24 Hours & Shore 104 FM: Towers & view corridors
Shore 104 FM ‘Moment with Mike’ & 24 Hours today
Each week I’ve had the privilege of discussing politics outside of CityCaucus Tower as a regular columnist in Metro Vancouver’s largest circulation daily commuter newspaper 24 Hours (see the Digital Edition, page 4), and as well on Shore 104.3 FM’s morning show during Thursday’s Moment with Mike segment. It’s been a while since I’ve posted the radio clips, so here’s the last couple below.
October 27, 2010 – The Green Reason for Tall Towers
What Jimmy Pattison wants, Jimmy gets. And Vancouver’s most famous billionaire wants to build a 48-storey tower. I talk about Vancouver’s view corridors policy and why it no longer makes sense as is. The funny part is that one of those view corridors is from the Mayor’s office. That’s the office that Gregor decided he didn’t like and spent $260,000 to build a new one, complete with its secret escape hatch and city council dining room. Time to get rid of that view corridor, I’d say.
Last week we were several days away from the election victory by Rob Ford in Toronto, but the success of Naheed Neshi in Calgary was fresh in our minds…
October 20, 2010 – Twitter, Neshi & Rob Ford
If you ever needed any evidence that Twitter does NOT get you elected, you only need to see the success of Rob Ford in Toronto. The Twittersphere was, in a word, stunned that Ford won, if the tweets on election night were any indication.
Courier adds guest voice
It’s good to see that the Vancouver Courier has invited writers to submit guest columns. This week Michael Geller set the record straight on his views about social housing, and it’s worth a read. See it here.
No to Randy & Evi!
Had enough yet of Randy Quaid and his gal pal? The MSM has dined out on the antics of Randy and Evi for days. My colleague Daniel plans to do something about it, promising that CityCaucus.com will be your Official Randy & Evi Free Zone™. It’s a sacrifice on our part, I know. But from here on we are banning Randy Quaid.
– Originally posted on CityCaucus.com
October 29, 2010 @ 9:14 am
There’s nothing “green” or “sustainable” about higher downtown towers when you can’t expand the services that are needed to support them. There’s no room for new roads or seawalls. There’s no room for new sidewalks. There’s no land for new schools, community centres, fire or police stations.
On top of that, higher towers have given us the architectural atrocities that are the Shangri-La and the Wall Centre…ugly buildings that are completely out of character with the mountains and the skyline.
Why would we ever want to become Dubai or Abu Dhabi?
October 29, 2010 @ 10:05 am
Good questions, RC. I don’t think we want to be Dubai, but we know that Dubai wants to be us, except with strict adherence to the conservative ideals of an autocratic, faith-based government.
http://www.michaelklassen.com/dubai-creek
Do we really lack space? The purpose of towers is to allow for space between them. The private and public realm where people can enjoy the outdoors. That density pays for the amenities you describe.
Also, why can’t we build schools within these towers? Why can’t the bottom three or four floors of a business tower have class space, with an adjacent playing field or park?
And what limits us from designing beautiful buildings? You think that the Shangri-La is lacking something, so why can’t we do better? Seems to me that there is not something to prevent architectural excellence from breaking out all over. We just need some imagination.
October 29, 2010 @ 10:56 am
I was in Calgary 2 weeks ago; there is a tower going up – 56 stories. I beleive Enron is behind it.
It is highly noticable as is dwarfs anything that is currently there.
I am not sure whether it is optically pleasing or not.
For Vancouver, it they want to build something this grand, I would rather have it in the Coal Harbor area – closer to the water than at the base of the downtown core.
October 29, 2010 @ 1:03 pm
LOL. Yep, it’s Enron for sure. Long bankrupt companies always build 56 story towers 5 years later.
Try Encana.
October 29, 2010 @ 1:13 pm
Jimmy Pattison.
He came out of his hiding; he looked to his left, he looked to his right…then Vancouver’s favorite groundhog announced that he definitely seen its shadow. Next he started pushing buttons for a new 48 tower sporting his name, maybe a boutque dealership on the ground-floor, who knows?
Patt-ethic.
October 29, 2010 @ 2:05 pm
Rennie:
Jimmy Pattison has a work ethic unriveled by most. Even at his age, he is into is offices at 4:30 every morning. He is successful in his own right, he has worked hard throughout his life – he did not come from a wealthy family.
You can’t begurdge him his good fortune.