already planned transportation network in order to leave a lasting legacy that benefits the city.

SkyTrain Regional Rail B-Line Buse Bus Line Bikeways Figure 08. Transportation in Proximity to the False Creek Flats.

Figure 09. Dunsmuir Seperated Bike Path

5 km

The seawall refers to the 22km (13.7 miles) walking, jogging, cycling and inline skating path that lines Vancouver's waterfront from the Convention Centre on Burrard Inlet (Coal Harbour), around Stanley Park and False Creek, past Granville Island and ending at Kitsilano Beach Park.

Burrard Inlet

Coal Harbour

Second Beach

2006

0 km km

English Bay

1950 Two portions of the seawall, Bicycle lane of the seawall is Stanley Park & English Bay are renewed designated one-way

1917 Construction of the seawall begins in Stanley Park

English Bay Park Sunset Beach Park

d ar

St St

1930

lle

1910

2.2 km

8.8 km

A devastating windstorm levels 41 ha of forest, causing extensive damage to the Seawall

TIMELINE

Stanley Park

The entire seawall loop around Stanley Park is declared officially completed

Master stonemason James Cunningham, who supervised the project, dies

North Vancouver Lions Gate Bridge

The Seawall Map & Timeline

This plan also includes the planting 150,000 new trees by this time. Vancouver currently has many trees on private land (Figure 03) and is looking to expand the number of trees on public property. Measuring the health of trees in a city is often measured not just through the number of trees but canopy cover as well. Creating a healthy urban canopy is a high priority for the city of Vancouver. To

Construction of the seawall around the park is finished

David Lam Park

Vanier Park Kitsilano Beach

11 km

Bicycle routes extend through Pacific Spirit Regional Park and beyond

University of British Columbia

The bicycle route extends beyond Kitsilano Beach Park

W 4th Ave

Broadway

Granville Island

W 6th Ave

Cambie St

Jericho Park

Granville St

Vancouver has an abundant park system currently in place. The city is looking to expand this system to become more integral in the lives of the residents of the city. Vancouver already has many parks with the infrastructure of the city. The city has over 220 parks which makes up 11% of Vancouverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s land mass. Besides traditional parks, Vancouver also has a rich connection to the sea as well as various fresh water lakes. The city is attempting to expand connection to the waterfront as well as refurbish the existing waterfront areas. Both Stanley Park (the largest park in Vancouver) and False Creek are encircled by the seawall (Figure 01). The construction of the seawall began in Stanley Park in 1917 and was finished in 1980 and since has expanded from that area outward. The 28 kilometer greenway connects much of Vancouver to the ocean and is a great path for cycling, jogging, and walking. It forms a major connection for all of Vancouver and will be a great asset to our site in the False Creek Flats. Vancouver is targeting greenways such as the seawall and they are hoping to expand these in their 2020 plan. Our master plan can help push the 2020 initiative by continuing it through 2028 and beyond to 2050.

Vancouver has put in place a plan to have a green space within a five minute walk of all residents by 2020. 92% of residents currently fulfill this requirement as seen in Figure 02. Green spaces are defined as parks, fields, greenways, the seawall, street mini-parks, natural green spaces, and park like spaces such as grounds around institutional spaces. The parks that still need to be developed will be developed with high input from the community to focus on what they need in those areas. This is an important aspect to

Burrard St

By: John Bagarozy

ACCESS TO NATURE

Alma St

GREEN SPACE

consider for any green spaces designed for the Olympic village as it will help determine their purpose after the games.01

W 2nd Ave

Charleson Park

Figure 01. Map of the Seawall in Vancouver BUILT ENVIRONMENT

p 160k

TRE

140k

STR TRE

36%

30%

TRE

120k

100k

80k

60k

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TO PUBLIC CE WITHIN 400M

20k

30%

PUBLIC CE WITHIN 400M

0k 2010

EN SPACE NO ACCESS TO PUBLIC GREEN SPACE WITHIN 400M

2012

2014

2016

2018

2020

TREES ON PRIVATE LAND: 54,000 (36%) STREET TREES: 45,000 (30%)

Private Property Trees

Total New Trees Planted

ACCESS TO PUBLIC GREEN SPACE WITHIN 400M

TREES IN PARKS: 45,000 (30%)

Park and Public Trees

PUBLIC GREEN SPACE

TREES ON OTHER PUBLIC LAND: 6,000 (4%)

Street Trees

Total New Trees Planted (Projected) 2020 Target

Figure 02. Current Green Space

Figure 03. Tree Breakdown

Figure 04. Updated Projections

achieve this two neighborhoods will be chosen every year, starting with the most tree/park deficient, to work on. Vancouver currently lacks an urban forest as most of the trees are not located along the streets of the city. Vancouver can increase their urban forest by using this tree planting initiative and can compete with the larger cities such as New York and Los Angeles. This process will require the creation of not only traditional parks but new, innovative ways to incorporate green space. Vancouver also wants to implement new, welcoming street fronts and planting trees can help with this. Vancouverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s park board is also trying to provide opportunities for food production in the park system, as many residents within Vancouver are requesting

for this type of implementation. This plan has many organizations backing it, including Green Economy, Climate Leadership, Green Transportation, Lighter Footprint, Clean Air, and Local Food. Figure 04 shows an updated projection for tree planting in Vancouver. A large increase is still expected for trees on private land and in public parks. Although the projection is not as highly focused on street trees, our master plan can most help accomplish this part of the plan. By carefully examining the design of the street, our master plan can easily incorporate the necessary amount of trees. Our focus in the later stages of the master plan should be on providing trees in the new park spaces we design and also incorporate it into the specific design of

building projects such as the major venues and any other key design pieces.02

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

One key piece of information that will help Vancouver is the understanding of the maintenance of the current tree canopy. Vancouver is currently planning to add policies to help ensure that their trees will stay healthy. This includes updating the way Vancouver keeps tabs on their trees. Vancouver will improve VanTree, which it currently uses to categorize trees, to a more advanced system that will help increase the flow of the process. Even though these seem like small changes, Vancouver needs to keep updates like this so they can get a variety of plants and trees in the city as well as keep track of the maintenance

for the trees they will have and will be planting in the future. The Master Plan design for the False Creek Flats should incorporate these elements and should also take into account the major parks that are being planned for the greater Vancouver. The city is planning to acquire land along Yukon streetand 17th, Cambie street and Fraser River, and the redevelopment of East Fraserlands. These parks will adhere to Vancouver’s current parks and the False Creek Flats should follow their lead because of the importance these parks will have to the neighborhoods surrounding the area.02

PARK LOCATIONS

Vancouver’s 220 parks are dispersed fairly well throughout the city and can be easily located through their parks and recreation system. They not only list where all the parks of Vancouver are located but they also list the amenities of each park. This helps organize the parks not just by neighborhood location but also tell the residents of the city what they can do in each park with amenities ranging from playgrounds, skate parks, dog parks, and recreational parks.03

There are eleven main parks surrounding the False Creek Flats area, each with its own unique atmosphere and amenities. Many of these parks have existed since the 1930’s and 1940’s and have been renovated frequently throughout the years. As they have existed for a long time, many of these parks have been a part of the history of Vancouver, providing entries to many historic buildings and forming great connections to various neighborhoods. The map in Figure 5 shows where each of these parks are located in relation to the False Creek Flats site and a brief description of each park is provided SUN YAT-SEN GARDENS AND PARK

SUN YAT-SEN GARDENS AND PARK

ANDY LIVINGSTONE PARK

MACLEAN PARK

ANDY LIVINGSTONE PARK

MACLEAN PARK

STRATHCONA LINEAR PARK

STRATHCONA LINEAR PARK STRATHCONA PARK

STRATHCONA PARK

TRILLIUM PARK CREEKSIDE PARK

THORNTON PARK

TRILLIUM PARK

COOPER’S PARK

THORNTON PARK

HINGE PARK

CREEKSIDEPARK COOPER’S PARK HINGE PARK CHINA CREEK NORTH PARK

CHINA CREEK NORTH PARK

Figure 05. False Creek Flast Park Locations BUILT ENVIRONMENT

of play equipment, a story circle, a bridge constructed from a sewer pipe, and a water pump with metal tunnels. It has a fenced area for dogs to be off their leashes in the northwest of the park. Docks are spread sporadically along the waterfront of the park. The park was created as part of the construction for the 2010 olympics.03 ANDY LIVINGSTONE PARK

Figure 06. Andy Livingstone Park

to give a basic understandings of its history and the amenities it provides for the neighborhood it is located in.03 COOPER’S PARK

This park connects to the seawall surrounding Vancouver. It contains plenty of open lawn as well as a playground and skate park. It has an excellent view of the downtown area. This site was home to Sweeney Cooperage and Sawmill until 1981 when construction for B.C. Place and the new Cambie Street Bridge began.03

Officially opening in 1995, this park serves as a great escape from the busy city around it. It contains many great scenic areas with curving trails and views from the high point of the park as well as a stream that leads to a formal seating area and pond. The plant life of the park is beautiful and leads to a waterfall (figure 06). It’s most popular feature is a double artificial turf field which accommodates a wide variety of sports.03

as well as festivals. It contains many benches and grass berms for relaxing and enjoying views of downtown Vancouver and has a strong waterfront presence.03 THORNTON PARK

This park serves as the entry to the historic Canadian National Railway Station. It is home to the Women’s Monument, a memorial to female victims of violence. Other than the monument, Thornton Park consists of a large greenspace with trees sporadically throughout. Thornton park was established in 1923. The park was completely refurbished in 2003.03 TRILLIUM PARK

This park and gardens is located in the heart of Chinatown. It features a waterlily-covered pond, a pagoda, lush plantings, and unique rock forms. The park is an extension of the classical Chinese garden. It evokes a feeling of peace and tranquility in the busy Chinatown area.03

Trillium park serves as a recreational facility. It has two field hockey fields, two soccer fields, and an ultimate frisbee field. It also has a playground, amphitheater, rain garden, community plaza, and a multi-use shelter and benches. It is used for many neighborhood events and is used in environmental education for children. The site was converted into park in the 1990’s and underwent remediation prior to new construction in 2009. The northern portion of the park finished completion in 2014.03

CREEKSIDE PARK

MACLEAN PARK

This park serves as an entry to Science World and is a popular area for events in the summer

This park reflects the atmosphere of the neighborhood it is connected to. It contains a

SUN YAT-SEN GARDENS AND PARK

HINGE PARK

Hinge park contains a play park for children, benches, grass and picnic areas as well as a rainwater wetland. The children’s area consists 26

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

spray park water feature, a playground and a softball field. It is characterized by the sweetgum trees that line the park and serves as the main green space for the surrounding neighborhoods.03

Mountains and the southeast area of False Creek Flats. It was turned over to the park board in 1922 and once contained an indoor bicycle track that was used for the 1954 Empire Games. The track was eventually demolished in the 1970’s.03

STRATHCONA LINEAR PARK

Consisting of weaving paths that incorporate various plantings, seating spaces, and a playground, Strathcona linear park serves as a link to Strathcona park and Maclean park. It stems off of the community gardens of Strathcona park. The park was formed in 1976.03 STRATHCONA PARK

Originally known as False Creek Park, this site was originally the city dump until it was closed in 1939. Major renovations took place in 1947, adding drainage, trees, and shrubs. This park contains a variety of amenities including sports fields, community gardens, and a skate park and climbing wall that were added during restorations in 2004. It also has various recreational facilities, including a baseball field, two softball fields, basketball court, four soccer fields, four tennis courts, a track, and an area for dogs to roam freely.03 CHINA CREEK NORTH PARK

This park is a large open space with jogging trails and several softball and soccer fields. The high point of the park gives views to the North Shore

These park surrounding the False Creek Flats area help balance the green space in the area and help push the city closer to their five minute walk initiative. Although keeping these parks would be best for the city, it does not mean leaving them in their current condition. Many of these parks have been revamped in the past 10 to 15 years but come 2028 may need further enhancement. The Olympics can become the catalyst for updating these parks and propelling them into the types of green space that the city of Vancouver is looking for. Bringing back the history of parks such as China Creek North Park could help add amenities to these green spaces, as a few of them still do not contain much beyond open green space. Vancouver wants these green spaces to become destinations within the city and the Olympic Park is the perfect reason to set this plan in motion. CONCLUSION

Many of these parks have been upgraded in the past several years and the trend of these upgrades shows the parks and recreation system had the greenest city 2020 plan in mind. The amenities

added to these parks have been community driven and have added great connections to each neighborhood. Each park description proves that careful consideration has been put into the plant life of each park and although many more trees need to be planted by 2020 the parks have a good start at this. Where the planting of new trees will be most important is along the urban streets of Vancouver as the city is sorely lacking in what they call the “urban forest”. This does not mean the major park designs should be forgotten though. The tree canopy of these parks will be integral in advancing the 2020 goal beyond, not just into 2028 but for our 2050 master plan as well. In designing a master plan for an Olympic village in Vancouver we must take into account these glaring issues with the streetscape and use our designs to push Vancouver’s initiative. This can also be used as an opportunity to revamped some of the parks that have not had any recent renovations. Several of the parks in the False Creek Flats have facilities, that with some renovating, could be turned into training facilities for the Olympic athletes. The design of these parks can help Vancouver move closer to their plan of being one of the greenest cities. Even if some of these parks are taken out for the good of the overall design, the new parks should maintain the character of Vancouver. BUILT ENVIRONMENT

(358)

Figure 01. City of Vancouver Zoning Map for False Creek Flats

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ZONING AND CITY GUIDELINES By: Alex Kuchinskas & Will Dubois

The City of Vancouver is composed of a multitude of zoning districts. This section will focus on the districts which lie in proximity to False Creek Flats. The map pictured above is a snapshot of the current zoning conditions for the surrounding site as of October 28th, 2014. The majority of our site is currently zoned as either Light Industrial Districts (I-2, I-3), Commercial Districts (FC-1), or Comprehensive Development Districts (CD-1). Surrounding districts include Two-Family dwelling districts (RM-4) and the BC-Place Expo Development District (BCPED).01

LIGHT INDUSTRIAL DISTRICTS (I-2, I-3)

The intent of these districts is to permit various forms of industrial operations and other businesses that are generally incompatible with residential land use. These districts are beneficial in that they provide industrial and service employment opportunities and serve both a useful and necessary function in the city. Examples of existing light industrial buildings currently in False Creek Flats include multiple car dealerships, mechanic repair shops, a biological research company, and a vending machine manufacturer.01

individual by-laws for the city of Vancouver. These by-laws make various alterations to what is and isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t allowed to be constructed on a specific plot of land. These forms of development are approved by the Vancouver District and City Council on a case by case basis. Examples of by-laws which exist on our site are: CD-1 (402) and CD-1 (488) which allow for the development of Recreational Facilities (casinos, golf courses, marinas, stadiums, arenas, and/or zoo or botanical gardens), High-Tech and Light Industrial uses, Institutional uses (Universities or Colleges), Office, Parking, Retail or Service Uses (Animal clinic, Auction Hall, Bed and Breakfast).01

COMMERCIAL DISTRICT (FC-1)

BCPED

The intent of this district is to permit and encourage the development of a high density mixed commercial use neighborhood, including residential and compatible industrial uses. A variety of small-scale retail and service uses are encouraged for commercial development. Larger office and retail commercial uses should be limited in size and extent for individual sites. Existing FC-1 buildings include the Pacific Central Station, and Aboriginal Friendship Centre. 01

The intent of this district and its two accompanying official development plans (False Creek North and Southeast Granville Slopes) is to achieve a high standard of design and development within a number of residential neighborhoods, parks, public facilities and commercial areas on the north side of False Creek.01 BC Place and Rogerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Arena (two major arenas in downtown Vancouver) are both within this district. This zone is similar to the type of district an Olympic master plan would require.

COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT (CD-1)

MIXED HOUSING DISTRICTS (RT-3, RM-4)

A separate by-law exists for each area zoned as CD-1. As of September 15, 2015 there are 625

The intent of this district is to encourage the retention of neighborhood and street-scape

character, particularly through the renovation and restoration of existing historical buildings. Emphasis is placed on the external design of additions to existing buildings and new buildings to encourage the preservation of the historic architectural character of the area. 01 REZONING RECOMMENDATIONS

In order for an Olympic Master Plan to work within the False Creek Flats an extensive rezoning effort will need to be made. We recommend a new long term comprehensive development district be created. The creation of the Olympic Entertainment District would represent a turning point for the False Creek Flats. A long term plan to revitalize the flats into a highly designed, highly densified, mixed use community with emphasis on sustainability and social interaction. No longer will the Flats be a blank page in the minds of Vancouverites but rather a beacon of entertainment and city life. To better accommodate the aforementioned district, special consideration should be given towards how the Olympic venues are incorporated into the site so they may be repurposed or scaled down to better suit the new community. The end result will be an Olympic master plan which positively impacts the host city for generations to come. BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Taller buildings oriented parallel to the major street directions

Consistency of building orientation to street Street wall continuity maximized Similar related building forms

Street wall continuity created by maximum amount of building face at setback line

Lack of consistent orientation to buildings

Different unrelated building forms

Tower forms not oriented to prevailing street pattern Excessive entry courtyard setbacks

Required setback zones

Figure 02. Building Street Edge

Figure 03. Urban Web

Figure 04. Building Throughfares

DESIGN GUIDELINES

STREET EDGE

The following diagrams were developed by the City of Vancouver as a part of the Official Area Development Plan for False Creek Flats. The information within this section was gathered from the document titled â&#x20AC;&#x153;False Creek Official Land Area Development Planâ&#x20AC;? published by the City of Vancouver and adopted by By-law No. 4812, on November 5th 1974.02 These diagrams should serve as a guideline for making design decisions related to various issues which may arise during the planning process. These guidelines are open to each designers personal interpretation of their meaning and integration into the overall design.

Vancouver has determined that preserving the street edge is vital to having a walkable city. Figure 02 is an example of what to do as well as what not to do. The street edge should be well defined by having as much of the building face touching the setback line. This also implies that buildings should follow existing E-W orientations.02

on a typical street grid. Notice that some of these pedestrian pathways cut through blocks and buildings, this idea stems from Figure 04 which shows how we should consider placing natural throughfares through public spaces. These throughfares not only create more efficient circulation paths, they also provide pedestrians with moments of involvement.02

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

PEDESTRIAN PATHWAYS URBAN WEB / BUILDING THROUGHFARES

While the street grid determines the path a vehicle might take, the pedestrian pathway is encouraged to deviate from this grid. The solid black amorphic network in Figure 03 depicts how these pathways might look when overlayed

In addition to creating throughfares at the building edge, Vancouver has recommended that all pedestrian circulation paths should be expanding loops which circle back towards their beginning as pictured in Figure 05. In other words, pedestrian paths should not have

Figure 05. Pedestrian Pathways

Figure 06. Public Transportation Infrastructure

any dead ends. It is also recommended that pedestrian pathways should be separated from vehicular traffic whenever possible.02

BRIDGING OVER ROADS

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE

The infrastructure that presently exists for public transportation should be given priority when planning new developments. Figure 06 shows how new neighborhoods should conform to an existing transit line.02 This design guideline is of particular importance to our site considering the several different modes of transportation bisect our site. It is apparent that a master plan which can integrate the existing transportation network the most appropriately will have long term success.

Figure 07. Bridging Over Roads

THIS

To increase the walkability of Vancouver, it is recommended that developers reroute major traffic arteries around communities (Figure 07). By putting the needs of the pedestrian over the needs of the vehicle Vancouver can decrease the dependency residents have on vehicular traffic. In areas where this is not possible, bridge the area over the road and reduce the exposed roadway to a minimum.02 STOREFRONT DIVERSITY

In order to have a variety of amenities along a building street edge, do not allow large scale commercial facilities to take over frontages larger than one and one-half times their neighbors as

NOT THIS Figure 08. Storefront Diversity BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Figure 09. Streetlife Activity

Figure 10. View to Nature

Figure 11. Human Scale

seen in Figure 08. This not only ensures that all pedestrians will have something to spark their interest, it also strengthens the economic stability of all businesses on the block.02

streets with slopes in excess of 30 degrees.02

â&#x20AC;&#x153;constantâ&#x20AC;? such as the sea or the mountains.02

VIEW TO NATURE

HUMAN SCALE

Vancouvorites have a deep desire to be connected to nature, whether it be the mountains, or the water. This desire for nature suggests that all residential dwelling units located above the ground floor should provide some form of an outdoor balcony with views to nature as well as a place to grow their own plants as pictured in Figure 10. Additionally, every dwelling unit should have access to three different kinds of views; an intimate view containing nature just outside the unit, a neighborhood glimpse into the life of the surrounding community and a vista that encompasses distant natural elements that remain

Buildings taller than two stories should have the lower levels articulated with canopies, signage and other means of visual interest. The ground level should have trees and other types of vegetation in order to create a welcoming street scape as seen in Figure 11.02

STREETLIFE ACTIVITY

Figure 09 depicts the two types of streets one might encounter while walking throughout Vancouver. Streets which are relatively flat and level should allow for browsing and seating perhaps through the use of outdoor cafes or shops. Streets which have an incline to them should encourage movement. The degree to which browsing is encouraged is in direct proportion to its slope, with 100 percent browsing on level streets and zero activity on 32

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

WATERFRONT SUNLIGHT

In order to maintain a walkable waterfront, ensure that tall buildings do not cast long shadows on the walkway and that at least twothirds of the waterfront walkway can receive direct mid-winter sunshine. At frequent intervals

along the walk, create sunny pockets of varying size where people may linger in the sunshine and overlook the water.02 VIEW CORRIDORS

Vancouver takes its natural resources and their conservation very seriously. A lesser known but important resource of the city is its spectacular view of the North Shore mountains. In efforts to preserve these views from obstruction the local city government has created a series of Higher Building policies and View Corridors to which are seen “not only as essential to the public enjoyment but also to ensure that new development is economically viable and marketable”.03 By creating areas where “Higher Buildings” (buildings around 500 to 600 feet) are permitted and regulated the city is able to both ensure the mountains are unobstructed and the desired architectural quality is achieved. This concentration of buildings in the downtown district helps create a cohesive skyline that works with its natural surroundings rather than competing with them. The Higher Building General Policy is not only concerned with building height but the quality of the design and its impact on the city as a whole. While it is impossible to remove all subjectivity with a design quality bench

mark, the policy is clear in its aims when it states “All Higher Buildings must establish a significant and recognizable new benchmark for architectural creativity and excellence, while making a significant contribution to the beauty and visual power of the city’s skyline.”04 A mix of guidelines and empirically enforceable policies such as height restrictions and protection of historically graded buildings has ensured that new Vancouver development is a viable boon, not just on the micro level for the developer but also the macro level of the entire city. Vancouver has set up its view corridors (also referred to review cones in some documents) as a series of radiating cones from a view origin point extending out to a distant focal point (Figure 12). There are two main types of views: framed and panoramic. Unlike cities such as San Francisco that have a height restriction or floor area ratio, Vancouver’s plan allows for flexibility to create tall buildings in a way that accentuates the view. Before adopting its current view corridor strategy, Vancouver had been judging tall building applications on a case by case basis. This was determined to be unsatisfactory and Architects were brought in to evaluate and designate the most important views. After public dialogue the current strategy was adopted in 1989. The view corridor restrictions and guidelines have not gone unchanged however,

and there have been several updates and modifications as necessary, the latest coming in the Spring of 2014. At first glance, view corridors may appear to be a minor code issue, but it is an important tool that is at the heart of shaping the city’s identity. With the oldest buildings in the city hardly over one hundred years old, it is not as easy to look to the past for a cohesive architectural identity. The dominant feature of the city instead then is its North Shore mountains. Vancouver has long been a hotbed for environmentalists and activists

Figure 12. View Corridors in the False Creek Area BUILT ENVIRONMENT

so it is unsurprising that natural features such as the mountains takes such a prominent role in city planning and development. The Olympics are more than sport- they are supposed to embody the human spirit and take on the character of the city that hosts them. This often means finding and elevating the symbols of the host city. In Vancouver’s case the obvious choice is the splendid natural setting. Thanks to the view corridors and similar policies, the mountains and water can be enjoyed deep inside the city. Just as any new development is

required to take the view corridor restrictions into consideration, plans for Olympic venues should as well. This isn’t just important from a legal perspective; maximizing the effect of the view corridors can enhance the symbols of the city and enhance the visitor’s experience both during and after the Olympics. VIEW CORRIDOR G1

The G1 view corridor (Figure 13) is an excellent example of how Vancouver sets its view corridor policy. It is broken up into two components to allow a better defined view corridor by placing

G1.1

Figure 13. View Corridor G1 34

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

the focus point at a more accurate height for the different mountains. One side (right of G1.2) is already bordered by a recently constructed high rise building, creating a strong visual edge. VIEW CORRIDOR H1

Grouse Mountain is one of the more important peaks among the North Shore range. Being among the taller mountains, it is a focal point of tourist activity. In addition to a ski resort it is home to Eye of the Wind, “the world’s first and only wind turbine that allows you to stand in a clear glass view POD at the top of

G1.2

Figure 14. View Corridor H1

the tower”. Not just a tourist attraction, this landmark is uniquely Vancouver, combining natural views with a high tech renewable energy resource. H1 (Figure 14) is one of the newer view corridors that was adopted in 2010. It is set up so its reference point is approximately a kilometer away and 40 meters high. The Olympic Village Plaza is a natural choice for an origin point. Described as, “a node of global celebration and is a lasting legacy from the 2010 Winter Olympics”. It is located along the waterfront and its open plaza affords excellent views out towards the North Shore mountains as well as downtown. The location of the view corridor also gives the viewer some

historic context due to the, “heights of the historic area and a view of the gantry cranes which are a visible reminder of Vancouver’s economically and historically important port function.” This corridor was adopted as part of a 2009 effort to review the current status of the view corridors so that they could be strengthened and ensure they were protecting views while allowing businesses to thrive. The review highlights how Vancouver has been so effective in its continued implementation and enforcement of view corridors. Several methods were taken to update the standards, including increasing view corridors in some areas and allowing for taller buildings in others.

The importance of the mountains and water is apparent when looking at the view corridor map. Nearly all the view corridors are on or near the waters edge, and they all spread roughly northwards, towards the North Shore Mountains. The False Creek area has several view corridors along its southern border. Inside the new Olympic Site there is a lack of corridors. This is likely due to the industrial nature of the location, and lack of waterfront property from which to preserve a view. However, with the introduction of large, tall Olympic buildings and residential units, it would be wise to plan for the future views out towards the mountains to preserve the views from the western side of False Creek. While currently the view corridors exist only to preserve natural features it might be wise to create new view corridors to protect Vancouver’s built amenities. The large and highly designed nature of the new Olympic facilities lends themselves to dramatic views from various points in the city. While BC Place enjoys views that are all but sure to be protected due to the natural view corridors and body of water in front of it, not all of the new Olympic facilities enjoy these guarantees. As the area around them densifies horizontally and vertically, new view corridors could enhance the 2028 Olympic’s legacy. BUILT ENVIRONMENT

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT WIND AND SOLAR

ECOSYSTEM

WATER DRAINAGE

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

WIND AND SOLAR By: Nathan Long

Vancouver, British Columbia is located within Zone 8 of the 11 climate zones laid out by ASHRAE, putting it in the same zone as other coastal cities such as Seattle, London, and Amsterdam (Figure 02)01. Tempered by the North Pacific Current, the city experiences moderate average temperatures year-round without extreme temperature variations between seasons. Vancouver is characterized by warm, dry summers, while the rest of the year is relatively rainy, with precipitation peaking in the winter months. (Figure 01). It is on average the warmest major city in Canada by a considerable margin, making it an ideal host for the Summer Olympics.02 Together with its natural landscape, Vancouver’s unique climate has been a point of identity for the city. Vancouver’s intimate relationship with its natural environment has long been a catalyst for the city, but recently there has been a renewed interest in the city’s impact on and utilization of the natural environment. The design of a master plan in False Creek Flats will have to adhere to the sustainable ideology that has been adopted by the city. 38

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

Figure 01. Vancouver Monthly Temperature and Precipitation

Figure 02. ASHRAE Climate Zone Map

WARM, DRY SUMMERS

Summers in Vancouver are moderately warm, often experiencing long periods of little to no precipitation. The average high temperature in the summer is 69.6°F, while the average low temperature is 54°F. Historically, July is the warmest month, with average high and low temperatures at 72°F and 56.7°F, respectively. This also corresponds to a peak in sun-hours. Because of Vancouver’s relatively high latitude (49° 15’ 0’’ N) it receives an abundance of sunshine during the summer months, with

less than 7.5 hours between sunset and sunrise around the summer solstice. July and August are the driest months by far, with monthly average rainfall only around 1.4 in. (Figure 03).03 Parks and open space should be designed for yearround use, but the Summer Olympics will be a time to showcase to the rest of the world Vancouver’s natural environment at its best. COOL WET WINTERS

The warm, dry weather that Vancouver experiences in the summer months is inverted during the winter. Nevertheless, winters in

Vancouver are considerably warmer than in other Canadian cities, with average highs of 43.9°F and average overnight lows of 33.4°F (Figure 03). While Vancouver has a long rainy season stretching from October to April, precipitation spikes from November to January, with nearly 20 rainy days in December and January. Although precipitation peaks during the winter months, this does not often translate to heavy amounts of snowfall because of the average low temperature hovering just above freezing.03 SOLAR ENERGY POTENTIAL

Despite its high altitude and often cloudy skies, Vancouver still has the potential to utilize a high amount of solar energy. Potential solar energy was mapped out by the Community Energy Explorer for metropolitan Vancouver. According to their research, pockets of high potential solar energy exist all over the city, focusing around rivers and other bodies of water. Our site next to False Creek in particular has a high amount of potential solar energy in the form of irradiation.04

Figure 03. Vancouver Monthly Sun-hours and Rainy Days

The sporadic distribution of potential solar energy is likely due to micro-climates that are regulated by the nearby bodies of water (Figure 04). What this ultimately means for our master plan design is the way we lay out streets and NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

buildings should take advantage of the high amount of solar exposure that our site receives on a yearly basis. Solar energy can be utilized in a variety of ways such as collecting solar energy with photo-voltaic panels, passive solar heating, or simply using daylighting to offset electricity use. Harnessing the power of the sun will be an integral part of designing an environmentally responsive and sustainable Olympic Park. WIND ANALYSIS Figure 04. Community Energy Explorer - Potential Solar Energy Map for the Region

Figure 05. Potential Solar Energy - False Creek Flats 40

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

While average wind speed in Vancouver is relatively stable from month to month, the prevailing direction does undergo some dramatic seasonal shifts. The winter months are dominated by cool breezes from the east. During the summer months the wind direction is more evenly distributed, with off-shore winds from the west contributing to the moderate summer temperatures (Figure 07). When laying out the master plan on a large scale, consideration should be taken to avoid creating wind tunnels caused by the prevailing east-west wind directions. Wind patterns can be taken advantage of to utilize passive heating and cooling techniques. Operable openings on the east and west facades can be implemented to allow for cross ventilation. For exterior spaces where use is desired year-round, it will be imperative to make sure the cooling winds from the east are considered.

