The Metro Vancouver Retail Thread

[Metro-One]

I see some mentally ill homeless people around here. In general they too seem to be much cleaner on average (always exceptions to the rule). Many are taken care of far better by their families than in Vancouver and those that are on the street still have decent access to washrooms and shower facilities. (Which despite being mentally ill most are still able not to trash). Also no dumpsters in Japan, so they don't go binning. A lot of areas hand out leftovers directly to homeless facilities after restaurants close. Agreed that we have to take much better care of our mentally ill. Letting them die on the streets while filling the pockets of vile drug dealers is a terrible solution. So having severely mentally ill people become filthy in the street with little or no intervention is indirectly allowing them to be that way.

As for the Tom Lee sign... I guess you don't want too much visual excitement on your primary entertainment strip......................

[connect2source]

Muji pop-up store coming to the Fairmont Pacific Rim Jan 27 - Feb 28.

As per The Georgia Straight :

"The booking-required setup will help control traffic in the relatively small retail space, which is part of a larger exhibition curated by Fairmont Pacific Rim’s developer, Westbank and Peterson, and renowned architect Kengo Kuma. Titled Japan Unlayered, the month-long showcase will explore contemporary Japanese architecture, design, and culture."

http://www.straight.com/blogra/856111/va...youll-need-damn-reservation-access-store

[jlousa]

I agree the forum is public, but it's also common courtesy to cite your sources something that Vancity Buzz/Daily Hive has rarely done. Their ethics are shady and it showed when they took a beating on the story about the "terrorists" at Pacific centre.

Muji will be only open M-F and even though there is overwhelming demand they will not open on the weekend. Apparently they have a true and tired system that they will be sticking too. Will be interesting if they announce their permanent Vancouver location while the pop up is here.

[mezzanine]

^that's ridiculous. what "sources"? a couple of pseudonyms on a internet forum talking opinions on robson?

I'm a big fan of Kenneth Chan's articles. He talks up transit, YVR expansion and new ideas for vancouver that yes, can be found in this forum. Unlike this forum, he is able to write up an informative article with interviews from craig patterson of retail insider and Teri Smith of the RSBIA.

It should give people pride that some issues discussed here make its way up to a bigger audience.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by LowerLonsdaleMike

You think restricting traffic killed Granville? Since at least the 80&90's, Granville has always been a seedy, nasty, dirty street with — shops and homeless transients strewn along it. It's a little better now, but you can't blame it on the traffic realignment.

Of course I can blame the pedestrian mall for the decline, and do. Granville was a vibrant street before the pedstrianization came. And it's no coincidence that Robson rose as the shopping street rather than Granville in the 1980's and '90s precisely because it still had car access.

[Genauso]

Originally Posted by Pinion

What do the Japanese do with mentally ill people? Mental illness is why some homeless are filthy, not because they're "allowed" to be.

If filthiness is the problem, I think mentally ill and homeless people would jump at free laundry and showers. In the end, I think public money is spent on a very distributed basis and the problem is even someone like Gregor Robertson has ended up using the plight to serve him under the umbrella of 'affordable housing strategy', than it has been to help the few hundred people a year move into a home that costs a million per resident to build and operate.

If there was a bureaucratic position of Head of Homelessness, Mental Illness, and Addiction that led to becoming Prime Minister or a Directorship at RBC, change would happen.

[jollyburger]

What percentage of the homeless population in Japan are drug addicts?

[Vin]

Originally Posted by Pinion

What do the Japanese do with mentally ill people? Mental illness is why some homeless are filthy, not because they're "allowed" to be.

How do you know most homeless have mental problems? By the way, drugs do kill brain cells too, and not everyone is forced into homelessness. I would rather say most are addicts in one way or other, ie. most choose to be in that position. Perhaps the only thing "mental" is losing the ability to be responsible for one's actions and maintain the pride of civility, or have the drive to improve oneself.

If our city can get tough on this issue, I'm sure the problem of homelessness can be resolved pretty quickly. Forcing street people into a good shelter and take away all their drugs/alcohol would be a good start.

Retail can thrive along Granville Street and even East Hastings when this problem is resolved. Till now we only have jellyfish types running our city who fail to keep their promises. I can't imagine how much goes into maintaining a retail businesses when high insurance premiums are needed for vandalism acts such as window breakages and graffitis, filthy sidewalks/patios, etc.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Of course I can blame the pedestrian mall for the decline, and do. Granville was a vibrant street before the pedstrianization came. And it's no coincidence that Robson rose as the shopping street rather than Granville in the 1980's and '90s precisely because it still had car access.

The part of Granville currently with car access but have homeless problem isn't doing too well either, with many shop fronts shuttered. The part of Granville with no car access but have the mall and more street maintenance is doing much better.

[jlousa]

Originally Posted by mezzanine

^that's ridiculous. what "sources"? a couple of pseudonyms on a internet forum talking opinions on robson?

