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Archive for the ‘Sustainability Planning’ Category

La “Huerta” (Valencia-style)

Posted in Cities, Culture, Density, Food (Security), New Urbanism, Spain, Sustainability Planning, Valencia on August 30, 2011 | 1 Comment »

Victor + JFL

My wonderful friend Victor is a Valenciano, born and raised.  He is also one of my favourite things about Valencia.

Kind, generous, intelligent, and funny (assuming I translated his jokes correctly), he welcomed both JFL and I into his home and his circle of friends.  We met through a local language exchange, but our informal meeting quickly developed into a solid friendship – now he’s stuck with us for life, because I do visit (see: last year).

He is one of the good guys.

It is also through Victor that I came to understand some peculiarities about Spanish vs. Canadian culture.  Here are two examples that particularly stand out:

Space & Distance

  • Victor lives with his girlfriend in the family home (sans family) – a beautiful traditional farmhouse just outside the city limits, or as Victor says, “in the country.”  Over the course of the year he generously picked us up many times to drive us over for meals or social gatherings, noting how far away it was and the fact that we didn’t have a car.  Funny thing is, at the end of the year while staying with Victor before we returned home, we discovered that there is a local bus nary a 6 minute walk from his door, that drops you off in the centre of the city.  Couldn’t be easier.  In fact, this bus runs more often than most Vancouver buses, which made us feel awful about having him chauffeur us the many times that he did.

La Huerta

This anecdote taught us that the Spanish definition of “country” and “far” are very different from the Canadian perception.  While indeed Victor lives in the middle of small agricultural plots that have been farmed for many centuries, there are also all the urban amenities that one could imagine (e.g. grocery store, post office, bakery, hardware store, restaurant) within a 5 minute walk.

WALK.

That is not “country” in Canada.  In Canada country means driving for an hour on your tractor to get back to the farmhouse having never left your property.  Which speaks to the European perception of space and distance, completely contrary to the North American perception.  Interesting cultural difference.

In The Kitchen

  • Spaniards don’t bake.  Which is confusing, because there are bakeries on practically every corner, but just try to find some basic ingredients in the grocery store and you’ll feel like Indiana Jones on a crusade for the last bottle of vanilla in the city.  And don’t even try to borrow a mixer as nobody has one in their kitchen (they do have jamón holders galore).  Which means that Spaniards also don’t know the difference between butter and margarine when it comes to baking (in fact they often bake with oil).  For those who do bake, you know that this is the critical difference between mouth-watering goodness and a disappointing cookie that will make Valencianos think that Canadians have strange gastronomic sensibilities.  Which is exactly what happened when Victor purchased margarine instead of butter for our group gingerbread cookies (something they had never heard of).

Cookies

Disaster.

While the team had more than enough fun decorating them (a total novelty for our friends who had never made cookies… or icing… or baked at home), they were not so fond of eating them.  Upon tasting the cookies there was a series of polite, forced smiles noting that “maybe Canadian cookies are different.”

Sigh.

While I might have been confused on these two matters, I’m certain that Victor himself is pure gold and I can’t wait to host him in Vancouver where we will drive (more than 15 minutes) to get to the countryside where we can gorge on cookies and practice our spanglish.

Gracias amigo.

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Orgullo Madrid

Posted in Cities, Culture, Density, Public Spaces, Recreation, Spain on August 3, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Don't be a drag, be a Queen!

Pride celebrations around the world are notoriously happy events.  Think Glee characters only with more alcohol and less clothing (just as much singing and dancing).  Colourful, bright, full of warm fuzzy feelings and loud personalities (see: drag queens, leather kings and tattoos everywhere), they are some of the best parties I have ever attended.

Therefore it stood to reason that Spanish pride (aka orgullo), would be A-MAZING.

You see, the Spanish practically invented fiesta.  After almost 40 years of a repressive dictatorship (that was all “I hate art/freedom/women”), the Spanish immediately started celebrating at the end of Franco’s rule in 1975… and they simply never stopped.

And when the Spanish party, it’s never a one-day event.

