The urban/rural divide in Langley

I was chatting with a friend last night and we got talking about the urban/rural divide in Langley. There has always been tension between the urban and rural in Langley, the classic example being the separation of Langley Prairie from the Township in the 1950’s to form the City of Langley. We were looking at the last election results and noted how the majority of voters are from outside of Walnut Grove and Willoughby as are the majority of those on council; I believe Michelle Sparrow is the only councillor from that area. This is not a slight at other councillors or even Township staff as I think of all the urban infrastructure and community centres (the Langley Event Centre) that got built with that dynamic, though I know all these things have come with great struggle. Going back to the 1990’s, it was even a fight to get the Walnut Grove Community Centre built.

As urban Langley continues to grow, there will be even more pressure to build urban infrastructure and even more opposing pressure from those that are in rural Langley that don’t see the value. With the current dynamic of Township council will the rural voice weight more heavily? Will those in rural Langley value transit service, green boulevards, bike lanes, community centres, and libraries that primarily serve urban Langley? Will they see it as paying for someone else's services?

I know there are some in Langley that want to see the City and the Township become one again. I think there is a higher chance of Willoughby and Walnut Grove becoming part of the City of Langley than an amalgamation to occur. While I’m sure the Township will find a balance, I feel that there will always been this urban/rural tension.

Debate on Sustainability

While many support the idea of a sustainable region, some still don’t see how our built form fits into the equation. In the Township of Langley, there is even a group in Willoughby that is opposed to all development that isn’t single family housing. This same group of people also wants light rail up 200th Street or on the Interurban corridor. While people in other parts of the region might think that mixed-use et al is the only way to go, there is still an on-going debate in the South of Fraser. I actually had a planner from the South of Fraser tell me that he though that Smart Growth was basically stupid.

On that note, I’ve been working on putting together a debate that will take place in the new year on sustainability. While I’m still working on the detail, I’ve got two great speakers lined up who will debate both the merits and challenges of Smart Growth development. I feel that this is an important discussion to have in the South of Fraser which is really the last frontier for greenfield development in Metro Vancouver. Stay Tuned!

The next three years for transit

Since 1999 our region has been trying to build a fully funded transportation system that gives people the choice no to drive a car. First there was supposed to be a vehicle levy to pay for transit expansion which the NDP cancelled, then the BC Liberals restructured TransLink a few times to make it more “professional” and gave it the ability to become a developer, but still things fell through. I think the next two years will be a tipping point for transportation in our region: we are either going to get a transportation system that gives us real options like rapid transit in the South of Fraser or we will have another decade of business as usual. This time around, I actually thing we are going to get a system that give us options.

When the mayors recently voted to increase taxation to pay for bus service expansion and the Evergreen Line, many said that there would be punishment at the polls. The reality is that this did not happen. With the vote to increase tax so close to the civic elections, I think many (including the Province) saw this as a referendum on alternate transportation. With the election out of the way and the pro-transit mayor emerging with a strong mandate, I think we are going to see a long-term funding solution for transit. I also hear that TransLink and the Province have the best working relationship in the history of the organization.

Mayor Dianna Watts is rumoured to be severing her last term at Surrey City Hall and is looking for a light rail legacy. I also think that Christy Clark is looking for something big for the 2013 election. Could the South of Fraser finally get the transit is deserves? I think so!

The big issue, of course, will be funding and I know that there will be a lot of whining by some in the press about "punishing the driver", but at the end of the day people (who drive, walk, take transit, and cycle) want better transit and are willing to pay for it.

McBurney Lane

A while back, I posted about proposed improvements to McBurney Lane in Downtown Langley. Right now McBurney Lane, an aging pedestrian plaza, is cut off from Douglas Park by an ugly parking lot. The design of the new plaza is meant to connect the lane to the park, creating a greenway of sorts between Langley's high-density residential area and walkable commercial core.

Some in the business community are upset because the 21 stall parking lot will be removed and oppose the McBurney Lane redesign. The irony is that the City will actually be increasing parking in this plan. Even with the removal of the parking lot, there will be a net gain of 4 parking spots nearby. At the end of the day, Downtown Langley should be trying to attract the people that live in the City's high-density core which is within walking distance. The Langley Bypass is already serving the regional market.

The new McBurney Lane will help create a sense of place and attract more people to Downtown Langley than the ugly parking lot.

Proposed Design of McBurney Lane. Click Image to Enlarge.

McBurney Lane, South. Click Image to Enlarge.

McBurney Lane, North. Click Image to Enlarge.