Pastoral Capitalism, Business Parks, and Metro Vancouver. Why are we protecting suburbia?

A lot has been said about the spread of suburbia in Canada and the United States, both about the residential development and the accompanying retail development that followed. There have been strong critiques about suburbanization and sprawl. New Urbanism, the antidote to suburbia, is a direct result of these critiques about suburbia. New Urbanism is about building walkable, human-scale communities.

In Metro Vancouver, you can see how New Urbanism principles have been incorporated into the planning ethos. While not always ideally executed, new residential and retail development in South Surrey and in Willoughby in the Township of Langley are rooted in New Urbanism ideals.

One of the areas where there has been a gap in the suburbia critique is around the business park. While we are all about building walkable communities in our region, business parks seem to be the exception.

Farrell Estates - Campbell Heights Commerce Centre. A typical building in a business park in Metro Vancouver. Select image to enlarge.

The one vestiges of mid-twentieth century suburbia that is alive and well in Metro Vancouver is the business park. In fact, our regional growth strategy which is otherwise about building walkable, complete communities, protects and promotes the “mixed-employment” zone; business park suburbia.

Annacis Island is the prototypical mid-twentieth century industrial park. Campbell Heights in Surrey represents the twenty-first century iteration of the industrial, now business park.

Why are business parks and industrial parks even a thing, and why is it the only form of suburbia that we are actively protecting and promoting in Metro Vancouver? One reason is because there has been a lack of critical discourse about business parks, industrial parks, and lesser known research parks.

Earlier last month, I stumbled upon a book call “Pastoral Capitalism” by Louise A. Mozingo who is a professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning at the University of California, Berkeley. In her book, Mozingo provides a brief history of pastoral capitalism. Pastoral Capitalism has its root in the Garden City Movement and the believe that plopping buildings in the middle of green grass with a pond surrounded by some trees, was good for the soul. Cities were thought to promote moral decay.

The Garden City Movement was a response to the polluted, industrial city. Mozingo noted that while pastoral capitalism is rooted in the morality of green grass, there are other insidious undertones behind pastoral capitalism.

Racial and class tensions in the US resulted in white people leaving urban centres; some of the first business parks were in the Southern US and New York. The design of the business park, with no access to public transit, no sidewalks and far from urban cores, ensured that only white, middle- and upper-income people could work in these places.

In the US, there was also a federal mandate to hollow out central business districts because of the fear of nuclear Armageddon.

Mozingo notes three suburban landscapes of pastoral capitalism: the corporate campus, the corporate estate, and the business park. In Canada, there aren’t too many examples of the corporate campus or estate, but we certainly have the business park.

Interestingly enough, the Academic Quadrangle building at SFU’s Burnaby campus is an excellent example of the corporate campus, and has been used as such in movies and TV shows.

The business park in America is different than the business park in Canada. One of the big differences is lot coverage and access. In the US, business parks usually have 25% lot coverage. In Canada, lot coverage is higher. For example in Campbell Heights, lot coverage is 40% to 60%. Sidewalks and transit access are also included in Canadian business parks which are not in American business parks.

Why we promote the business park in Canada and Metro Vancouver is a mystery to me. The pastoral qualities of business parks in Canada are dubious at best. Business parks were designed to isolate people from other people whether by class, race, employer, or union status. Is this really a form of development that is worth protecting?

“Pastoral Capitalism” is right up there with the “High Cost of Free Parking” and “The Death and Life of Great American Cities” as must-read books for anyone that cares about placemaking.

July 10, 2017 Council Meeting Notes: Rezoning application at 198 Street and 55A Avenue. Being good neighbours during construction.

On Monday night, there was a public hearing for a proposed rezoning of property located at the corner of 198 Street and 55A Avenue. The following renderings show what the proposed development would look like if the rezoning application was approved.

View of proposed development from 55A Avenue. Select image to enlarge.

View of proposed development from 198 Street. Select image to enlarge.

At the public hearing, one resident presented to council in support of the rezoning. This individual has provided critical feedback at other public hearings about other rezoning applications. The issues he identified at those public hearings were around construction such as poor crew parking management, poor traffic management, and lack of respect in the neighbourhood by construction crews (for example, littering.)

This individual noted that the proponent of this rezoning listened to his feedback when they completed a previous project in the neighbourhood.

After the public hearing, I asked the proponent if they had a parking plan in place as well as other measures to ensure that they would respect the neighbourhood. The proponent explained their parking management plan for construction crews, and how they will minimize impacts to current residents in the area during construction.

Other important aspects of the proposed development project include enhancements to the pubic realm: streets and sidewalks.

Parking plan, visitor parking yellow. Proposed changes to road dimensions. Select image to enlarge.

The proposed development hides parking which will be accessed via an internal laneway, meaning that both 198 Street and 55A Avenue will be fronted by ground-level windows and pedestrian entrances that will enhance walkability in the area. This will also form a street-wall which will make 198 Street a more inviting place.

198 Street will be narrowed and 1.8-metre sidewalks will be built in the proposed project area. At the 198/55A intersection, curb extensions will be built to improve safety and ensure that people are not parking too close to the intersection.

New street trees will be planted as part of the proposed development, and lighting will be reviewed along the section of 198 Street fronting the proposed project to ensure that lighting levels meet current Langley City standard.

Secure bike parking is also included in the proposed development. The proposed rezoning was given third reading by council.

July 10, 2017 Council Meeting Notes: Fire Service crews extremely busy, drug overdoes up, updates on park improvements, events, and other projects in the community.