THE GREENEST CITY IN THE WORLD

Year

The Vancouver City Council has adopted the bold strategy to make Vancouver the “greenest city in the world” by 2020. Vancouver has outlined in the Greenest City Action Plan several methods for decreasing the cities impact on the environment. On March 23, 2015, the council voted unanimously to adopt a shift toward the city deriving 100% of its energy from renewable sources, including energy for transportation and buildings. A main step towards meeting this lofty goal

Figure 06. Vancouver Yearly Wind Rose

March

June

September

December

Figure 07. Vancouver Monthly Wind Roses

Figure 08. Vancouver 2012 GHG Emission Sources

is prioritizing the construction of carbonneutral buildings, an increase in density, and a reduction in automobile use. Since buildings account for over 50% of greenhouse gas emissions there is immense potential for reducing the city’s carbon footprint through sustainable building design (Figure 08). The city has already spurred green building design by promoting LEED certification and Passive House design approaches for the construction of new buildings. It will be essential that we design buildings in our master plan to meet the criteria in Vancouver’s Greenest City Action Plan. The Greenest City Action Plan extends beyond just the construction industry, calling for green transportation networks that encourage residents to opt for public transit, biking, or walking over automobile use. The plan mentions that “six out of 10 metro Vancouver residents who currently drive have said they would shift to public transportation if they had the level of service provided during the 2010 Winter Olympics.”05 Densifying the False Creek Flats alone will not mitigate carbon emissions. Access to public transportation as well as to parks and other amenities will be paramount for designing efficient, walkable urban neighborhoods and will be critical aspects of a successful Olympic Park design. NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN PRACTICES

Vancouver’s attempts to mitigate its impact on the environment include many tangible guidelines for how buildings can be designed to be more environmentally sensitive. According to the Passive Building Guidelines provided by the City of Vancouver, structures should be compact, efficient, and oriented with a high amount of glazing on the southern facade to take advantage of daylighting (Figure 09). Trees or wide overhangs can provide shade during the summer, while allowing for necessary heat gain during the winter. Thermal mass and a high amount of insulation should be used to prevent heat loss. Buildings should be arranged with consideration as to how they will shade exterior spaces. Spaces that are intended for year-round use should not be located on the north side of large or tall structures.06 To take advantage of the nearly constant average monthly wind speed in Vancouver, operable components should be used to open the building to prevailing winds. Operable windows on the east and west facades will be particularly important for cross ventilation. For taller structures, operable openings at the roof will be necessary to use the stack effect to ventilate the buildings (Figure 10). Another critical aspect of creating sustainable designs in Vancouver will be the selection of natural materials from around 42

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

Figure 09. Solar Design Guidelines - Vancouver

the region. Vancouver has become famous for its extensive use of glazing, earning it the moniker “The City of Glass”. Vancouver has attempted to shed this image by focusing on the use of readily available natural materials to reinforce a different image of Vancouver. The city was founded on its timber industry and the surrounding region is still dominated by forests, mountains, and rivers. Use of heavy timber and stone will reinforce the image of Vancouver as a city that is striving to have a more sustainable future while respecting the city’s historical context. As it is now, False Creek Flats is marked by expansive brownfields, under-served public transportation, and low-density. A return to more dense, efficient urban developments, will support Vancouver’s Greenest City in the World Initiative.07

Figure 10. Passive Cooling Design Guidelines - Vancouver

ECOSYSTEM By: Will Dubois

As a coastal city climate change is taken very seriously in Vancouver and proactive steps are being taken to prepare for future environmental issues. Climate change is poised to play a big part in daily Vancouver life and economics. “In an OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) report, (Metro) Vancouver is rated 15th (in the world) for exposed assets, with $55 billion at risk, and 32nd in terms of population at risk, with 320,000 people exposed,” reported the Coastal Cities At Risk project.01 Vancouver has a long history of environmental activism but due to the global nature of climate change the problem can only be mitigated, not erased.

drier, hotter summers, more intense weather events involving wind, rain and snow”. Not only will the seas be higher, but they might be more violent as well. Sandbags have become an annual feature along the coastline as City officials prepare not only for high tides but storm surges as well. Exacerbating the issue is the King Tides, seasonal high tides amplified by the position of the sun and moon. This year (2015) sandbags have been stacked as high as 5.8 meters- significantly higher than the predicted peak of 4.9 meters “What we’re preparing for here is the possibility of King Tides coinciding

with severe weather ... that can bring a storm surge that adds to the effect and raises the water high enough to potentially flood the area” explains the Vancouver director of water and sewers Brian Crowe.03 Evidently, the dual threat of tides and storm surges is taken very seriously. In the short term storm surges are a serious threat that already cost the city time and money, in the future the problem will only get worse unless measures are taken. Due to the rising sea levels, the recommended planning levels have been established suggesting

CLIMATE CHANGE

Due to its high levels of exposure to the sea, one of the main concerns for Vancouver in the coming years are the predicted rising water levels. The seas around Vancouver have been slowly rising the last century at a rate of about 2 mm every 50 years but several factors are combining to accelerate this trend, particularly in False Creek.02 Gradual sea rise isn’t the only issue at play however because, “current climate science indicates that Vancouver is likely to see

Figure 01. A highly developed natural cityscape - That ends abruptly near the water’s edge. NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

a planned sea level rise of .5 meter by 2050 and 1 meter by 2100. The estimate is placed roughly in-between the conservative and extreme projections.02 It is important to examine how these guidelines are calculated because as a result of how they are graphed the recommendations trends towards the conservative estimates as time progresses. This means that by 2100 a plan following the recommended levels will be closer to the conservative estimates than most realize. What also does not show in the charts is the compounded danger brought by the predicted increase in storm intensity and frequency. Due to its aquatic past the majority of the infill is located on a large deposit of peat left over from when it was a natural feature. The result is less stable ground that exists at a lower elevation than the surrounding landscape. Because of this the land is currently subsiding at a rate of 1 to 2 mm annually. However, “The rate of sinking for the Fraser Delta is further increased locally (to more than 3 mm per year) by very large construction projects”. The good

Oolichan 44

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

Harbor Seal

news is that the rates of subsidence level off over time as the soils become compacted.04 Not surprisingly most of False Creek including the Olympic site falls within current flood control levels of 4.6 meters. as shown in Figure 1. By 2050 nearly all of False creek falls within the projected flood control levels. As a result of all of these different interconnected and multi layered issues Vancouver is compelled to act swiftly and decisively. There are four main methods to dealing with sea level rise as indicated by documents prepared for the British Columbia Ministry of Environment. The first method, “Protect” is fairly standard and in fact currently in use along much of the Vancouver coastline. It is a reactive strategy comprised largely of building structures such as seawalls or dikes. In addition to aesthetic issues one of the main problems is the cost. As the sea continues to rise so does the cost in their construction and maintenance. The second method, “Accommodate” seeks to adapt infrastructure

Redrock Crab

Blue Heron

Figure 02. Floodplain regions in Vancouver

and behavior in the affected areas. “Retreat” is a strategy just as its name suggests. At heart it is a decision to over time abandon or give back portions of the land to the sea and move buildings and infrastructure elsewhere. The last strategy, “Avoid” is to keep future development from happening in areas that will inundated or at substantial risk. Each of these have their own place within sea rise planning for Vancouver. “Protect” is valuable in high risk

Flounder

Sockeye Salmon

areas but ringing the City with battlements is not viable or suitable to established aesthetic fabric. Non-structural (soft armouring) is more in line with Vancouver’s stated wants and needs to introduce more nature to the city. “Retreat” is not viable for many areas of the city, including the new Olympic Park at False Creek. Similarly the site and its water issues cannot be “Avoided”. As a result “Accommodate” will be necessary as well and buildings could be retrofitted as necessary.02 THE SALT MARSH

Scarcely a century ago the area now occupied by industry and rail in False Creek consisted of mudflats, marshes, freshwater creeks and inlets. It supplied an ecosystem for the local wildlife and a means of living for the native inhabitants. The land reclamation and transformation into a center of industrial activity all but completely destroyed this and the biodiversity it fostered. “Back then there was a broad, shallow arm of the sea where the rail yards are now. Terminal Avenue runs through the middle of a place

Littleneck Clams

Sturgeon

that was once watery and alive with sturgeon, oolichan, flounder, salmon, crab, mussels, and clams”.05 Nowadays there is hardly any native life in the area and False Creek is considered by many to be a blight. Much like other coastal areas around Vancouver and North America, the values of the marshlands in the face of climate change is being discovered. Reintroducing salt marshes to the False Creek area is consistent with the city’s stated desire to “replicate natural systems where feasible” in new construction.06 Salt marshes help clean toxins in the water and soils over time, allowing for reintroduction of the native flora and fauna. This benefit is not just limited to wild inhabitants though. In recent years it has been advised that residents do not kayak or enter the water in false creek as e. Coli has been a recurring problem. Thanks to massive cleanup efforts from the city however wildlife is starting to return to False Creek. Harbor seals are an attraction along the boat rental dock, sea otters are a rare treat,

Sea Otter

Dungeness Crab

and a whale even wandered in briefly. As great as these wildlife comebacks have been there is still a ways to go. While the area obviously won’t be restored completely to its natural state with wandering moose and bears hunting salmon, a greater synergy between the future city and its past environment must be created for the good of both. Re-introducing marshland has the benefit of stabilizing the coastline and providing protection from the wave action of the adjacent sea- especially in a storm surgeis increasingly important with rising sea levels and high value development near the waterside. Salt marshes even have a built in method for fighting sea level rise. The marsh plants trap sediment and over time the accumulation helps to raise the existing elevation of islands and in some instances create new ones. Marsh plants don’t usually have to deal with water level changes as drastic as those being forecasted, but in the battle against the sea every bit counts.07

Bald Eagle

Perch NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

Figure 03. False Creek as it appeared in 1904.

Figure 04. Station nearing completion in 1914 with marsh.

Figure 05. CNR Station in 1932 with False Creek filled in.

Salt marshes rely on large flat spaces with little variation of topography. It is unusual for them to have a slope greater than 3%.08 Unfortunately within the Olympic site there isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t room for a large tidal flat with extremely low gradation. Instead, the landscape set aside for the salt marsh will need to be terraced at a low of an angle as possible. The advantages of this are two fold. First, while establishing the salt marsh sediment erosion will be slowed, a common issue for nascent marshes. Secondly within each terraced level the soil can have a lower slope while the overall slope can be more dramatic. Terracing also provides the opportunity to plan in exacting detail for sea level changes in a way that a more natural smooth slope does not.

A major key to salt marsh survival is the presence of freshwater. Salinity of soil and water varies during different tides, seasons, and storms. As a result, the plants and animals that live in the marsh have to be at least semi halophytic (able to survive in saline waters). The presence of freshwater allows for a greater abundance and diversity of plant life as well. Some species, like salmon, require both a saltwater and freshwater environment. During the rainy season salinity is reduced in the soil as upstream freshwater flushes through the marsh. In this way the salt and freshwater systems rely on the marsh for a smooth transition, but without both the salt marsh cannot survive.07

The planed drainage strategies for False Creek can be integrated into this freshwater-saltwater dynamic. The City wants buildings to either retain rainfall or pipe it off site separate of the sewer system. Using bioswales to retain runoff and feed excess water into the salt marsh can mimic the flow of the natural streams that used to exist on the site. During storm surges excess seawater will reach elevations and plants not normally accustomed to high salinity. The freshwater runoff from the storm can be used from the bioswales to flush the brackish water down and out towards the marsh or at least reduce salinity. In this way runoff can be both managed and made into an asset; introducing green spaces into the city blocks and freshwater in to the marsh.

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

WATER DRAINAGE By: Ryan Hergott

Vancouver uses many different strategies to preserve, protect, and manage water. In efforts to continue to be a green-thinking sustainable city, Vancouver is charged with the major responsibility of how to manage storm-water runoff in such a way that adopts the natural drainage process and integrates technological processes to conserve and harvest potable water. A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

Vancouver is leading the way on green building design and construction. The environmental regulations for new buildings are some of the greenest of any city in North America. These regulations emerge from the City of Vancouver Greenest City 2020 Action Plan.01 This document expresses actions of the highest priority, one of which is an initiative to decrease storm water runoff or to find ways to use it as a potential benefit to the city. Our studio recognizes fore-mentioned passive wind and solar design strategies outlined in this document as well as how to deal with precipitation and storm-water. By 2020 the city’s goal is to provide the best drinking water of any major city while conserving their waterways. Vancouver’s water

is naturally collected in the Capilano, Seymour and Coquitlam watersheds.02 On average this water system delivers 360-million liters of highquality water throughout the city each day. To maintain this supply there are systems in place meant to conserve water when necessary. In seasons with low precipitation the city enforces stages of water restriction. These stages directly restrict citizens from watering lawns and washing their cars based on odd/even numbered houses and days of the week. Aside from collecting and delivering fresh potable water, the city is charged with dealing with storm-water runoff and possible emergency flooding situations. This problem is common, especially in the urban context, but Vancouver’s initiative towards the “Greenest City” poses some innovative an emerging design solutions to storm-water management. MANAGING STORM WATER RUNOFF

One of the ways to understand rain collection and filtration is through already naturally occurring processes. Through collection of water in lakes and streams the processes of daylighting and aeration take effect. Water in swamps and marshes have vegetation and microorganisms that use their natural chemical process to absorb excessive nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus that can otherwise pollute surface water. The city of

Figure 01. Rain Garden - Filtration and Drainage

Vancouver already implements means of water collection and filtration such as rain gardens. By employing “rain gardens,” planted areas behind curbs that channel and filter storm water from the street, the city finds a pleasant aesthetic to draining and filtering runoff as shown by Figures 1 and 2. Vancouver also uses country lanes and sustainable streets to provide a rural/suburban atmosphere while effectively absorbing rain water in a natural process. A huge issue with cities is flooding. When covering a large area with impermeable concrete there is limited liberty for water flow and drainage, where water flows off building roofs to parking lots and streets with relatively small NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

Figure 02. Parking Rain Garden - Aeration and Drainage

Figure 03. Country Lane

storm drains taking sometimes very high surface runoff loads. This issue is derived from design.

“medians” between the tire paths to drain excess water. The overall strategies discussed involve avoiding hardscape designs that force water away from areas that could otherwise be used for runoff collection or filtration.

If we design to replace the concrete surfaces with other materials and institute drainage systems that mimic natural processes, we can sustain an aesthetic and comfortably stabilize the city’s runoff. In our master plan we should use systems currently emerging in Vancouver. Rain gardens in parking lots allow the water to drain from impermeable surfaces to aeration pools with an aesthetic appeal over storm drains. In cases with minimal vehicular traffic country lanes, as shown by Figure 3, are used to pave only the tire path and provide permeable, but heavy load bearing 48

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

Another increasingly common strategy for managing urban runoff is the usage of sustainable green roofs. Figure 4 exemplifies this strategy using a building’s roof assembly to collect gray water and absorb runoff. The green roof assembly also decreases the exposure of waterproofing membranes to large temperature fluctuations which increases its durability and lifespan. Landscaping any plane within the city is of immediate benefit, since plants consume and filter groundwater and create cleaner air.

Figure 04. Sustainable Green Roof STREAM RESTORATION

Vancouver once had a vast network of natural streams and creeks. Figure 6 diagrams these lost creeks of Vancouver. As the city developed and grew, many streams were buried under pipes, filled in, or diverted. The City works with volunteers to rediscover and possibly restore these streams to a more natural state above ground, in a process called daylighting. Daylighting is the redirection of a stream into an above-ground channel. The goal is to restore a stream of water to a more natural state and improve the riparian environment for a stream which had been previously diverted into a culvert, pipe, or a drainage

FALSE CREEK

CHINA CREEK

TROUT LAKE

Figure 05. China Creek

system. Local to our site there used to be day lit water flowing from East Vancouver’s Trout Lake to False Creek. The water traveled down China Creek, illustrated in Figure 5. This is one of Vancouver’s lost streams, which is now a string of parks hosting a skate park, YMCA, and baseball diamonds. The two parks are connected by Vancouver Community College. China Creek is a lost stream though its relevance to the city is still present. If choosing to keep the creeks buried we may then choose to trace their history with a designed significance.