JFL has a "mini"

No no, a minimum of a week, preferably three, for Spanish fiesta is the stuff that legend is made of.  In fact, you can find a unique regional celebration in almost every small town in this big ol’  country.  From the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona to La Tomatina in Buñol, be warned, Spanish partying can get messy.

So of course we had to check out Madrid pride.

With a large gaybourhood (La Chueca) located in the centre of the city, Madrid boasts a populated and visible queer community.  Despite their catholic roots, Spain has a very liberal attitude towards los gays.  In fact, Spain legalized gay marriage in 2005, two weeks before Canada did – impresionante, no?

And yes indeed, Madrid Pride lived up to the expectations.

Rainbows abound in La Chueca.

Let’s start with the fact that about 8 city blocks are blocked off for pedestrian-only traffic.  During the early evening the streets are filled with people of all ages and gender identifications, but by 2am they become jam-packed, at which point all diversity statistics fade into a blur of drunken revelry.

It’s possible that all the gay people IN THE WORLD were in Madrid.  Well, that’s how it felt.

And what makes a street party so much fun??  Aside from the energy, the ease of transport, the people-watching, the safety factor… you can also drink in the streets.  And if you don’t want to partake in one of the many of street stands offering “mini” cervezas and mojitos (think dinosaur sized), you are welcome to bring your own drinks in, provided there are no glass bottles.  Fantastic!  If you have forgotten your nalgene bottle, a courteous police officer will kindly offer you a plastic glass at no charge.

Viva España!

Blurry Silent Rave

While the utterly boring ‘parade’ was a let-down (floats had ten minutes of empty space between each other), the rest was not.  With five separate stages located around the neighbourhood, there was everything from a string of drag queen performances to a silent rave.

What’s a silent rave you ask?

Well, contrary to everything I know about Spain, the local municipality enforced organizers to reduce noise levels in deference to neighbours complaints.  While this might seem reasonable in most countries, in my experience Spain has rarely been reasonable when it comes to noise.  So, partiers were invited to download a free application on their smartphone, or tune in to a local radio frequency, to hear the live DJ… who was emitting no audible sound.  The result was a strange scene of dancing maniacs and confused onlookers.

Of course the four other stages blasted music until dawn.  La plus ca change…

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The Curious Case of Christiania

Posted in Cities, Denmark, Density, Public Spaces, Sustainability Planning on July 30, 2011 | 1 Comment »

Welcome to Christiania

Have you ever felt like you wanted to create your own city?

That’s exactly what the residents of Christiania did.  A self-proclaimed autonomous ‘neighbourhood’ with over 1000 residents, it covers 34 hectares in the centre of Copenhagen, Denmark.  Set in a beautiful parkland full of meandering green paths and quiet waterways, these anarchists snagged a particularly pretty corner of Copenhagen.

Clever anarchists.

Of course a green agenda has always been central to their manifesto.  As part of their commitment to the environment, the city attempts to maintain a car-free community.  However, under pressure from the Copenhagen authorities (due to the fact that residents do own cars), Christiania agreed to establish parking areas for residents’ own cars on its territory.  Still parking areas are very limited and resident only rules are strictly enforced.

But this is no Sim City.

Originally envisioned as a city ruled by its inhabitants, Christiania has gone through many iterations over her 40+ year history.  It all started in 1969 when a group of locals knocked down the fence that blocked off an old military area.  The neighbourhood became the centre of an anarchy movement promoting freedom and communal living.  Over the first few years the people of Christiania fought the police repeatedly.  In 1972 the residents came to an arrangement with the government and agreed to pay for electricity and water, a point of pride among local residents that ‘validates’ their right to live there.

Pick your poison

Currently the area has a unique status in that it is regulated by the Christiania Law of 1989 which transfers parts of the supervision of the area from the municipality of Copenhagen to the state.  Since this time Christiania has continued to re-invent itself, though at its core remains the commitment to a self-regulated authority.  To this end the community has always experimented with creating a society “built on a large degree of active participatory democracy dedicated to individual freedom and self-fulfillment.”

Funnily enough this ‘anarchic governance structure’  (I know, right?), looks strangely like a miniature version of more common governance systems  with regular meetings including the Common Meeting, Treasurer’s Meeting, Building Meeting, House Meetings etc.  All residents are invited to participate at these meetings and the distribution of money is decided at the annual budget Common Meeting, which typically turns into a series of meetings as a balance is rarely agreed upon in the first meeting.