I'm a big fan of Kenneth Chan's articles. He talks up transit, YVR expansion and new ideas for vancouver that yes, can be found in this forum. Unlike this forum, he is able to write up an informative article with interviews from craig patterson of retail insider and Teri Smith of the RSBIA.

It should give people pride that some issues discussed here make its way up to a bigger audience.

If the information is taken from here then the source should be given. Myself and a couple of members here have seeded a few stories that were picked up by Kenneth Chan. How do we know he took them from us, we planted fake tidbits which were copied word for word. If you don't see the problem with that then I can't help you. I'm not discounting his work in it's entirety, just his ethics.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by jlousa

If the information is taken from here then the source should be given. Myself and a couple of members here have seeded a few stories that were picked up by Kenneth Chan. How do we know he took them from us, we planted fake tidbits which were copied word for word. If you don't see the problem with that then I can't help you. I'm not discounting his work in it's entirety, just his ethics.

That's their MO and everyone in the city knows it.

[Pinion]

Just gonna say the responses about mental health and homelessness are both shocking and not shocking, considering the site. Educate yourself.

[mezzanine]

Originally Posted by jlousa

How do we know he took them from us, we planted fake tidbits which were copied word for word. If you don't see the problem with that then I can't help you. I'm not discounting his work in it's entirety, just his ethics.

You deliberately put in misinformation in your posts and pose them as true?

[officedweller]

WRT the Granville 7 redevelopment -
one of the proposed signs seems quite specific in shape - it's round with light bulbs around it. The other 2 signs are standard blade signs.

That suggests there is a tenant already signed up for that space.

Anyone recognize the sign type?
(I suppose it could always be a Starbucks (maybe inside an Indigo?))


http://development.vancouver.ca/pc855granville/index.htm

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by Vin

If our city can get tough on this issue, I'm sure the problem of homelessness can be resolved pretty quickly. Forcing street people into a good shelter and take away all their drugs/alcohol would be a good start.

It's not so easy. I knew someone who was homeless for awhile - there are nowhere near enough shelter beds. Then add in that you're sharing a space with complete strangers, plenty of whom are sketchy. It's no wonder that when the weather was decent he'd much rather sleep in the park and be ready to move before the morning rush (police would wake them up super early to move).

[Metro-One]

The original proposal for those blade signs was far more interesting. They were larger, had unique shapes, and were more bold in general.

Originally Posted by Pinion

Just gonna say the responses about mental health and homelessness are both shocking and not shocking, considering the site. Educate yourself.

If wanting the mentally ill to be taken care of in proper facilities, or at least have access to decent shower and toilet facilities, and be fed properly, and to not be rotting in dumpsters permanently high on drugs fueling the pockets of thugs is somehow bad / shocking, then I don't really want to know what compassionate is. it is obvious that our current approach is not working, and hasn't been working for decades. Having a mental illness is not a license to do whatever in public. If you are at the point where you cant even clean yourself then you really should not be on the street, you should be in a care facility, and I mean a good care facility.

That or make a walled off theme park called Cracktown. A 10 block walled city that is nothing more than a maze of alleyways and dumpsters, and every night drugs and needles are dropped in from above. This may sound horrible, but how is this really any different than the status quo we have now?

[Metro-One]

Originally Posted by Sheba

It's not so easy. I knew someone who was homeless for awhile - there are nowhere near enough shelter beds. Then add in that you're sharing a space with complete strangers, plenty of whom are sketchy. It's no wonder that when the weather was decent he'd much rather sleep in the park and be ready to move before the morning rush (police would wake them up super early to move).

I am actually okay with homeless people sleeping in the park, as long as they respect the site by keeping it clean and moving out by morning.

[Pinion]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

The original proposal for those blade signs was far more interesting. They were larger, had unique shapes, and were more bold in general.



If wanting the mentally ill to be taken care of in proper facilities, or at least have access to decent shower and toilet facilities, and be fed properly, and to not be rotting in dumpsters permanently high on drugs fueling the pockets of thugs is somehow bad / shocking, then I don't really want to know what compassionate is. it is obvious that our current approach is not working, and hasn't been working for decades. Having a mental illness is not a license to do whatever in public. If you are at the point where you cant even clean yourself then you really should not be on the street, you should be in a care facility, and I mean a good care facility.

That or make a walled off theme park called Cracktown. A 10 block walled city that is nothing more than a maze of alleyways and dumpsters, and every night drugs and needles are dropped in from above. This may sound horrible, but how is this really any different than the status quo we have now?

I agree with everything you said here, wasn't referring to you in the last comment.

[EdinVan]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

That's their MO and everyone in the city knows it.

"Everyone" in the city knows? Lol, how many people know what VanCity Buzz is, or even this forum? Few people know and few people care about either site.

[Metro-One]

Originally Posted by Pinion

I agree with everything you said here, wasn't referring to you in the last comment.

Sorry about that. Sometimes it's hard to judge on a forum who a comment is directed to