VANCOUVER HARBOR

ENGLISH BAY

VANCOUVER

Figure 06. Vancouver’s Network of Lost Creeks

Daylighting streams or considering drainage in the area will benefit the project and the city immensely. Bringing water back to False Creek will re-brand the False Creek Flats and conform to the green city ideals of Vancouver. SUMMARY

Our Olympic master plan observes and engages the systems discussed in this section. Making the vision of a sustainable Olympic Village would establish a new urban parameter for the society, encourage and support environmental concerns, and promote green building development. It’s not only about building sustainable venues, but also about having an impact on the surrounding area. By using rain gardens in parking lots and subsidiary spaces within the site, water can be redirected, aerated, and filtered for gray water use or irrigation. These systems also provide a favorable aesthetic that clearly communicates the ambitions for Vancouver’s “Green City” directive. Using permeable pavers in areas with minimal traffic allows water to drain similarly to its natural process. The use of these systems financially benefit the project by avoiding the need for major storm water infrastructure. Using the history of streams that once existed, but are now diverted or eliminated, we are given the opportunity to symbolically reconnect the city. Following suit from opportunities seized from China Creek there are potential references to be made to a once vast network of flowing water through Vancouver. NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

FALSE CREEK FLATS FALSE CREEK FLATS

SITE ANALYSIS By: Lindsey Leardi

In most Vancouverites mental map, False Creek Flats is thought of as a blank space. However, the Flats is home to over 450 acres of employment land which has lead to its significant economic power within the city. Today the area is lacking in the care, linkages and public places that so often define the rest of Vancouver.01 HISTORY

Until the 20th century, False Creek Flats was a muddy tidal flat on the eastern end of False Creek. In 1915, the City began to fill in the Flats using landfill, scrap lumber, bricks, and general industrial waste. By 1919, Great Northern Railway (GNR) and Canadian Northern Railway (later Canadian National) established the area’s industrial future by creating new terminals in the Flats. As the industrial lands in Gastown and Yaletown neared capacity, companies began to look towards the large vacant sites in the Flats. The prominence of new rails lead to the haphazard fabrication of surrounding streets and properties within the Flats. When the trend towards automobiles and away from railways began in the 1930s, the city anticipated the removal of the east-west rail yards. In the last decade, railways were revived as a more 52

FALSE CREEK FLATS

Figure 01. False Creek Flats 1956

efficient and preferred mode for moving goods, which has led the city to a renewed commitment to the long-term presence of rail in False Creek Flats. Utilizing railways reduces truck traffic and efficiently moves goods longer distances.02 CONTEXT

In the early days, the Flats had low land prices with direct connections to new rail lines, desirable for many industrial businesses. Today, False Creek Flats is home to some of the most expensive industrial land in the region. Its current high land values, limited supply of large scale vacant properties, and recent investments in infrastructure, make it less attractive to new businesses. False Creek Flats needs to remain supportive of long-standing businesses while

creating new places that enhance environmental and social potential in Vancouver’s pursuit of a complete and livable city. With it’s 28,000 acres of industrial land, Vancouver needs it’s local policies to reflect local competitive advantages, comparative infrastructure, regional and international connectivity, and land values to best optimize future industrial land bases. The city anticipates that by 2030, container volumes for goods will increase by 70% increasing truck traffic on city streets. The conflict between vehicles and rail needs to be addressed with the goal of maximizing rail movement and minimizing street impact.01 GATEWAY TO VANCOUVER

With its history rooted in transportation,

Vancouver strives to leverage the Flats unique features such as geometries and historic lines, presence of the rail yards, historic buildings, stunning views, and intimate proximity to growing residential districts.01 CURRENT RAILYARD USE

Figure 02. False Creek Flats 2015

nearly one-fifth of False Creek Flats is covered by freight and passenger rail yards and infrastructure. The Flats is often considered the gateway to Vancouver while also providing an industrial back-of-house function to the city. The efficiency of goods movement is imperative. Congestion has a direct and negative financial impact on businesses. While the rails are essential for growth and expansion of the federal economy, the rail lines divide communities and eliminate connections. Improved connectivity is a key challenge to focus on for this masterplan.01 EAST VS. WEST

When looking at the businesses occupying the Flats, distinct characteristics emerge for the

two sides of the study area. The western half represents a more diversified â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;main business activities.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Whereas the eastern Flats require weekly large truck access for the movement of goods in and out of their operations. Businesses in the western Flats have higher turnover, sales and services more oriented towards downtown, less frequent deliveries, more active commuting, and a presence of restaurants and cafes. The eastern Flats have essential proximity to major highways, more of an emphasis on traditional industrial building criteria, such as loading bays and high ceilings, and benefits from proximity to competition. No matter which side of the Flats you are on, its image is defined by the unique geography, industrial development, and rail barrier.

The railyard currently situated on our site is almost never used due to the frequency of inconvenient train crossings between the north end shipping depot and the Flats. Despite the yards current inconveniences, the city acknowledges that there will be an increase in freight activity in the near future, which will require the expansion of existing train yards.03 REDESIGNING THE FLATS

The False Creek Flats offers a variety of sites from empty lots to possible renovations and untouchable areas, such as newly constructed areas and railways. One of the biggest obstacles to improving the Flats will be increasing connectivity and transportation. The railways pose a huge obstacle across the entire site, separating the north and south sectors. The study of the area infers some exciting site opportunities to the west of False Creek Flats surrounding False Creek. A potential Olympic Master plan would present a unique opportunity to redefine the False Creek Flats, not just for the surrounding area but for the city as a whole. FALSE CREEK FLATS

OLYMPIC OVERVIEW HISTORY

INFRASTRUCTURE

OLYMPIC VENUES

OLYMPIC OVERVIEW

HISTORY

A couple years later, his plan was approved and put in place as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was founded. To this day, the IOC still governs the Olympic games.01

By: Justin Cain

The origin of the Olympics as we know them today have a deeply rooted Greek history dating back roughly 3,000 years. In 776 BC, the first Olympic games on record were held in the western Peloponnese peninsula city of Olympia.01 The intended purpose of the games was a dedication to the Olympian gods and were staged on the ancient plains of Olympia. The very first Olympic games were simple with a limited number of competitors and events. The games garnered such an importance that historians began measuring time in four-year increments between Olympics called Olympiads. HISTORY OF EVENTS

First written records indicate that ancient Olympic games in Greece started with one single event, a 192-meter footrace, called the stade (origin of the modern â&#x20AC;&#x153;stadiumâ&#x20AC;?). This event would go on to be the only event featured for the first 13 Olympics. Shortly after, two more events were added; the Diaulos (comparable to the 400-meter dash) and the Dolichos (a longer race comparable to the 1,500-meter). Twenty years later, the pentathlon was introduced consisting of five different events including the long jump, discus and javelin. Boxing debuted in 688 B.C. 56

VANCOUVER OLYMPICS

THE MODERN DAY OLYMPICS

Figure 01. Ancient Greek Chariot Races

and eight years after that, chariot racing (Figure 01). Just 100 years after its commencement, the Olympic games began to take shape with many athletes competing against each other across multiple events.01 OLYMPIC DECLINE AND REVIVAL

The Olympics would continue on as a Greek tradition for hundreds of years until the mid-2nd century B.C. when the Roman Empire conquered Greece. While the games carried on, they lost their appeal as standards and equality declined. This Olympic decline lasted for another 1,500 years before it rose to prominence again. In 1892, Baron Pierre de Coubertin resurrected the games in a proposal to making the Olympics an international competition held every four years.

With a plan in place to make the Olympics relevant again, the IOC elected to bring them back to their roots by holding the first modern Olympics in Athens, Greece. Just 120 miles from their origin, the Olympics were back as 60,000 spectators welcomed 280 athletes (all male) from 13 nations. In the first modern Olympics, participants competed in 43 events including some of the most popular events today like track and field, gymnastics, swimming and wrestling.01 In 1924, the Olympics were held in Paris, France (Figure 02). These games were considered a turning point in making the Olympics a true international event. During these games, over 3,000 athletes competed from 44 nations. Another important takeaway from the Paris games was that over 100 of the athletes were women, by far the most of any Olympics up to that point. The 1924 games also included a closing ceremony for the first time.01 Later that year, the winter games debuted in Chamonix, France with five events including figure skating, hockey, bobsledding and the biathlon.01

Throughout the years, the Olympics gained popularity and attracted the worlds top athletes. Recently, we have seen some of the highest numbers of participants in history. During the 2012 Beijing games, a record 10,942 athletes competed from 204 countries.02 Even more recently, we have seen the largest winter games in history as well. Sochi, Russia in 2014 produced over 2,800 athletes from 88 countries.03 The Olympics have a tremendous international appeal and are producing arguably the greatest

athletic competitions we have seen. While the games appear to be in stable condition and carry a squeaky clean image, it is easy for spectators to forget about some of the problems that come with the Olympics. PROBLEMS FACING THE OLYMPICS

From the outside, the Olympics appear to be a well-oiled machine, one that runs smoothly and efficiently. There are, however, several major shortcomings that the Olympic games and their host cities face. When bidding to host an Olympics, cities put master plans in place along with a vision as to how bringing the Olympics to their city will in some way revitalize the area. The games are viewed as a high risk, high reward competition aiming to improve the image of the city and bring an economic boost with it. The problem, unfortunately, is that this is rarely achieved. More often than not, especially with some of the more recent Olympics, the host city is left with more problems than solutions.

Figure 02. 1924 Paris Olympic Poster

Economically speaking, the Olympics are not a sound investment. They cost a fortune to prepare and operate and usually do not make that money up, leaving the host city and country with an unexpected financial burden. Two of the last three Olympics (Beijing 2008/

Sochi 2014), have been the two most expensive games in history. Beijing, who spent a record $40-plus billion04 on their games was topped six years later by the 2014 Sochi games at an estimated $51 billion. The most expensive games in history, Sochi went well over their intended budget of $12 billion.05 The winter games, due to their size, are generally much cheaper than the summer games but Sochi had other ideas. Compare that to Vancouverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2010 games where they spent just $7 billion on the games and it is hard to justify why you should spend 7 times that much on the same event.06 Along with cost overruns, there are several other factors that can be potential hurdles for host cities to get past. A few of them include the future use of venues, transforming Olympic housing to public housing, security and infrastructure improvements. History has shown that hosting the Olympics can bring problems and in many cases, no solution to those problems. In every citiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; bid to host the games, there is a real opportunity for vast improvements to be made. The only question left, is how to do it efficiently, responsibly and in a way that allows the city to grow with the intended plan. VANCOUVER OLYMPICS

may make you happy. It has been shown that many times, cities and countries may chase the Olympics simply because people like hosting major sporting events. With this logic in mind, we look back on some of the more successful and unsuccessful Olympics in history.

WHAT MAKES AN OLYMPICS SUCCESSFUL?

With so many challenges to tackle when hosting the Olympic games, a strong master plan and clear vision are a necessity. There are numerous factors that go into producing a successful Olympics and they vary year to year and city to city. Each host has a different agenda and end goal so comparing success on one or two factors is difficult. The intent of the 2008 Beijing games is vastly different than that of the 2012 London games just four years later. Beijing used their Olympics to project themselves on a world stage by making the statement, “We are here.” They put on an incredible show and it was something to remember but at a cost of over 40 Billion dollars. They achieved their goal of emerging to the world but it was not without some sacrifice. Beijing turned a profit, which is important, but it also still has huge air pollution concerns and limited use for their 480 Million dollar, 80,000 seat stadium (figure 03). Today, the biggest revenue generating operation is a $20 segway tour that you can take around the stadium.07 London, on the other hand, only spent around 15 Billion dollars on their games because they were well equipped to host. They took a responsible approach by building stadiums that could be used 58

VANCOUVER OLYMPICS

Figure 03. Beijing 2008: Bird’s Nest Stadium

after the Olympics. They also built temporary ones that could be taken down and turned into housing that the public would use soon after the athletes were gone. While the approaches were very different, they both achieved the goals they set out for. OLYMPIC CASE STUDIES

We can take what we have learned from past Olympics, both good and bad, and use that information to make smarter choices when it comes to creating a master plan. Many host cities do not care how much money they spend, but rather focus on showing off to the world for a two-week period. Although it makes little financial sense, the Olympics can be compared to a wedding. It might not make you rich, but it

Some of the most successful games include Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Vancouver 2010. These venues have lasting legacies and set many positive examples. Barcelona, for example, used the games as a major tourist attraction, converting a city headed for disaster into a world-class tourist city with some of the most famous attractions in the world. The city still uses many of the venues and housing complexes today. Atlanta turned its Olympic stadium into Turner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves ever since. Vancouver has served as a model of efficiency when it comes to use of venues. They did not have to build many new stadiums and all of them are still used regularly. Local taxpayers fund a 110 million dollar legacy trust to make sure they stay up-to-date and well used. 08 Not all Olympics have been as successful as these three, however. For many reasons, some Olympics fall short of their goals and are remembered more for their problems than success. Among those which have a tainted image are Munich 1972, Moscow 1980 and Athens 2004.

defining moments in the Olympics and they can be the difference between a positive legacy or a negative one. A well thought out plan that covers every detail must be implemented so that there is a uniform understanding of what the end goal is. This communication, combined with strong leadership, is vital in making sure the Olympics are a success. LEGACY

Figure 04. Munich 1972: Black September

Figure 05. Athens 2004: Abandoned Olympic Stadium

The competitions in Munich were not the problem, in fact it displayed some of the greatest athletic performances in history. What makes Munich memorable, is a terrible tragedy that would forever change the Olympics. Palestinian terrorists killed two Israelis in the Olympic Village while kidnapping and killing nine more at the Munich airport.09 This attack launched massive efforts to deploy security at the Olympic games and forever changed the process of how the games are organized (figure 04).

In 2004, the Athens games left Greece with a mess. There was very little plan for what to do after the games concluded and this is still evident today. Many venues sit unused, decaying and abandoned with no use and the few that are still used produce very little revenue if any (figure 05). The games went over budget and even played a modest role in the nation’s economic crisis which is still going on today. The athlete’s village has turned into very low-end housing and has not been very popular. The Athens games leave a great blueprint of what not to do when it comes to building stadiums and having a postOlympic plan for the village.

Moscow in 1980 was boycotted in a protest against the Soviet Union’s ongoing invasion of Afghanistan. Led by the United States, 65 nations stayed home. Subsequently, the Soviet Union boycotted the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles four years later.