So yes, it’s different, in that the Government of Canada (or Vancouver for that matter) has never asked me to vote on a budget directly (and I have some suggestions).

All of which makes for a fascinating case study… if it weren’t for ye olde potheads dominating the aptly named “Pusher Street.”  Yep, the cornerstone of every free society, Christiania has become a magnet for the drug trade.  While the community has pushed back strongly against “hard drugs”, pot in its many forms flourishes in the centre of Christiania.  While the use of hash remains illegal in Denmark, the authorities turn a blind eye to the flourishing trade in Christiania which attracts locals and tourists alike.

Sneaky photo accounts for the poor quality.

While I don’t have a problem with the legalization of marijuana (even though personally I am not a user, I see alcohol as infinitely more harmful), existing in the pseudo-legal environment of Christiania has created an unpleasant environment.  Walking through the centre of town, large burly men with intimidating tattoos and snarly faces dominate the space, creating an uncomfortable vibe for those of us there to explore the ‘freedom’ of the community.

Perhaps my impression of these fine gentleman was influenced by the fact that Swedish friends (a 65 year-old man and his two daughters) visiting Christiania the week prior, were viciously attacked by locals who were upset that the father took a photo of his daughters at a cafe within the grounds.  So they jumped him and beat him so that he had to go to the hospital – disgusting.

But a strong incentive for me not to take any photos within the grounds… viva freedom?

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Cycletopia

Posted in Architecture, Culture, Cycling, Denmark, Density, New Urbanism, Public Spaces, Public Transportation, Recreation, Sustainability Planning on July 27, 2011 | 4 Comments »

Traffic jam

Among cyclists, Copenhagen has long been considered the promised land.  With almost 40% of citizens regularly commuting to work by bicycle, over 1.1 million kilometers are ridden every day.

This is likely the secret to Scandinavian beauty.

And to be clear, this is no weather paradise.  While admittedly, it is both flat and compact, it is still a northern city characterized by cold winters where the temperatures regularly dip below zero and it snows.

So what’s our excuse Canada?

Well, actually it’s not really our fault.  The big difference is that local government in Copenhagen has invested heavily in cycling infrastructure over the years.  With over 100 km of bike lanes and 22 different routes in the city, cyclists are considered (almost) as important as drivers.  And unlike the white paint which sometimes passes for cycling infrastructure, bicycle lanes are often separated from the main traffic lanes and have their own signal systems.

Cycletopia.

Family planning

As a foreigner unaccustomed to such sights, I couldn’t help but gawk at the onslaught of cyclists dominating the roadways.  From teenagers to grandmothers, to families carrying their children (and groceries, furniture, pets) in carts, cycling in Copenhagen is the norm rather than the exception.

And no, they don’t wear helmets.

However studies have demonstrated that the safety provided through the increased visibility that results from a large number of cyclists, can outweigh the benefits of fewer riders with helmets.  While no one disputes that wearing a helmet is safer, ultimately getting more people on bikes is even safer, and often helmet laws act as a deterrent to that goal.

Counter intuitive, but true.

Windmills

Of course the Danes have long been reputed for their commitment to the environment.  Crossing the transnational Øresund Bridge from Sweden you are surrounded on either side by imposing white windmills that tower out the sea, providing almost 20% of Denmark’s electricity.

In fact, the canal water is so clean that those clever Danes have even built a free public pool INSIDE THE CANAL.  While the jellyfish initially deterred me (they are apparently harmless), I eventually took the plunge and was decidedly, errr, ‘refreshed’.  The perfect ending to a day biking around the city.

Copenhagen – where hipster fashionistas meet environmental sensibilities.

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The Other West Coast

Posted in Culture, Food (Security), Indigenous People, Sustainability Planning, Sweden on July 25, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

This is how Swedish people talk to animals.

Despite the abundance of international stereotypes concerning Swedish culture (blonde supermodels, pickled herring, superior design skills), I had more than one conversation with a Swedish person desperately concerned that s/he lacked a distinct culture and identity in the face of American influence.

