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Granville: Changing the Island & the Bridge | City Conversations

Cities, Series City Conversations, Arts + Culture, 2019

Major changes are proposed for two Vancouver icons that are linked by name and proximity, one largely reviled, the other beloved but faded.

Granville Bridge

This City Conversations precedes the third phase of public consultation on proposals to convert two lanes of the 8-lane Granville Bridge to cycling and pedestrian paths. The bridge was built in 1957 to provide freeway access for automobiles to downtown, but the connecting freeways were never built and the bridge has never even approached capacity. 

Sixty-two years later, the bridge needs significant structural safety work, and the City is redesigning it for current and future transportation needs. 

At this event, you’ll have an opportunity to learn more about the six designs and discuss your preferences. 

Granville Island

Beneath the bridge is Granville Island, one of Vancouver’s premier attractions. Its charming mix of industrial funk, art, theatre and food is envied around the world. But it’s tired. The Emily Carr University of Art + Design decamped to Mt. Pleasant, leaving a major building deserted, and there have been no significant innovations in years. A critical article in The Tyee by David Beers and Emma Renaerts detailed the island’s deficiencies. But a new governance group has revitalization plans, and they’re thinking big.

Connecting the two?

The Granville Bridge, with truly scary pedestrian and bike infrastructure, crosses over Granville Island with circuitous ramps and even more circuitous and confusing access. One proposal is to connect bridge and island with an elevator and stairs! 

Our presenters for this edition of City Conversations are David Beers, founding editor of The TyeeBethany Dobson, planner for Granville Island; Dale McClanaghan, past chair of the Granville Island Trust and member of the Granville Island Council, and Paul Krueger, Transportation & Public Space Planner, City of Vancouver.

Please join us to learn about the changes, to express your opinions and make your observations. It’s a conversation! And feel free to bring your lunch.

This edition of City Conversations is a presentation of SFU Public Square, sponsored by SFU Vancouver and SFU's City Program.

Thu, 21 Nov 2019

12:30 - 1:30 p.m. (PT)

SFU Vancouver at Harbour Centre
515 West Hastings St.
Fletcher Challenge Canada Theatre (Room 1900)

We respectfully acknowledge that this event takes place on the Unceded, Traditional, Ancestral Territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ, and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm First Nations.

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