For various reasons, the Olympics can be viewed as a success or failure. There are usually a few

Host cities often spend money on the Olympics that should be spent on other things that the city needs. The hope, is that money spent on the games will produce interest and revenue for years to come following the event. This, in turn, would become a good investment that helps the city prosper. Barcelona proved this theory correct, but others like Athens and Sochi did not. When it comes to the Olympics, however, it is not always about the money. There is the idea that hosting the games makes people feel good about their city, something you cannot quantify. Knowing what kind of image the host city hopes to achieve is the backbone in which master plan’s can be developed around. Every Olympic host goes out with the intention of enhancing their city and hoping to create a great lasting legacy that will live on for years to come even after the Olympics come to a close. VANCOUVER OLYMPICS

INFRASTRUCTURE By: Becca Liu

In providing Olympic infrastructure, host cities are contractually obligated to the technical requirements of the main stakeholders through the Host City Contract. The contract specifies in detail the rights and obligations of all parties involved in organizing the events. The stakeholders include the International Olympic Committee, International Federations, National Olympic Committee, and Organizing Committee of Olympic Games. These stakeholders have a good degree of influence on the amount of new construction required and the cost of venues.01 The preparation process for each Game lasts from before the start of the bid phase to the Closing Ceremony and beyond, usually a process of more than 9 years.02 STAKEHOLDER ROLES

The International Olympic Committee is the ultimate authority on the Olympic Games. Their mission is to ensure the regular celebration of the Games. The IOC’s role following the election of the host city is to provide financial support and control the cost of the Games.02 There are over 200 National Olympic Committees. The NOC’s roles are to represent, 60

VANCOUVER OLYMPICS

develop, promote and protect the Olympic Movement within their respective countries and territories. During the bid phase, the NOC selects the city and proposes the selection to the IOC. In addition, the committee is responsible for deciding the entry of the athletes proposed by their respective national federations, as the selection of athletes is not based solely upon the athletes’ performance but also on their ability to serve as an example to their respective countries.02 The International Federation set the rules for their sports and determines the eligibility criteria for the competitions. The IF organizes the qualifying events in order to select the competitors participating at the Games. They validate the competition schedule, nominate referees and officials, and establish the final results/ranking of each event.02 The Organizing Committee of Olympic Games (OCOG) is responsible for establishing functions and services for all aspects of the Games, such as sport venues, finances, technology, accommodation, catering, media services etc., as well as running the operations during the Games. Their work is largely guided by the Host City Contract. All the stakeholders work together to create the Olympic Games, with the IOC overseeing each committee.02

OLYMPIC COMMITTEES

The IOC is aware of the impact on host cities and has led efforts to reign in the scope of the Olympic program. The IOC has limited the number of sports to 28, the number of events to approximately 300, and the number of athletes to 10,500.01 The International Olympic Committee provides prospective host cities with a technical manual that serves as guidance for the minimum square footage requirements. The manual is a “template” and what is required is often different from what is built.03 THE TECHNICAL MANUAL STANDARDS

The Technical Manual on Olympic Village provides Game organizers with a complete picture of the functionality of the Games. The manual provides detailed methods for the planning, construction and operations of the Olympic Village. It provides a programmatic overview of the necessary constituents of the Olympic Village. The Technical Manual depicts the necessary facilities that must be included in each zone along with the minimum square meter requirements (Figure 01).03 OLYMPIC VILLAGE

If Olympic venues are more than 50 km or one hour drive from the Olympic Village, a second Olympic Village must be provided.03 There are

Space Requirements m

three main operating areas in the Olympic Village. The Residential Zone, Olympic Village Plaza, and the Operational Zone.

Olympic Village Plaza 4,000 m2

Residential Zone Residential building - Single bedroom - 2 person bedroom NOC Offices Dining Hall - Athlete Dining - Staff Dining Area - Back of House Dining - McDonaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Counter - Baggage Check Area - Casual Dining Hall Polyclinic NOC Services Center Sports Information Center Chef de Mission Hall Resident Centers Security Command Center Religious Center Recreational Activities Recreational Sports Complex Communications Center

- WADA 9m - Village Amphitheater 12 m2 - Village General Store - Bank 20,000 m2 - Photo Store 10,000 m2 - Village Call Center 850 m2 - Cyber Cafe 8,000 m2 - Hair Salon

50 m2 500 m2 1000 m2 250 m2 170 m2 200 m2 430 m2 200 m2

60 m2

- Florist

80 m2

400 m2

- Dry Cleaning

50 m2

RESIDENTIAL ZONE

The Residential Zone is a restricted, private zone, limited only to people who have appropriate accreditation access. The zone contains the accommodations, dining and certain recreational activities.03 OLYMPIC VILLAGE PLAZA

3,000 m2 - Cafe 3,000 m2 - Travel Agent 1,000 m2 - Post Office

500 m2 100 m2 180 m2

500 m2

50 m2

- Olympic Museum

400 m2 Operational Zone 5,000 m2 500 m2 - Guest Pass Center

600 m2

1,000 m2 - Welcome Center 10,000 m2 2 6,000 m - Village Media Center 2,000 m2 20,000 m2 - Facility Services 10,000 m2 Center 50 m2 - NOC Vehicle Parking 1,000 spots

Figure 01. Technical Manual on Olympic Village

The Olympic Village Plaza is a public zone, where athletes can meet with friends and family, as it hosts a number of retail and recreational areas.03 OPERATIONAL ZONE

The Operational Zone contains the back of house areas of the Olympic Village including all the services for the Olympic Village to function efficiently. This zone includes the main entry into the village and staff parking.03 In order to provide maximum security, Access Control Points are stationed between the zones detecting any threats and restricting access to certain areas.03 ADDITIONAL PROGRAM

The IOC is taking new steps to mourn the

dead for future Olympics. The IOC faced criticism for refusing a moment of silence for the Israeli victims of the 1972 Munich Games during the opening of the London 2012 Games. In addition, the IOC prevented athletes from wearing memorial messages on Olympic uniform and equipment. Black armbands in memory of an athleteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brother and stickers on helmets in tribute to a deceased competitor were banned from the Sochi Winter Olympics.04 As a result of the criticism, future designs of the Olympic Village will include a special area for athletes to mourn the loss of family or friends. SECURITY

When designing for a large event of any kind, security always poses an issue. As the Olympics generate world wide attention, they must have the means to protect the users. After the Munich Olympic Massacre, the area of security has expanded with each successive Olympic. First, it was protecting the athletes in the Olympic Village, then it became the venues. After the Atlanta Olympic bombings in 1996, security has expanded to all spectators.05 Another important aspect to consider when designing for the Vancouver Summer Olympics, is to protect the public transport network. Less than 24 hours after London won its bid to host the 2012 VANCOUVER OLYMPICS

summer Olympic games, a series of bomb attacks on London’s public transport system left 52 people dead and more than 700 injured. There are multiple tactics employed to prevent terrorist attacks during the Olympics. London’s Olympic Park was sealed off with 16-foot fencing topped off with an electric fence (Figure 02). Admission into the park took place through four securitycontrolled access points, nicknamed ‘Tunnels of Truth’. The Tunnel of Truth includes a CCTV facial-recognition system that checks images against a database of photographs of known or suspected terrorists, trace examination of tickets and travel documents, an explosives detection portal, and a device to identify radiation and chemicals agents. Metal detectors were also positioned at each venue entrance.06 When designing the Vancouver Summer Olympics, it may be important to examine our design approach and method on how to incorporate physical security within the Olympic Park. It may involve effective, but unobtrusive security check points. The check points should regulate the passage between zones but should not be considered a nuisance to athletes, visitors, or spectators. In addition, the security must not be invisible, it must portray the image 62

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of a secure and well regulated park in order to deter any violence. Not only must the Olympic Park be secure, it is also imperative to protect the athletes and visitors inside the Olympic Village. The three zones of the Olympic Village: Residential, Plaza, and Operational Zone are each subdivided into its constituents in order to provide a clear visual representation of the village organization (Figure 03). The Access Control Points are shaded dark gray to indicate the security check points and transitional gateways between the zones (Figure 04).

Residential Zone Accommodations NOC Services Center Polyclinic Dining Hall Chef de Mission Hall

Village Services Vehicle Entry Pedestrian Entry Security Center

Transport

Olympic Village Plaza Retail and Recreational Services Bank, Cyber Cafe Amphitheater Cafe, WADA Call Center Hair Salon Meeting Rooms Museum Pedestrian Entry General Store Post Office Dry Cleaner Photo Store Travel Agent Flag Mall Offices Florist

Operational Zone Welcome Center Guest Pass Center Driver’s Lounge Village Media Center Services Center Entry

Figure 02. Perimeter Fence in London

Figure 03. Zone Requirements

Rifle Storage Load Zones Staff Parking Pedestrian Entry Staff Center

Residential Zone Village Services

Transport Mall

Residential Accommodation

Cafe DVD lounges Cyber cafe Sports facilities Games lounge Religious Center

Chef’s rooms Athletes’ rooms Officials’ rooms NOC offices NOC medical space

NOC storage space Laundry facility Lounges Resident Centers NOC meeting rooms

Services Center Zone Control

NOC Services Center

Dining Hall

Polyclinic

Material Transfer Area

Zone Control NOC Parking

Chef de Mission Meeting Hall

Security Center Zone Control Management Meeting Rooms Offices

Retail and Recreational Services Photo Store Dry Cleaner Post Office Travel Agent

Hair Salon Cafe Florist WADA

Museum Village General Call Center Bank

Amphitheater

Flag Mall Village Plaza

Zone Control Welcome Center

Main Entry

Vehicle Load Zone

Staff Center

Media Center

Rifle Storage

Driver’s Lounge Operational Zone

Staff Parking Vehicle Control

Vehicle Control

Figure 04. Programmatic Zoning Relationship VANCOUVER OLYMPICS

RESIDENTIAL ZONE

The IOC requires 18,000 beds to house athletes and team officials. For the London 2012 Olympics, there were approximately 17,000 athletes and officials that were housed in 3,300 apartments and were provided with 17,320 beds. Unfortunately, the beds that were provided were not comfortable as they were smaller than the American twin bed by 7â&#x20AC;?.07 When designing for the Vancouver Olympics, our studio must design for the human body, with all aspects geared toward human proportions and scale in order to maximize human comfort and avoid amateur mistakes. Shown is an example of Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exterior aerial view of the residential zone. There are 11 residential plots, each made up of 5 to 7 blocks, built around communal courtyards. Each of the 67 blocks is between 8 to 12 stories high (Figure 05).08 The apartments allowed each athlete to have 16 m2 of floor space, which is above the IOC minimal requirement of 9 m2 (Figure 01).

arcade, media interviews, and NOC Team Welcome Ceremonies.03 OPERATIONAL ZONE

The Operational Zone includes the main entry into the Olympic Village. Within the village, there are access points designed to facilitate the entry of village residents, guests, and media. It serves as the pick-up and drop-off locations and is usually the first impression visitors have of the Village.03 Therefore, these access control points act as transitional areas between the zones, thus providing a great opportunity to design

VANCOUVER OLYMPICS

SPECTATOR ACCOMMODATIONS

The IOC requires the Summer Games host city to possess at least 40,000 rooms between the 3 to 5 star range or provide other types of accommodation of an equivalent level for Olympic officials and spectators.03 These rooms Hotel/Motel Rooms Available in Metro Vancouver 2010 Number of properties Number of rooms Area Vancouver Downtown 75 12,945 22 1,813 Vancouver Other Total Vancouver 97 14,758 Richmond/Airport 27 4,758 Surrey/Langley 40 2,544 Burnaby 18 1,372 Coquitlam/Port Moody 14 806 Maple Ridge Port Coquitlam Pitt Meadows North/West Vancouver 9 772 White Rock/Ladner 9 334 Tsawwassen/Delta

OLYMPIC VILLAGE PLAZA

According to the IOC, the Olympic Village Plaza requires a minimum of 4,000 m2 of space and is the entertainment hub. This space is frequently visited by athletes, residents, broadcasters, media, VIPs, and village guests. The principle activities include a meeting place, commercial

aesthetic gateways in our Vancouver Master Plan. Programmatically, the Operational Zone includes support services for operations such as internal village transportation system, parking locations, along with Centers for Media, Staff, and Storage.03

Total Other Metro 117 Total Metro Vancouver 214

Figure 05. London 2012 Residential

10,611 26,369

Figure 06. Vancouver Spectator Accommodation

must be located within a 50 km radius from the Games center. The host cities must also allocate space for accommodating more than 20,000 accredited media personnel. For the 2010 Winter Olympics, Vancouver provided data on accommodations, with 26,369 rooms available (Figure 06). However, this data does not include hostels, bed & breakfasts, and extended stay.09 Presently, the data may have changed. In our design for the Master Plan of the summer Vancouver Olympics, there may be additional spectator accommodations that should be incorporated. From the 2010 data, Metro Vancouver is lacking approximately 13,000 rooms to meet the standard Olympic requirements, which amount to our need to incorporate 85 properties into the Master Plan (if each property consisted of 153 rooms).

of transportation. The facilities that need to be designed are highlighted with the number of venues and the minimum capacity that the facility must hold (Figure 07). Presently, our studioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chosen site of False Creek Flats is not large enough to host all of these needed venues; however, there are locations in other metropolitan areas that could host them. We must select only a few venues to occur in the site. In addition, our studio must also design for the occupancy of the park after the two week games, either by designing temporary venues or downsizing the permanent venues.

Preliminaries

4,000

Preliminaries

20,000

Preliminaries

20,000

Preliminaries Finals

50,000

Preliminaries

5,000 6,000

Finals

10,000

Gymnastics Rhythmic Handball

20,000 *A *B 1

Hockey

10,000

Judo

8,000

1 *E

Rowing

12,000

Shooting/Fencing 3,000

Swimming

12,000

Ride/Run

10,000

Sailing

Modern Pentathlon

Sport/Discipline

IOC Capacity

Archery

4,000

Shooting

3,000

Athletics/Ceremonies

60,000

1 *A

Swimming

12,000 5,000

1 *F *F

5,000

5,000 5,000

1 *H

5,000

1 *B

Synchronized Swim

Preliminaries

8,000

Finals

15,000

Badminton

Boxing

6,000

Diving Water Polo Table Tennis

Canoe Kayak Flatwater

10,000

1 *C

Taekwondo Tennis

Basketball

OLYMPIC VENUES

Sports venues are the primary determinant of the scale of the Olympic footprint. The London Olympic Park had a footprint of approximately one square mile, designed for the total capacity of 700,000 users.10 Presently, Vancouver contains numerous existing sport venues, therefore only a few facilities need to be designed in our Master Plan in order to hold the games. We must be conscientious of the distance between the sport venues and the Olympic Village and provide adequate means

No. Venues

Football

Canoe Kayak Slalom

8,000

Cycling Track

5,000

Center Court Court 1

Cycling BMX

5,000

Court 2

Cycling Mountain Bike

2,000

Triathlon

Cycling Road

1,000

Equestrian

12,000

Volleyball Beach Volleyball Weightlifting Wrestling

Equestrian Cross Country

Fencing

4,000

Figure 07. IOC Sport Venues

10,000 3,000

5,000 2,500 15,000 12,000

1 1

5,000

1 1

8,000

Total

* = Shared venues VANCOUVER OLYMPICS

OLYMPIC VENUES By: Justin Cain

One of the biggest concerns facing a bid for the Olympics is whether or not the city has the infrastructure to host without needing to build a lot of new venues. Some of the most recent problems with the Olympics has been that cities build huge venues and after the games conclude, they are no longer needed so they sit abandoned. During the Vancouver 2010 Winter games, Brent Toderian, former Vancouver director of planning, said: Too many Olympic facilities are built to be temporary, a pure cost with no value for the commonwealth or community. At its worst, the Olympics can be a global model of our ‘throw-away society.’ Surely more creativity could lead to better after-uses and retrofits. If you don’t really have a viable use for that huge stadium after the Olympics, it just might be that you’re not the kind of city that should host the Olympics at all.01 Using that information, we have found that Vancouver is well equipped to host the Summer Olympics due to their limited need for new 66

VANCOUVER OLYMPICS

venues. Another positive for Vancouver, is even the new venues to be built will have great use once the Olympics are completed. When combined, these factors make Vancouver a strong candidate city to host the Summer games. WHAT IS NEEDED?