Which (ironically) defines the Canadian identity.

Perhaps Swedes should really be concerned about being Canadian, as I felt very at home the entire time I was in the country.

However in the face of this general angst, here are some interesting elements of Swedish culture that are keeping it distinct from the rest of the world:

  • Midnight sun.  Despite the fact that in Northern Canada there is close to 24 hours of sunlight during the summer, I have never experienced it having spent most of my time in urban Canada.  However Sweden’s urban centres do, therefore the amount of light in Gothenburg was truly mind-boggling.  Sun + Midnight = Weird.

Swedish countryside...

  • Suburbs.  The connotation of suburbs in Sweden refers to low-income areas outside the city typically dominated by ethnic minorities and/or immigrants.  So, the opposite of North American suburbs thanks to “white flight”.  Perhaps just a language thing, but confusing none the less given that Swedish people speak excellent English.  In fact, perhaps even better than many Canadians.

The Simonsson clan (excellent English speakers).

  • Gender Roles.  Yes, my favourite subject, but also a pleasure to speak about in Sweden.  I consistently encountered men so grounded in their sexual identity (and otherwise) that I liked almost everyone I met (a rare feat)!  In fact, it was my male friends that kept raising feminist arguments as we sipped on our expensive beers.  Speaking of beer…

Swedish women are surprisingly strong.

Swedish men have, err, other talents.

  • Social Policies. Which can pretty much be summed up with expensive alcohol (ahem… I was a social policy planner so I have a pretty good grasp of these things).  Being the socially progressive paradise that they are, they have rejected the ridiculously cheap alcohol that characterizes southern Europe in favour of government-regulated prices.  Sort of like Canada.  The result = social harmony.

Gothenburg seawall for beer sipping.

  • Food.  Okay, this is where we seriously differ.  Not only do the Swedes spread caviar on their toast for breakfast every morning (and trust me, this is no luxury item!), they also have taken what was formerly known as cheese, combined it with every known flavour imaginable, and put it in a tube.  Something I would like to credit to the Americans but can’t.  Ugh.

Baconcheese.

  •  Community.  In line with all things socially progressive, the Swedish government also supports any group who puts forward an application to start a ‘club’, thereby encouraging the arts, music, sports, gardening etc.  For example, you want to start a band, you need rehearsal space and some instruments, you demonstrate to the government that you’re serious and BAM!, you have funds.  A-mazing and unique to Sweden as far as I know.

Even the lettuce looks better in Sweden.

So yes Sweden, you have a culture.  Let’s just hope there are not too many Swedes interested in starting clubs to expand their tube cheese varieties…

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Vikings, Fjords and Rainstorms, Oh My!

Posted in Architecture, Art, Cities, Culture, Norway, Public Transportation, Sustainability Planning on July 6, 2011 | 3 Comments »

See that? That's a fjord...

Social democratic heaven is expensive.

Friends warned me that Norway would be prohibitively costly, Oslo especially.  Yet I was still shocked to pay eleven dollars (CAD) to get on a public bus for 20 minutes.

Ouch.

However Norwegians are just such gosh-darn friendly people who you can’t help but love… and perhaps they are so friendly because everyone has a job.  Apparently when the unemployment rate reached 1.5% a few years ago, it made national headlines and was considered a crisis.

Please note: If Canada had a 1.5% unemployment rate the government would be popping champagne and dancing in the streets.

...?

Not only do things function very smoothly is this small capital city, but downtown Oslo is also a blend of interesting architecture and pedestrian friendly spaces.  Including one very strange park which features the work of sculptor Gustav Vigeland.  Featuring more than 212 bronze and granite sculptures, his work is at a minimum ‘interesting’.  Perhaps the pictures speak for themselves (see below).

All of which is underscored by a striking natural beauty featuring fjords and forests.  Thus (of course) the first thing I asked our gracious host Kristoffer Sundøy, while walking along the water in downtown Oslo, was “where can I find the nearest fjord?”

Pause.

“Errr, to your left.”

Ahhhh, so that body of water that Oslo is built around is in fact a fjord.  Well colour me embarrassed!

