Dream Vancouver started with a simple idea - that citizens, not politicians or bureaucrats know what's really best for their community.
Between October 2007 and November 2008, we brought people together to discuss their public policy ideas and priorities for the City of Vancouver.
Dream Vancouver has hosted, listened and involved thousands of people at our conference, forums and workshops, and through our survey.
The objective of Dream Vancouver was to get people to participate in dreaming about our city. After receiving feedback from over 3,000 Vancouverites, those of us at Think City believe it's time to turn those dreams into action. We are ending Dream Vancouver and launching four new projects based on what you told us. Those four projects are:
Dream 15 - an advocacy campaign that will promote the adoption and implementation of the Think City's fifteen policy solutions on affordable housing, transportation and citizen engagement.
Car-free Crossing - an exploration of alternative options for crossing False Creek – for people, not cars.
Where I Live - a neighbourhood mapping project for citizens by citizens.
Think Housing - a new approach to creating affordable housing for low and middle-income Vancouverites.
Thanks to all of you who participated in the Dream Vancouver process. We hope you will get involved with our new projects. Go to Think City’s volunteer page and indicate which projects interest you in the comments field.
Dreamers
Larry Beasley Wants Vancouver to Soar
Posted November 2nd, 2007
Larry Beasley, former Co-Director of Planning, City of Vancouver: I
can think of no better way to think about the future than to dream
about it, and then to share those dreams; otherwise you stay within
very constrained limits. Either it’s the limits of the law, or the
limits of the past, or more often it’s the limits of your own
anxieties.
A Modern City-State
Posted October 21st, 2007
Marc Lee, Senior Economist, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives BC: My Vancouver dream is like those ones when you are there in your house and are doing stuff - but it is not really your house here on planet Earth. My Vancouver dream is a lucid dream; I am not passively watching but am an agent of change.
In my Vancouver, we are all still here. The Big One has not hit. Climate change has not levelled the city in a massive storm, or, as is perhaps more likely, Vancouver is not such a desired location to flee to that we turn into a mega-city of Sao Paulo proportions.
Engaged Citizens and Accountable Politicians
Posted October 19th, 2007
Brent Granby, President, West End Residents Association: My dream city is one where the health and happiness of all its citizens is the priority of its policies. A tall order for certain, but one that is possible if Vancouver's elected officials made this their mission.
This is how my dream city would look like. The built environment of the city would be built around people not cars. The sidewalks would be wide and visually interesting. There would be places to sit.