Although minimal compared to most Olympic games, there is still a need for some new infrastructure. In total, 31 different venues and competition sites will be required. Of those 31, 13 are existing, five will be temporary and 13 new, permanent venues will need to be constructed. The 13 existing venues and sites will require renovations and improvements to comply with IOC standards. In order to update these 13 venues, an estimated $265-million will be spent to get them up to date. On top of that, roughly $65-million will be spent on temporary venues and an additional $1.66-billion on new venues. While it may seem like a lot of money up front, it is actually a very reasonable package price especially when you consider Tokyo was going to spend $2-billion alone on a new Olympic stadium for their 2020 games. Vancouver hopes that all of their venues can be produced for a price of just under that $2-billion mark.01 VENUE LOCATIONS

With the need for 31 different venues, one of the issues is where they will be

located. All of them will be in the greater Vancouver area including sites in Victoria and Richmond, among others. The proposal to bring the Olympics back to Vancouver also utilizes local universities and the venues they can provide. This gives these universities a chance to upgrade their facilities, gain valuable exposure and provide students with state of the art complexes to use after the games conclude. The majority of venues for the Olympics will be in Vancouver or immediately surrounding cities which should simplify problems such as travel, congestion and overall chaotic organization. VENUES

Vancouver is well equipped to host a Summer Olympics due to their existing venue infrastructure. They already have venues such as BC Place (54,000), Rogers Arena (18,000), and the Vancouver Convention Center (up to 17,000). There are three additional stadiums that, with temporary seating, can hold upwards of 30,000 spectators for soccer.01 Some of the new venues that will have to be built are an aquatics center, kayak and canoe water complex and tennis center. There is a great mix of new and old stadiums as well as venues that can temporarily hold events which makes Vancouver an excellent candidate city.

VENUE LOCATION KEY

City of Vancouver Boundary Water Boundary Site Boundary Existing Venues Temporary Venues New Venues

Figure 01. Area Map of Vancouverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Venue Locations VANCOUVER OLYMPICS

VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN TOPOGRAPHY DRIVING CONCEPTS

## 70

SALT MARSH TOPOGRAPHY

## 72

COUPLET SALT MARSH

## 76

VENUES COUPLET

## 82

WARPED GRID VENUES

## 84

OLYMPIC GRID WARPED PARK

## 92

OLYMPIC PARK

102

DRIVING CONCEPTS

TOPOGRAPHY

SALT MARSH

COUPLET

Climate change specialists predict sea levels to rise anywhere from half a meter to two meters by the year 2100. While this threat is not imminent, it still warrants thoughtful planning or a long-term climate-change adaptation strategy. Accommodating the rising sea level and Protecting False Creek Flats from potential future flooding are driving design challenges of the Olympic Park Master Plan.

The introduction of water back into the site creates a salt marsh, which will be a defining feature and driving force of the Master Plan. The site is then stitched together through a network of pedestrian paths weaving throughout the salt marsh. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Weaveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; takes shape by establishing paths and connections between locations of importance, which furthermore helps organize and define the boundaries of the salt marsh.

The re-routing of Terminal Avenue is proposed to create a couplet surrounding the salt marsh. A couplet, is a pair of parallel, oneway streets that carry opposite directions of signed route or major traffic flow. The proposal places one direction of traffic on either side of the salt marsh. The decision to create a couplet arose from the need to slow traffic flow within the site and downsize the scale of Terminal Avenue. This means the rerouting Terminal Avenue, derailing the SkyTrain, and creating a new east-west arterial connection to Downtown Vancouver.

VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

VENUES

WARPED GRID

OLYMPIC PARK

To create a better connection to Vancouver to and from the False Creek Flats, an update needed to occur in the site’s street and pedestrian network. To reconcile with the existing city grid, a warped grid has been used to mend the False Creek Flats into the city of Vancouver. The salt marsh, venue placement and street shapes all play a roll in designating the warped grid structure.

A major aspect to our Master Plan, was how the Olympic Park would look in 2028 and the transformation it would go through to get there. As illustrated in the diagram labeled ‘Present,’ the False Creek Flats is extremely underdeveloped compared to the surrounding communities. As the games draw nearer, an emphasis on creating an urban density will be a top priority. Once established, the plan for 2050 will be integrated with the addition of more residential high-rises and office spaces. This transformation from underdeveloped wasteland to highly functioning, dense urban community will help Vancouver achieve their goals for the future. VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

TOPOGRAPHY Climate change specialists predict sea levels to rise anywhere from half a meter to two meters by the year 2100. While this threat is not imminent, it still warrants thoughtful planning or a long-term climate-change adaptation strategy. Accommodating the rising sea level and Protecting False Creek Flats from potential future flooding are driving design challenges of the Olympic Park Master Plan. CURRENT CONDITIONS

False Creekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current water levels are manageable, barring strong tides and large storm overlaps. Tides are measured from the same geodetic point; therefore, sea level changes do not affect consistent measurements. At high tide, water rises up to 2m while sinking as much as 2.5m at low tide. A majority of False Creek is currently lower than recently proposed Flood Control Levels. 2050 PROJECTIONS

In 2050, water levels are predicted to rise up to 2.5m at high tide while sinking as much as 2m at low tide. However, by 2100 peak tides will near the land level and ultimately rise above False Creek by 2200.

Flood Control (4.6m) High Tide (2m) Sea Level (0m) Low Tide (-2.5m) Current Conditions

Flood Control (5.1m) High Tide (2.5m) Sea Level (0.5m) Low Tide (-2m) 2050 Projections

VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

PROPOSED RISE TO 6M FOR CURRENT CONDITIONS

A rise to 6m above the current geodetic sea level is proposed to mitigate sea rise threats. This will keep False Creek well above current tidal levels and proposed Flood Control Levels. This puts low tide at -2.5m, and high tide at 2m. Flood Control (4.6m) High Tide (2m) Sea Level (0m) Low Tide (-2.5m) Proposed Rise to 6m for Current Conditions PROPOSED RISE TO 6M FOR 2050 CONDITIONS

Flood Control (5.1m) High Tide (2.5m) Sea Level (0.5m) Low Tide (-2m)

By raising the land to 6m, Flood Control Levels anticipate being below in 2100 and less than 1m below Flood Control Levels in 2200. This accomplishes the aim of allowing the False Creek Flats to develop and prosper far into the future.

Proposed Rise to 6m for 2050 Conditions VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

EXISTING TOPOGRAPHY

Historically, False Creek Flats was a tidal flat that the city filled in and rapidly developed into the industrial area it is today. Due to its topography, the Flats is currently a drainage basin for the surrounding areas. The edges of the Flats site have a steep transition from the surrounding land into a primarily flat basin ranging from approximately 2-4m above sea level. Originally creeks flowed into the tidal flat, but as the Flats were filled in the creeks rerouted into culverts below ground. As a result of its historic natural topography and current planning, water plays a prominent role in the False Creek Flats.

Existing Topography

NEW TOPOGRAPHY

In order to combat the steady rise in sea levels, it is proposed to cut and fill certain areas of the Flats. Rather than fight the water with defensive strategies such as levees and sea walls, the proposal embraces the water by introducing a salt marsh into the site. The salt marsh would allow changing tides to occur not only in False Creek but throughout the site. The gradual slope of the new topography fights the severely damaging wave action of a storm surge. The reminding site surrounding the salt marsh is filled in to lift the minimum elevation of the Flats to approximately 6m. New Topography 74

VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

CUT AND FILL

Existing Topography

Cut and fill is the process of earthmoving where the soil cut from the site is utilized to fill nearby embankments, minimizing construction labor and cost. Balancing quantities of cut and fill on a site is optimal when grading. Where an excess of fill is required, soil must be imported off-site with extra cost and ecological implications introduced. Finding, financing, and transporting new soil can be difficult. Cutting soil introduces potential problems of disposal, fees, and transportation. Cut and fill calculations are generally performed early in the planning phases of a project, even though they are approximations of the actual earthwork quantities.

Cutting soil for the Salt Marsh

While the majority of soil needed to increase the minimum elevation on our site will come from the excavation of a salt marsh, there is still a need to import additional soil in order to raise grade up to the ideal level. Moreover the poor quality of existing soil will also require engineered soil for building foundations. Between using a cut and fill method and adding earth to mitigate flood control issues, the False Creek Flats is in good condition for successful redevelopment.

Filling to Raise Elevation VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

SALT MARSH The introduction of water back into the site creates a salt marsh, which will be a defining feature and driving force of the Master Plan. The site is then stitched together through a network of pedestrian paths weaving throughout the salt marsh. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Weaveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; takes shape by establishing paths and connections between locations of importance, which furthermore helps organize and define the boundaries of the salt marsh. THE WEAVE

The weave is derives its shape from points that represent varying levels of hierarchy. These points are identified as venues, areas of attraction, or street intersections. This interconnectivity helps the flow of bike and pedestrian traffic throughout the site. In order for the salt marsh to be successful, there needs to be a clear and effective way to connect each side of the salt marsh and the islands within it.

The Weave

WEAVE KEY

Points of Entry Primary Secondary Tertiary

Addition of Islands 76

VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

ADDITION OF ISLANDS

With the establishment of the salt marsh, bringing a sense of life to the body of water became a primary focus of its design. Adding islands of program makes this location of the site a true centerpiece. Just as The Weave defines paths surrounding the salt march, it defines the island shapes and pathways as well. Adding programmed spaces to the islands,

provides amenities for many different types of users, creating an additional layer of liveliness within the salt mash. These spaces include coffee shops, watercraft rentals, and public parks with open spaces. During the Olympics, souvenir shops and information booths will be located here, as well as the ceremonial Olympic Torch. The environmental quality created by these spaces is a vital to the Master Planâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success.

BRIDGING OF ISLANDS

Ease of access to opposing sides of the salt marsh is essential in such a wide body of water spanning from 60m to 150m. The overall Master Plan gains clarity and strength, by linking important features of either side of the salt marsh. Bridging between islands increases pedestrian and bike traffic as well as creates a usable space for the surrounding community.

Final Island Weave VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

BIOSWALE PERMEATION

In order to continue water integration across the site, bioswales permeate the street grid. Bioswales are vegetated gently sloping shallow channels that direct rainwater into specifically designed retention areas. The bioswales naturally absorb water and filter out toxins before they contaminate natural water supplies. The proposed bioswale system is integrated within the Flatsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; street network to channel rainwater runoff and provide a failsafe against flooding. BIOSWALE KEY

Bioswale Locations

Bioswale Permeation in the Olympic Village

SHORELINE EDGE CONDITIONS

Due to the rise in sea levels, not all waterfront shorelines can have ideal gradation and planting. Several strategies were explored (as shown in the Rising Sea Level Section and the Bioswale Section) that protect surrounding communities from flooding. The ideal strategy, as shown in the Bioswale section, consists of gradation and planting along the waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edge that would act as a boardwalk and underwater channel system to redirect water retention and add safeguard against flooding. 78

VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

Bioswale Permeation

2050 Water Level CurrentWater Level

Rising Sea Level Section

2050 water level Current water level

Bioswale Section VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

TIDAL MARSHLAND SECTION

Plants filter out toxins and excess nutrients, and convert them to vegetative matter. The Tidal Marshland Section shows the wide variety of vegetation and planting that inhabits the gradation at the waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edge. Vegetation begins with salt-tolerant underwater plants such as eelgrass and works up to Salal, a leathery-leaved northwestern shrub tolerant of sun, shade, and moderate elevations. Saltgrass and arrowgrass, native to marshes and salt flat habitats, contribute unique characteristics to the marshland. Closer to the freshwater zone, flowering plants such as jaumea are able to flourish, as well as tufted hairgrasses which can grow up to 1.5 meters tall. Silverweeds appear near the boardwalk as another salt-tolerant flowering plant. Limegrass is essential to the tidal marshland for its toxic mitigating effects. Lime has the ability to nourish beneficial bacteria in soil, especially when used with compost. By implementing these plants on the tidal marshland an ecosystem is created that benefits the salt marsh and the community.

Jaumea Arrowgrass Saltgrass Eelgrass

Tidal Marshland Section 80

VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

Salal

Limegrass Silverweed Tufted Hairgrass

VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

COUPLET The re-routing of Terminal Avenue is proposed to create a couplet surrounding the salt marsh. A couplet, is a pair of parallel, oneway streets that carry opposite directions of signed route or major traffic flow. The proposal places one direction of traffic on either side of the salt marsh. The decision to create a couplet arose from the need to slow traffic flow within the site and downsize the scale of Terminal Avenue. This means the rerouting Terminal Avenue, derailing the SkyTrain, and creating a new east-west arterial connection to Downtown Vancouver.

Re-routing Terminal Avenue

REROUTING TERMINAL AVENUE

Terminal Avenue is False Creek Flatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s busiest roadway. As a result of the re-routing traffic flow, car traffic and the street scale are both reduced. Splitting to one-way traffic on either side of the salt marsh creates a more pedestrian friendly zone. The ease of crossing Terminal Avenue with the split develops a stronger pedestrian connection through and to the salt marsh.

East-Bound Traffic

Couplet Section 82

VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

West-Bound Traffic

DE-RAILING THE SKYTRAIN

Currently, The SkyTrain is an elevated rail system running along Terminal Avenue. In order to mitigate its visual and acoustical disturbance within the site, the SkyTrain is moved to grade level alongside the passenger rails that terminate at Pacific Central Station. Additionally, the SkyTrain is planned to submerge in front of False Creek to mitigate the aforementioned visual and acoustical disturbances. DE-RAILING THE SKYTRAIN KEY

De-railing the SkyTrain

Existing Proposed Stops

THE NEW EAST AND WEST CONNECTION

The New East and West Connection

The City of Vancouver has proposed rerouting heavy traffic flow on the north side of False Creek Flats to increase efficiency to and from the downtown area. Additionally, the City intends to move the overpasses into Downtown to the ground plane to consolidate traffic flow into the city and provide a better pedestrian connection to the False Creek the waterfront. The Olympic Park Master Plan incorporates these proposals, which provide relief for the current traffic of Terminal Avenue. VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

VENUES

BC PLACE (EXISTING)

From a venue standpoint Vancouver is well equipped to host the Summer Games. Scattered throughout the city and surrounding communities, a majority of necessary venues are already accounted for. After placing many of the Summer Olympic events in existing venues, a short list of venues that would need to be built remains. While some of these would be permanent, most of them would be designed with the intent of being retrofitted or removed after the conclusion of the Olympics. The new facilities deemed permanent were the Olympic Village and Transportation Hub. It is necessary to keep these permanent because they will help the urban development for the 2050 vision. The venues that will be temporary or have an intended post-Olympic use include: the Velodrome, the Beach Volleyball complex, the Aquatics Center, the Press and Media Center, and the Olympic Stadium. The idea of flexible venues is important because even though the Olympics are a special event they are short-lived. There is an emphasis in every plan or design element, to keep the future development of Vancouver in mind as well as the transformations it will undergo in the decades to come. The addition of these seven 84

VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

Integration of Venues

VELODROME

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

TRANSPORTATION HUB

AQUATICS CENTER

OLYMPIC VILLAGE

PRESS AND MEDIA CENTER

HOSPITAL (RELOCATION)

OLYMPIC STADIUM

venues gives Vancouver everything it needs to host a complete Summer Games. The addition of a Hospital on our site is also important to note. Current city plans place the Hospital in the location of the proposed the Aquatics Center. However, the new location in the Master Plan just down the road is better suited for the Hospital. While we will not design the hospital, its inclusion is important to the Master Plan. This move allows the Aquatics Center to be placed in a centralized location that will encourage community interaction and dense urban development that the Hospital cannot provide. VENUE PLACEMENT

Each venue location was selected for a number of specific reasons. The decisions are based on extensive research and studying of the layout of the city. The aim is to integrate the venues to form an interactive environment throughout the site. The adjacencies between venues are critical to the development of the Master Plan because it needs to not only function as an Olympic Master Plan, but as a foundation for future urban development. As a result venue locations need to provide the expected stadiumlike atmospheres during the Olympics as well as offer potential future uses such as retail, residential, offices or community centers. VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

TRANSPORTATION HUB

The main reason for the Transportation Hubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s location is that it is at the intersection of several modes of transportation, including light rail, vehicular, bus, and pedestrian traffic. This makes it a vital area of the site where many people will be coming and going. The efficiency of this hub is essential to the success of our Master Plan. The second reason integrates Pacific Central Station into the design of the Master Plan. This historic and iconic piece of Vancouver has stood since 1919 and is still in use today. Additions to this area will be sensitive to the historic nature of the station and help resolve traffic issues and connectivity throughout the site. Tying into the nearby existing fabric, this new hub will help all forms of transportation run smoothly and efficiently.