For some reason I defined fjords as bodies of water surrounded by dramatic cliffs with icebergs drifting through the middle.  Not so.  In fact, geologically speaking a fjord is a long narrow inlet, with steep sides (or potentially cliffs) created in a valley by glacial activity.

Obviously.

Opera House

So while the most picturesque and therefore famous fjords in Norway do have said dramatic cliffs, this is not a pre-requisite.  And unfortunately that type of fjord is not located near Oslo, thus I didn’t get to check them out.  I did however, realize that I have in fact seen fjords in New Zealand, and that Canada also has fjords on our north-western coast.

Good to know for trivia night.

Sadly our local Oslo fjord was seen through a heavy grey film as it poured rain almost the entire three days that we were there.  Such is our travel curse this year, that everywhere we go, the rain follows.

Viking ship remains

Which didn’t stop us from bopping about town and checking out the newly built Opera House which is the architectural talk of the town in Oslo, not to mention an excellent example of place-making.  Built on the (you-guessed-it) fjord in downtown Oslo, it is a striking white building with sharp, clean lines that seemingly slips right into the water.

Designed to invite the public to wander around the space, including its massive rooftop, during a brief sunshine interlude it was the perfect spot to relax and overlook the sweet renaissance festival happening below (true fact).

And if that wasn’t enough, we also got to see original viking ships (Vikings!) at the local viking museum.  Love those friendly ol’ rapist/pillagers.

One day when I save up I might even go back and buy food during the visit (seriously, it’s really expensive).

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Waterworld (Venetian Style)

Posted in Architecture, Cities, Culture, Density, Italy, Sustainability Planning on July 1, 2011 | 1 Comment »

Just passing by...

Remember that horrible movie starring Kevin Costner where he developed gills and shot at pirates and everybody moved around on boats and it seemed like it would never end?

That’s not what Venice is like at all.

Despite being one of the most touristy destinations in the world, Venice manages to retain its quiet charm and the inevitable romance of a city built on water.  I mean come on, I dare you to yawn while wandering around the quiet back-street canals, meandering over small wrought iron bridges, and watching Venetians hang their laundry out to dry.

It’s a city built on WATER!

And among the throngs of zip-off khaki-pants (the personal bane of my existence) and camera lenses, there is a genuine community of people who go about their daily tasks that seldom involve donning the elaborate Venetian masks on display to attend a grand masquerade.  Well, maybe once a year at Carnival.

Which makes me wonder about the mundane planning challenges of a city built on water…

Reflections...

Bigger than you might think, the city stretches across 117 small islands in the saltwater Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea in northeast Italy.  With a population of around 60,000 in the historic centre, this is a dense community crammed with buildings that appear to float magically upon the water.

In fact most buildings are constructed on closely spaced wood piles, which under water (in the absence of oxygen), does not decay.  Rather it is petrified as a result of the constant flow of mineral-rich water around and through it, so that it becomes a stone-like structure (those clever Venetians!).  The piles penetrate a softer layer of sand and mud until they reach the much harder layer of compressed clay.  Incredibly, most of these piles are still intact after centuries of submersion.

Conclusion: building inspections must be a bitch.

However Venice is still under threat of sinking entirely.

Laundry day

Originally caused by artesian wells built in the 20th century, the practice has since been banned.  Yet the city remains threatened by frequent low-level floods that rise to a height of several centimetres over its quays, regularly following certain tides.  In many old houses the former staircases used to unload goods are now flooded, rendering the former ground floor uninhabitable.

While some recent studies have suggested that Venice is no longer sinking, JFL didn’t want to take any chances and insisted we make haste this summer.  So we did.

And fell in love with the art (Venice Biennale!), the food (umm, it’s Italy), the architecture (it’s built on WATER!) and the ambiance of a unique city in this small world of ours.

A small sampling of a true waterworld.

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Disaster Planning

Posted in Architecture, Cities, Italy, Sustainability Planning on June 27, 2011 | 1 Comment »

Once upon a time, just outside of Naples in the Italian region of Campania, a volcano decided to erupt, undoing all of the good planning the Napolitanos had put into it.

