Quote:
Originally Posted by Marshal
Yes, I think people's ideals are getting a bit mixed up with reality. Urbanity is a wider concept than a busy dense compound condition of multiple uses. Brentwood is not Bloor and Yonge, it's not even Metrotown. It is very urban in its own way. Just compare it downward to Phoenix, Dallas, or Portland. Who would expect to find the conditions of Sherbrooke in suburban Burnaby. The Brentwood area is developing a new urbanity/suburbanity that is rare in NA, even Toronto.
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Given that Brentwood started out as postwar suburbia oriented around arterial roads and a nearby highway, with large blocks and the SkyTrain added in relatively recently, it was never going to turn into something like the good parts of downtown Vancouver. But it's going to turn into something much better than what the old mall was and what most suburban areas in North America area like. It's nice that all of the people priced out of inner Vancouver can at least have an ersatz urban environment like this nearby instead of just a bunch of Port Coquitlams.
I think it's interesting to look at the different parts of Vancouver and why they do or don't feel satisfying in terms of urbanity. I find Coal Harbour pretty lackluster. A lot of the periphery around Yaletown also feels boring even though it is densely developed.