Integration of Transportation Hub

TRANSPORTATION HUB KEY

Bus Skytrain STADIUM

After determining Vancouverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s existing venue, BC Place, was not large enough to host the Summer Games, a new Olympic Stadium was incorporated into the Master Plan. This venue would hold athletic competitions as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. With a 86

VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

Integration of Stadium

minimum of 60,000 spectators, the Olympic Stadium will be a large focal point for the Master Plan. Given its importance and presence, it was necessary to locate the stadium at the terminus of the salt marsh to become the centerpiece of the Olympic Park Master Plan. This creates exceptional views and visual orientation for visitors and residents. Placing the stadium at the opposite corner of the site from BC Place also creates a hierarchy and helps to ground the site. PRESS AND MEDIA CENTER

Integration of Press and Media Center

The Press and Media Center is difficult to place because of its size, second to only the Olympic Stadium. An important criteria is its need for close proximity to the stadium. Therefore it resides in the are area north of the stadium and just south of the rail lines. OLYMPIC VILLAGE

Integration of the Olympic Village

The Olympic Village is placed in the southeast quadrant of the site in order to increase density in the downtown area and seamlessly continue the existing Olympic Village from the 2010 Winter Games. It is placed south of the salt marsh, thereby increasing property value for new residences. Post-Olympic plans include adding additional residential units, retail and community spaces, which will turn the Village into mixed use development that cohesively connects to the surrounding communities. VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

Given its close relationship with water, the Beach Volleyball complex is placed adjacent to False Creek. In addition, the city of Vancouver has plans to build a new park with residential high-rise apartments in the surrounding area. Integrated into this new park and False Creek, the complex would be widely accessible for pedestrians and bikers who are arriving at the site. As a temporary venue, the post-Olympic plans for this open air complex can be very diverse given its central location to existing downtown and the new development.

Integration of Beach Volleyball

VELODROME

The placement of the Velodrome relies on two key features. The first is that it serves as a ‘hinge’ point for the overall master plan. This hinge is where the existing False Creek water boundary meets our proposed salt marsh. As an important part of our design, it offers a great site to place a medium sized venue. The second factor of the Velodrome’s placement is that it is at the start of the Central Valley Greenway. This Greenway is a network of offroad paths suitable for pedestrians and cyclists. It is 24 km long and begins at the Velodrome, and terminate at the New Westminster Quay. This pedestrian path connects Vancouver to 88

VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

Central Valley Greenway Integration of Velodrome

tal spi o dH ose p tal o r spi y P ion o t i H C cat ate Lo loc e R

City Proposed Hospital Relocated Hospital

Relocation and Integration of Hospital

the surrounding communities of Burnaby and New Westminster. HOSPITAL (RELOCATION)

The City of Vancouver currently has plans to relocate and rebuild St. Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital from downtown Vancouver in the northwest corner of the False Creek Flats. The need for a larger building prompted the move so that the hospital could become a world class center. In order to have connection and access to the surrounding communities the hospitals future site is relocated to the northeast quadrant of the Master Plan. AQUATICS

Downtown Historic Mixed Residential Commercial

Key to the Aquatics center is connectivity to nearby communities. Along with a close relationship to the community, it is important to locate it near the transportation hub. This allows ease of access to and from other parts of the city. The Aquatics Centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s central location allows it to be a valuable venue for post-Olympic use. Its intent is to become a community pool and recreation facility while that still preserves the ability to hold high level competitions. The Aquatics Center will be a driver in the densifying urban development of False Creek Flats for decades to come.

Integration of Aquatics VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT

A main reason for the placement of the Olympic Village is to capitalize on momentum established by the development of the 2010 Winter Olympic Village. The new Village is deliberately structured in a way that seamlessly tied the two together. The use of small blocks, varying degrees of street hierarchy and a density similar to the 2010 Village all helped in keeping a consistent language. The street hierarchy is important because it will help delegate a majority of the traffic to commercial areas while keeping the Village streets relatively quiet. The Village places a large emphasis on a well established and connected pedestrian network with plenty of paths and open spaces. This provides efficiency of movement through the site and into the surrounding areas. The Village will also feature a Central Plaza that links adjacent buildings and creates a common space with many different uses. VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT KEY

College Blocks Future Development Pedestrian Path Vehicular Path Access Control Points Olympic Village Development 90

VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

VILLAGE ZONES

The zoning in the Olympic Village focuses on creating a dense, mixed-use environment. The integration of residential high-rises with retail or commercial spaces on the street level is vital to creating a healthy density. An adjacent operational zone will be responsible for carrying out security, functions and back of house services that support the Village. VILLAGE GREEN SPACES

Olympic Village Zones

In Vancouverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s effort to become the greenest city in the world, it is important to include plenty of green space. An even distribution of parks throughout the Village allows any resident to be in close proximity to a park at any time. Along with street grade green space, the integration of green roofs is also something included within the Village. Considering the high density of the Village the green spaces create an atmosphere that felt open and clean. This Allows residents to be surrounded by green space while on the top of their complex would give them a sense of freedom along with a close connection to nature. VILLAGE ZONE AND SPACES KEY

Olympic Village Green Spaces

Residential Retail and Commercial Olympic Operations Parks Green roofs VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

WARPED GRID To create a better connection to Vancouver to and from the False Creek Flats, an update needed to occur in the siteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s street and pedestrian network. To reconcile with the existing city grid, a warped grid has been used to mend the False Creek Flats into the city of Vancouver. The salt marsh, venue placement and street shapes all play a roll in designating the warped grid structure.

Existing Grid

EXISTING GRID

Vancouver has an existing urban grid that the new False Creek Flats must coincide with. To comply, the new Master Plan will stay true to the grid at the edges of the site. THE WEAVE

The peaks and troughs of the weave intersect with the anchor points of the urban grid. The weave reveals the important connections within the site to allow for a welcoming flow of traffic along the marsh. The weave also helps shape the salt marsh and creates connections between elements along and across it.

The Weave

WEAVED WATER/VENUE PLACEMENT

The venues are placed in relation to the water to strengthen the connection to the salt marsh. This will help densify the area around the 92

VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

Venue Placement

marsh and help form it into the main center for pedestrian flow. WARPED GRID

Warped Grid

Once the venues were placed, the grid was applied to the site. The grid works with the anchor points at the edge of the site and around the marsh to form space on the site. Attractor and repellor points determine how areas will treat flow of space through the site. WARPED GRID KEY

Venues Anchor points SHAPE OF STREETS

Shape of Streets

The new urban street grid in the False Creek Flats is created with the formation of the main streets along the weave of the water. Main North-South connections are maintained but shaped by the warped grid and few connections are allowed across the marsh to control the flow of car traffic in the area. THE SPACES IN-BETWEEN

Although the warped grid, attractors, and repellors form the main spaces of the Master Plan, there is still â&#x20AC;&#x153;in-betweenâ&#x20AC;? space left. This space leaves potential for the details of the Master Plan to come to fruition. The Spaces In-between VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

PEDESTRIAN CONNECTIONS

This diagram depicts the shortest possible distances people would want to take to get to the important nodes such as sports stadiums and transportation stops. The red dots represent bus stops and the burgundy dots represent the SkyTrain. PEDESTRIAN INTENSITY

The pedestrian intensity is represented by overall areas of movement. The highest concentration is between the Beach Volleyball complex, Velodrome and Aquatics Center. This area is important because it features the major transportation hub. In addition to the hub, it is also a major area for pedestrian movement and bikes. The diagram highlights the connectivity between the East and West by the salt marsh. An intersecting North-South pedestrian and vehicular connection links nearby communities to the salt marsh and Olympic Stadium. PEDESTRIAN NETWORK

Pedestrian Connections

Pedestrian Intensity

The previous intensity diagram led to mapping out the actual major pedestrian paths that people would use across our site. Tying in the village to the salt marsh and establishing a major NorthSouth connection. The inclusion of secondary pedestrian paths in dark brown is shown, as minor paths, including the movement across the salt marsh islands, the Village, the Hospital, and Aquatics Center. Pedestrian Network 94

VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

BIKE NETWORKS

The dashed lines represent the existing bike network, and the solid lines represent the proposed bike network. The new bike lanes connect to the existing network to provide a cohesive system that improves the cities current network. BIKE NETWORK KEY

Bike Networks

Existing Proposed BUS NETWORKS

This shows the existing bus routes and our proposed extension along the couplet. With bus stops placed along the couplet, this will provide access to the village, stadium, and media and press center BUS NETWORK KEY

Existing Proposed Stops Bus Networks

SKYTRAIN NETWORK

This diagram shows the existing sky train route and Vancouverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future proposed additional routes, both elevated and underground. On our site, we are proposing to move the elevated SkyTrain and reroute it to ground level, parallel to the train tracks. This move is justified as not to cast a huge infrastructure shadow along the salt marsh and to make a pure, ideal moment without noise through the center of our site. SkyTrain Network VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

COMMERCIAL STREET

These 28 meter streets are used in accordance with the salt marsh. The streets have parking along it, and it will include a protected bike lane. Bioswales are built in for drainage to the salt marsh. These streets are designed to accommodate this drainage because they are located next to the salt marsh. RESIDENTIAL STREET

The residential streets are mainly located in the Olympic Village area. These streets are one way streets that share access with bikes. They are more pedestrian friendly and may contain program such as cafes to accommodate this atmosphere. MIXED USE STREET

These streets are slightly smaller in scale than the commercial streets, but contain a similar street scape and programmatic elements. ACCESSWAY

These streets are only be used for services for buildings, not as transportation for vehicles. The nine meter access-way is split into 6 meters of paved road and the three remaining meters serve as employee parking.

Arterial Commercial Mixed Use Residential Accessways Street Grid

VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

Commerical Street VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

Residential Street 98

VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

Mixed Use Street VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

GRASSHOPPER SCRIPT

The design of the streets within the Master Plan was developed through Grasshopper as a parametric design script. The script begins with points, in order to draw polylines or interpolated curves as street centerlines. Centerlines are then identified as different street types and designed with a unique set of parameters that describe street zones. The script uses the dimensions of each zone as parameters to offset lines from the street centerlines; from there it uses these lines to draw each aspect of the street. Each street type is given a designated number of lanes and parking lanes as needed. Street zones are then added: the bioswales, bike lanes, furniture zones, pedestrian through zones, and the building frontage. Trees, furniture, and lamps are then added into the furniture zone with parameters of size and scale. Building footprints can be parameterized, and then extruded as building masses. These extrusions can be based on a gradient map that can describe different conditions influencing building height, such as a desired density. This parametric design process provides instantaneous iterations that affords the opportunity to test many different design ideas. Grasshopper Script 100 VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

Intersection Points

Centerlines

Streets

Parking

Street Zones

Furniture

Move

Footprint

Buidings VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN 101

OLYMPIC PARK A major aspect to our Master Plan, was how the Olympic Park would look in 2028 and the transformation it would go through to get there. As illustrated in the diagram labeled â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Present,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; the False Creek Flats is extremely underdeveloped compared to the surrounding communities. As the games draw nearer, an emphasis on creating an urban density will be a top priority. Once established, the plan for 2050 will be integrated with the addition of more residential high-rises and office spaces. This transformation from underdeveloped wasteland to highly functioning, dense urban community will help Vancouver achieve their goals for the future. PROGRAMMING

Current development on the site is very industrial. As a rail yard with sporadic developments mixed in, there is not much value in the False Creek Flats. Our goal is to develop the site by adding usable green space, new businesses, and residential mixed use buildings. In addition, Olympic Venues and community function spaces will be incorporated. Looking at 2050, the goal will be to evenly distribute spaces throughout the site to create one cohesive language of integrated communities. 102 VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

Programming - Present, 2028, 2050

ZONING

Currently, the site is mostly an industrial district surrounded by mixed residential. For the 2028 Olympics, in addition to phasing out the majority of the industrial districts, a new district should be created called the Olympic Entertainment District. This new district would encourage the creation of a highly designed, highly densified, mixed used community with emphasis on sustainability and social interaction. As the site begins to mature, areas which were previously designated for Olympic use (Such as the Olympic Training Park, Olympic Village, and Communications Center) will begin to take on a community oriented purpose. While the function of most of these buildings will essentially remain the same, the end user will change from professional athletes to professional Vancouverites. To better accommodate the aforementioned district, special consideration should be given towards how the Olympic venues are incorporated into the site so they may be repurposed or scaled down to better suit the new community. The end result will be an Olympic master plan which positively impacts the host city for generations to come. Zoning - Present, 2028, 2050 VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN 103

2028 MASTER PLAN

The overall concept for the 2028 plan, is to transform the underdeveloped False Creek Flats into a cohesive Olympic Master Plan. The Master Plan will feature four main event venues, an Olympic Village, and the Media and Press Center. Along with these program elements, there will be new businesses, restaurants, and a Hospital. During the Olympics, it is imagined that, for security issues, the Olympic Village will stay contained as the only residential units on the site. Venues will integrate into the surrounding functions as well as site design. This will produce an efficient Master Plan that begins to lay the groundwork for future development. The 2028 plan will incorporate a lot of green space that is usable for spectators. The green spaces will also define clear areas for future development. Since this transformation will take years, each step in the process must be carefully examined before construction begins. Each space that is built in advance of the games must have a post-Olympic use. The future of the False Creek Flats and the City of Vancouver will rely heavily on the dense urban development once the Olympics conclude.

Olympic Master Plan 2028 104 VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

2050 PLAN

By 2050, the idea is for the False Creek Flats area to be a key element of Vancouver. With no wasted space, this dense urban development will become the life of the city. Lined with shops, restaurants, and retail, the mixed-use aspects of the Master Plan will become lively and interactive spaces for residents and visitors. The key aspect for developing towards 2050 will be integrating multiple functions to create a cohesive and balanced language throughout the site. We are aiming to bring high-quality living arrangements to thousands of people over the next few decades. The addition of the salt marsh and the world class venues nearby will work to increase property values throughout the site. One of the main problems with hosting an Olympics is that many times, venues are built with no intended use once the games conclude. Our plan critically looks at how each of the venues could change and become something of great value. For instance, the Aquatics Center might become a community pool and fitness center that draws in hundreds of people per day. This would bring value to the site and connect people not only in the False Creek Flats, but also from neighboring communities. Vancouver 2050 Plan VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN 105

Velodrome Section Though Velodrome and Beach Volleyball Venues

Section Through the Olympic Village, Couplet, Transportation Hub, and Aquatics Center 106 VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

Telus World of Science

Olympic Village

False Creek Flats

Couplet

Beach Volleyball

Transportation Hub

Aquatics Center VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN 107

Down the Salt Marsh, Towards the Stadium 108 VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN 109

Down the Salt Marsh, Towards the City 110 VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

111

Aerial of 2028 Olympic Master Plan 112 VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN 113

DESIGN SUMMARY

An identity for False Creek Flats is forged by engaging the existing urban fabric, connecting the Flats to the greater city, and densifying the area through the creation of meaningful spaces. This is accomplished through a series of five driving concepts: changing the topography, creating the salt marsh, rerouting Terminal Avenue, creating a couplet, placement of the major venues, and warping the street grid. By re-grading the site and adding the salt marsh, rising sea levels and future flooding are combated through the creation of an aesthetic experience. The salt marsh reintroduces a spirit to the Flats that has been missing for the past century and will draw people into the site. Splitting False Creek Flatsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; main road, Terminal Avenue, into a couplet reduces heavy traffic flow. Through careful placement of the major venue, nodes form and inform the densification of the Flats. The street grid warping adds character and flow to the flats without breaking the existing urban fabric or street grid. The new identity created for the False Creek Flats will benefit the City of Vancouver not only for the 2028 Summer Olympics but far into its future.

