The Vancouver Achievement

by John Punter

Published 1 January 2003
The City of Vancouver, British Columbia, has established an excellent reputation in North America for its planning achievements, particularly its creation of a participative, responsive, and design-led approach to urban regeneration and redevelopment. This book - the first comprehensive account of contemporary planning and urban design practice in any Canadian city - examines the development of the city's unique approach to zoning, planning, and urban design from its inception in the early 1970s to the present day. It builds upon an exhaustive analysis of city planning documents, supplemented by in-depth interviews with leading local planners, politicians, architects, and developers. This heavily illustrated book will appeal to academic and professional audiences, as well as to the general public. "Recognizing that urbanists all over North America and even further afield have started to identify Vancouver as a model city for the future and have attributed this in part to the sustained planning efforts of the local government, this book could become a seminal guide to ongoing study and evaluation of the city."
- Larry Beasley, Co-Director, Planning, City of Vancouver, and Adjunct Professor, School of Community and Regional Planning, University of British Columbia