With Langley City council adjourning for the month of August, and with only one more meeting left, Monday’s council meeting was packed with updates from our municipal departments, and the RCMP. You can read about the RCMP update on yesterday’s post.

Fire Chief Rory Thompson provided an update about our Langley City Fire-Rescue Service. The service continues to be extremely busy. In the first half of 2016, Langley City Fire-Rescue Service crews responded to 1,573 calls. This has grown to 1,667 calls responded to in the first half of 2017. Around 80% of all call are medical-related, or vehicle collision-related.

Throughout British Columbia, there is a fentanyl and stronger carfentinil drug crises; people are dying due to overdoses at levels unseen in our province. Langley City is not immune to this crises. As shown in the following image, the number of drug overdoses in our community has increase by 3.5 time since 2015.

Number of drug overdoses in Langley City from 2015 to date. Select image to enlarge.

Some people think that this crises is only impacting people that are living on the street. According to Fire Chief Thompson, the clear majority of people that are being treated for overdoses have a home.

On a different topic, our Fire-Rescue Service is moving to a new, next-generation communication system by joining E-Comm. E-Comm is best known for taking 911 calls, but it also operates a wide-area radio network in Metro Vancouver that is used by police, fire, and ambulance services.

By moving to the E-Comm radio network, our Fire-Rescue Service will be on a multi-agency network that facilitates easier communication between police, fire, and ambulance services in our community as well as between Langley City, Township, and Surrey Fire-Rescue Services. During emergencies, having this kind of communication is key. Langley City council approved the budget to move to the E-Comm radio network in our 2017 budget.

Langley City is investing record-level dollars into our parks system and road network. During our Engineering, Parks, and Environment Update, the new Penzer Action Park was highlighted. The $1.3 million Penzer Action Park is home to the largest parkour course in Canada.

Cigarette butts are the number one thing that I see people throw onto the street. Not only is this littering, but it can cause fires. Langley City has installed 5 pole-mounted ashtrays as a pilot to see if this will help address this problem in high-demand areas in our Downtown core.

Example of new pole-mounted ashtray. Select image to enlarge.

Other projects currently under construction include:

• Spray park expansion at City Park
• Hunter Park redevelopment
• New Portage Park picnic shelter
• New Douglas Park outdoor fitness equipment
• Baldi Creek culvert replacement
• Newland Drive/210 Street renewal
• 56 Avenue renewal
• 200 Street Bridge rehabilitation
• 200 Street watermain replacement

As a note, during the 200 Street Bridge rehabilitation, traffic will be reduce to one-lane in each direction. Pedestrian access across the bridge will be maintained.

One of the other significant areas of focus for Langley City is bringing more positive, family-friendly activity to our community. To see a list of all the events that are coming up, please check out the City’s website. There is always something going on. For example, there is an upcoming movie night in Douglas Park.

Finally, Langley City has launched a new “spotlight” video series. This series will highlight some of the reasons why our community is the place to be. These short videos will be posted online and on social media over the next year.

Tomorrow, I’ll be posting about the public hearing and rezoning application for two properties located along 198 Street that was one Monday night's agenda.

July 10, 2017 Council Meeting Notes: RCMP update on key objectives plus addressing homelessness matters and reducing crime in the community

Yesterday was the penultimate Langley City council meeting before our summer break in August. As such, it was packed with updates about our various city departments, plus the first quarter update from the Langley RCMP by Officer in Charge, Superintendent Murray Power.

The RCMP have introduced a new format of reporting to improve their transparency to both council and the community, to provide more information about their objectives, to show enhanced crime statistics, and to highlight significant law enforcement operations. Traditionally, quarterly updates from the RCMP almost exclusively focused on crime statistics.

The Langley RCMP is jointly funded by Langley City, the Township of Langley, and the federal government.

In Langley City, the RCMP’s key goals and objectives are addressing homelessness in our community, and working with Langley City to review our crime reduction strategy. RCMP members sit on our Crime Prevention Task Group which I am currently chairing. To accomplish these goals, RCMP Community Liaison Officers are collaborating with Langley City staff including our bylaw department.

Getting out into the community is also a focus area for the Langley RCMP. Over the summer, more police are on bike patrols as an example. The RCMP has also been involved in community outreach including hosting town hall meetings, and connecting with new immigrant groups where police are not seen as looking after the best interests of residents and communities in their home countries.

Other key goals of the RCMP, according to Power, are to address domestic violence, modernize operations, target crime hot spots to reduce crime, and enhance road safety.

Distracted driving is a serious issue in our community. Power highlighted that the Langley RCMP recently purchased long-range observation equipment. This equipment allows RCMP members to take photos of people in vehicles up to 2km away who are holding electronic devices and driving. This should help enforce distracted driving laws in Langley City.

Power also took time to review crime statistics in Langley City. There are two broad categories of crime statistics: person related offences and property related offences.

As shown in the following chart, property offences were slightly above average until May, when they dropped to below the 5-year rolling average. This drop was due to proactive policing that targeted prolific offenders.

Property related offences in Langley City over the last eight months, including 5-year rolling average.

Person related offences are extremely low in Langley City though there has been one homicide this year. Power explained that the RCMP is working with the restaurant community around the Langley Bypass to help discourage people who are involved in organized crime from frequenting these restaurants.

At the end of Power’s presentation, I asked him what options are available for people if they want to ensure that their home is safe. Power noted that the Langley RCMP provides safety assessments of both homes and businesses at no charge. All people need to do is call the RCMP non-emergency line at 604-532-3200. People should never feel awaked about calling the non-emergency line. The police are here to help, and provide many services that help prevent crime in our community.

I will be posting about other items covered at last night’s council meeting tomorrow and Thursday.