Rendered 2028 Olympic Master Plan 114 VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN

VANCOUVER MASTER PLAN 115

CITATIONS VANCOUVER CONTEXT

01_ The Economist. 2015. ‘The World’s Most ‘Liveable’ Cities’.

Figure 07_ Burchfield, Marcy, and Anna Kramer. 2015. Population Gain And Loss In Established Urban Areas, Metro Vancouver, 2001-2011. Image. MATERIALITY

Should Take to Heart.” City Lab. July 27, 2012. 06_ “Transportation 2040.” City of Vancouver. October 30, 2012. 07. “Mayor’s Plan.” Mayors Council. 2015.

01_ “Architecture of Vancouver.” Wikipedia.

08_ “Leaving a Transportation Legacy.” London. March 1, 2012.

02_ Watson, Bruce. 2015. ‘The Story Of Vancouver | A Vancouver Historical Society Project’. VancouverHistorical-Society.Ca.

02_ Bula, Frances. “Cracks in the City of Glass.” The Globe and Mail. August 1, 2012.

Figure 01_ Chan, Kenneth. “SkyTrain Canada Line Records 200 Millionth Passenger.” Vancity Buzz. November 21, 2014.

03-04_ “Neighbourhood.” Mount Pleasant.

03_ “Greenest City Action Plan.” Vancouver.ca. 2014.

05_ Burchfield, Marcy, and Anna Kramer. 2015. Growing Pains: Understanding The New Reality Of Population And Dwelling Patterns In The Toronto And Vancouver Regions. The Neptis Foundation.

Figure 01_ “City of Glass.” Vancouver Homes.

Figure 02_ Vancouver Airport Authority. “YVR: Your Airport 2027: 20- Year Master Plan.” YVR. 2006.

Figure 02_ “How Vancouver Greened Its Waterfront | LMN Architects.” LMN Architects How Vancouver Greened Its Waterfront Comments. 2015.

Figure 03_ “Frequent Transit Network in Metro Vancouver.” Translink. September 2, 2013.

Figure 01_ Open Learning Agency. 2015. Vancouver Before The Amalgamation Of 1929. Image.

TRANPORTATION

Figure 02_ Matthews, James. 2015. Plan Of Burrard Peninsula - Distribution Of Population Estimated For 1950. Image.

01_ “Transportation 2040 Plan: A Transportation Vision for the City of Vancouver.” City of Vancouver. February 10, 2015.

Figure 03_ Image created by Melissa Gaddis

02_ Chan, Kenneth. “Special Series The Vancouver Summer Olympic Games.” Vancity Buzz. August 16, 2012.

Figure 04_ Walker, Elizabeth. 1999. Street Names Of Vancouver. Vancouver, B.C.: Vancouver Historical Society. 92-93. Figure 05_ Walker, Elizabeth. 1999. Street Names Of Vancouver. Vancouver, B.C.: Vancouver Historical Society. 94-95. Figure 06_ Walker, Elizabeth. 1999. Street Names Of Vancouver. Vancouver, B.C.: Vancouver Historical Society. 96-97. 116 CITATIONS

03_ “Games of the XXXI Olympiad 2016 Working Group Report.” March 14, 2008. 04_ General Manager of Planning and Development Services and Acting General Manager of Engineering Services. “Removal of the Georgia and Dunsmuir Viaducts.” City of Vancouver. October 6, 2015. 05_ Toderian, Brent. “3 Lessons Every Olympic City

Figure 04_ General Manager of Planning and Development Services and Acting General Manager of Engineering Services. “Removal of the Georgia and Dunsmuir Viaducts.” City of Vancouver. October 6, 2015. Figure 05_ Steer Davies Gleave, and SNC-Lavalin. “UBC Line Rapid Transit Study.” Translink. August 1, 2012. Figure 06_ Chan, Kenneth. “TransLink Mayors’ Council Proposes $7.5 Billion, 10-year Transportation Expansion Plan.” Vancity Buzz. June 12, 2014. Figure 07_ Krueger, Paul. “Dunsmuir Separated Bike Lane.” Flickr. June 22, 2011. GREEN SPACE

01_ “Greenest City 2020 Action Plan.” Greenest City Action Plan. June 25, 2015.

02_ “Greenest City 2020 Action Plan Part Two: 20152020.” Greenest City Action Plan. June 25, 2015. 03_ “Parks, Gardens, and Beaches.” Parks, Gardens, and Beaches. December 4, 2015. Figure 01_ “The Seawall in Vancouver.” The Seawall in Vancouver. May 1, 2015. Figure 02-03_ “Greenest City 2020 Action Plan.” Greenest City Action Plan. June 25, 2015. Figure 04_ “Greenest City 2020 Action Plan Part Two: 2015-2020.” Greenest City Action Plan. June 25, 2015 Figure 05_ “Wild 4 Washington Wine: Day Two: Gone Walking.” Wild 4 Washington Wine: Day Two: Gone Walking. March 7, 2013. ZONING AND CITY GUIDELINES

01_ ”City of Vancouver Zoning Map” October 28, 2014. 02_ False Creek Official Land Area Development Plan, By-law No. 48l2. April 1998

06_ “Be Blown Away.” The Eye of the Wind.

05_ “Greenest City 2020 Action Plan.” City of Vancouver.

07_ “Spotlight.” History of Vancouver BC.

06_ “Passive Design Building Guidelines”. City of Vancouver.

08_ Russwurm, Lani. “The Great Vancouver Fire.” Past Tense. August 4, 2009. Figure 01_ “City of Vancouver Zoning Map” October 28, 2014. Figure 02-11_ False Creek Official Land Area Development Plan. Vancouver, 1998. 1-86. Figure 12_ Canada. City of Vancouver. Planning and Development Services. General Policy for Higher Buildings. Vancouver, B.C.: Planning Dept., 2014. Print. Image edited by Will Dubois. Figure 13-14_ Canada. City of Vancouver. Standing Committee on Planing and Environment. Implementation of “Vancouver Views” and Opportunities for Higher Buildings in the Downtown. Vancouver, B.C.: Planning Dept., 2010. Print. WIND AND SOLAR

07_ “Climate Change Adaptation Strategy.” City of Vancouver. Figure 01_ Vancouver Monthly Temperature and Precipitation. World Weather Online. Figure 02_ Plant Hardiness Zones. Cornhill Nursery New Brunswick, Canada. Figure 03_ “Vancouver Climate Data.” Weather-andClimate.com. Figure 04-05_ Solar Potential and Cloudy Days Map. Community Energy Explorer. Figure 06-07_ “Windfinder.com - Wind and Weather Statistic Vancouver Intl Airport.” Windfinder.com. Figure 08_ Vancouver 2012 GHG Emission Sources. Greenest City 2020 Action Plan. City of Vancouver.

03_ Chappell, Jim. “Vancouver’s View Corridors.” SPUR. November 1, 2003.

01_ “ASHRAE Plant Hardiness Zones”. Cornhill Nursery - New Brunswick, Canada.

Figure 09-10_ “Passive Design Building Guidelines.” City of Vancouver.

04_ Canada. City of Vancouver. Planning and Development Services. General Policy for Higher Buildings. Vancouver, B.C.: Planning Dept., 2014. Print.

02_ “The Climate and Weather of Vancouver, British Columbia.” Living in Canada.

ECOSYSTEM

05_ Canada. City of Vancouver. Standing Committee on Planing and Environment. Implementation of “Vancouver Views” and Opportunities for Higher Buildings in the Downtown. Vancouver, B.C.: Planning Dept., 2010. Print.

03_ “Vancouver, British Columbia Climate & Temperature”. ClimaTemps.com. 04_ “Community Energy Explorer.” Community Energy Explorer.

01_ Morton, Brian. “Prime Vancouver Property Designated Flood Plain.” July 5, 2014. 02_ British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Sea Level Rise Adaptation Primer: A Toolkit to Build Adaptive Capacity on Canada’s South Coasts. Prepared by The Arlington Group Planning + Architecture, EBA A Tetra CITATIONS 117

Tech Company, De Jardine Consulting, Sustainability Solutions Group.: Province of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, 2013. 03_ Schaefer, Glen. “Vancouver Prepares for Winter Flooding, ‘King Tides’” The Vancouver Sun. November 9, 2015. 04_ Bornhold, Brian D. “Projected Sea Level Changes for British Columbia in the 21st Century.” December 1, 2008. 05_ Glavin, Terry. “Rivers Run beneath Us.” The Georgia Straight. July 21, 2005. 06_ Canada. City of Vancouver. Planning and Development Services. Northeast False Creek Directions for the Future. Electronic. Adopted by City Council on November 17, 2009. 07_ US Department of the Interior, the ecology of the Pacific Northwest coast: a community profile, by D.M. Seliskar and J.L. Gallagher: US Fish and Wildlife Service, October 1983.

Flounder_ Telnes, Kare. “Flounder.” Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted). Sockeye Salmon_ Mieras, Peter. “Salmon Tails - Subvision Productions.” Subvision Productions. September 23, 2015. Littleneck Clams_ Brown University. “Coastal Dead Zones May Benefit Some Species, Scientist Finds.” ScienceDaily. Sturgeon_ Unattributed. “40 Species for 40 Years of the Endangered Species Act.” NOAA Fisheries. Sea Otter_ Makarchuk, Meighan. “Tanu Eats a Crab.” AquaBlog. September 19, 2013. Dungeness Crab_ Groth, Scott. “Dungeness Crab.” ODFW Recreational Crab Fishing, Crab Behavior. Bald Eagle_ jscott7357. “Boundary Bay Eagle.” Bald Eagles Return to Vancouver. Perch_ Unattributed. “Perch.” Amphibians/Fish | Rimrose Valley Friends.

08_ Unattributed. “Coastal Salt Marsh.”

WATER DRAINAGE

Oolichan_ Unattributed. “A Is for Aubrie.” Feasting.

01_ “Greenest City 2020 Action Plan Part Two: 20152020.” Greenest City Action Plan. June 25, 2015

Harbor Seal_ “Harbor Seal.” Wildlife Around Westpoint Harbor in Redwood City.

02_ “Managing Rain and Stormwater Runoff.” Managing Rain and Stormwater Runoff. July 12, 2012.

Figure 03_ Collinge, Matthew. “Great Vancouver Neighbourhoods - Mountain View.” ActiveRain. July 23, 2008. Figure 04_ “Green Roofs Tackle Stormwater - Part I.” The Green Rooftop. April 7, 2013. Figure 05-06_ Image created by Ryan Hergott. SITE ANALYSIS

01_ “False Creek Flats Area Profile.” Vancouver.ca. May 11, 2015. 02_ Mackie, John. “Photographic Memories.” Vancouver Sun. July 16, 2015. 03_ City of Vancouver, Engineering Services.“False Creek Flats Rail Corridor Strategy.” October 30, 2008. Figure 01_ Mackie, John. “Photographic Memories.” Vancouver Sun. July 16, 2015. Figure 02_ “False Creek Flats – Vancouver Economic Commission.” Vancouver Economic Commission. MASTER PLAN HISTORY

01_ “The Olympic Games.” History.com. 2010.

Redrock Crab_ Pisarevskiy, Sergey. Red Rock Crab (Grapsus Grapsus). 2012. Plaza Sur, Galapagos. Web. 8 Dec. 2015

Figure 01_ “Interview with Portland BES.” Green Infrastructure Digest. August 2, 2010.

02_ “Beijing Olympics 2008 - Summer Olympic Games.” Beijing Olympics 2008 - Summer Olympic Games.

Blue Heron_ Unattributed. “Great Blue Heron.”

Figure 02_ Barnard, Christian. “Green Streets Victoria BC.” Christian Barnard Blog. July 26, 2010.

03_ “Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics | Olympic Videos, Photos, News.” Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics | Olympic

118 CITATIONS

Videos, Photos, News. 04_ Fowler, Geoffrey, and Stacy Meichtry. “China Counts the Cost of Hosting the Olympics.” WSJ. July 16, 2008. 05_ Gibson, Owen. “Sochi 2014: The Costliest Olympics Yet but Where Has All the Money Gone?” The Guardian. October 9, 2013.

Figure 05_ “Athens Olympics Deemed ‘waste of Money and All for Show’ as Venues Crumble | The National.” Legacy of 2004 Athens Games Largely Debt and Desolation as Olympic Venues Crumble. August 13, 2014.

2010.” Tourism Vancouver. March 10, 2010.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Figure 01_ “2012 Olympics Host City Contract Technical Manuals.” March 26, 2010.

01_ Long, Judith. “Rethinking Olympic Infrastructure.” LSE Cities.

06_ Hume, Mark. “Vancouver Olympics worth the $7-billion Price Tag, Study Says.” The Globe and Mail. October 23, 2013.

02_ “Fact Sheet: Roles and Responsibilities During the Olympic Games.” Olympic.org. December 2, 2013.

07_ Lim, Louisa. “China’s Post-Olympic Woe: How To Fill An Empty Nest.” NPR. July 10, 2012.

03_ “2012 Olympics Host City Contract Technical Manuals.” 2012 Olympics Host City Contract Technical Manuals. March 26, 2010.

08_ Azpiri, Jon. “What Is the Legacy of the Vancouver Winter Olympics?” Global News What Is the Legacy of the Vancouver Winter Olympics. February 10, 2015. 09_ Rosenberg, Jennifer. “What Happened During the Munich Massacre?” About.com Education. Figure 01_ “The Chariot.” Photographic Memory. March 4, 2012. Figure 02_ Martins, Estefani. “Opera10: Olimpíadas, Política E Competição.” Opera10: Olimpíadas, Política E Competição. Figure 03_ “Bungle in the Beijing Jungle.” Bungle in the Beijing Jungle. July 30, 2012. Accessed December 11, 2015. https://adambeijingadventures.wordpress.com/. Figure 04_ Deitch, Ian. “Palestinians Mutilated Israeli Athlete in 1972 Olympics Attack in Munich, Says Athlete’s Widow.” US News. December 2, 2015.

04_ Wilson, Stephen. “Olympics Committee Takes New Steps to Mourn Dead, including Munich 11.” February 3, 2015. 05_ “Massive Attempt to Guard Atlanta Still Isn’t Enough.” The Baltimore Sun. July 28, 1996. 06_ Brown, David. “Smiths Detection Moves Forward with Tunnel of Truth.” Homeland Security News Wire. November 3, 2006. 07_ Giebels, Martijn. “London 2012; Olympic Village (Legacy).” Architecture of the Games. September 2, 2014.

10_ Magnay, Jacquelin. “One Year On: The Transformation of London’s Olympic Park.” The Telegraph. June 25, 2013.

Figure 02_ Pelling, Kirstie. “London 2012 Olympic Park Tour: A Re-generation Story.” The Family Adventure Project. January 7, 2013. Figure 03-04_ “2012 Olympics Host City Contract Technical Manuals.” 2012 Olympics Host City Contract Technical Manuals. March 26, 2010. Figure 05_ “East Village, London.” Wikipedia. April 16, 2012. Figure 06_ “Hotel/Motel Rooms Available in Metro Vancouver 2010.” Tourism Vancouver. March 10, 2010. Figure 07_ Chan, Kenneth. “The Vancouver Summer Olympic Games (Part II).” Vancity Buzz. August 17, 2012. OLYMPIC VENUES

01_ Chan, Kenneth. “The Vancouver Summer Olympic Games.” Vancity Buzz. August 17, 2012. Figure 01_ Image created by Justin Cain.

08_ Dunmall, Giovanna. “What Happens to London’s Olympic Village After the Games?” Conde Nast Traveler. August 2, 2012. 09_ “Hotel/Motel Rooms Available in Metro Vancouver CITATIONS 119