Which was a total bummer, because Romans are pretty much the original ‘urban planners.’

Famous for designing complex cities with sewage systems and aqueducts long before their time, the Romans could not have anticipated the power of Mount Vesuvius.  In 79 AD the catastrophic 2-day eruption of Vesuvius completely destroyed many cities in the region, most famously Pompeii.  Buried under four to six meters of ash and pumice it was a massive disaster.

These days disaster planning is a field unto itself, and one that proves more and more relevant as we watch hurricanes, tsunamis and other climate disasters destroy cities.  Building “resilient cities” is all the rage, and as a Vancouverite living on a few too many fault lines for comfort, this all hits a little close to home.

However in a twist of fate, the very ash that created the disaster, served as an incredible preservative and therefore portal into ancient history.  Lost for nearly 1700 years, Pompeii was accidentally rediscovered in 1749 remarkably well-preserved (to archeologists’ delight around the world).

Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, today the buried cities serve as a fascinating example of life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire.

Of course I had to check it out for myself.

However with limited time I decided to explore Ercolano (formerly Herculaneum), a smaller town at the Western foot of Mount Vesuvius.  Similar to Pompeii, the city was completely buried under volcanic material in 79 AD, however unlike Pompeii, the citizens of Herculaneum died of thermal shock from the extremely hot pyroclastic surges, rather than buried under heavy ash.

No dead bodies for me.

But a fascinating look at life almost 2000 years ago.

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“That’s Amore…”

Posted in Culture, Density, Food (Security), Indigenous People, Italy, Sustainability Planning on June 18, 2011 | 5 Comments »

It's a little bit messy...

“When, the, moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie, that’s amoreeeeee.”

I love food.

Tasting the diverse culinary offerings within Europe is one of the best parts of travelling, and sometimes it feels like I’m doing the food tour of Europe.  Which is educational, delicious and slimming.

Okay, that last one is a lie.

Anyhoo, when my good Italian (and recently Canadian) friend Babs (aka Barbara Lelj), invited us to come and visit in her native Napoli, it was a resounding YES PLEASE!  Home of the pizza, and centuries of Italian nonnas stomping tomatoes with their feet in order to ensure the freshness of their pasta sauce, it was the right thing to do.

The only thing that could make it better?

White waters

Taking the ferry over to the famous isle of Capri, home to celebrity vacations, crystal clear blue waters and posh hotels, to indulge in some of their local epicurean specialties.  Fresh tangy olive oil, limoncello made from obese yellow lemons, and of course most of you will be familiar with the internationally renowned Caprese salad.  A simple dish made of sliced creamy buffalo mozzarella, bursting ripe red tomatoes, garden-fresh basil, and seasoned with salt, pepper, and olive oil, this world-famous starter originated in Capri.  Hence Caprese

Did I mention that Babs’ family has a villa in Capri?  Because they do.

Thus we spent a wonderful week with Babs and her adorable children who tutored us in the art of eating gelato (see more pictures below).  Julia is two and a half and Geoffrey is six months, and they are both incontestably adorable.  And fans of Italian food (well, mostly Julia).

Which got me thinking, why is it that Italians are so good at growing food?!

Those are real local lemons. Size matters.

Capri is a dense little island built along sheer rock cliffs whose steep, curvy roads inspire fear every time you take the tiny buses that wind their way up the mountain at neck-breaking speeds.  Yet everywhere you look there are fruit trees, micro-vineyards, produce gardens and herbs growing.  Edible art, that not only provides local food security but ensures high-quality deliciousness for visitors like myself.

No patch of land was too small to grow something, and in addition to providing food, it creates a beautiful patchwork of green spaces across the island.

In North American urban centres there are growing food movements encouraging people to turn their ornamental lawns into productive food gardens, something the Italians have been doing for centuries.  The solution to this mess?  More municipal staff field trips to Italy.  Obviously.

Julia and I highly recommend the local gelato.

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Le Café

Posted in Cities, Culture, Food (Security), France, New Urbanism, Public Spaces, Sustainability Planning on June 17, 2011 | 1 Comment »

A tower...

Vancouver has a dearth of good patio spaces.

On any given sunny day, the beautiful people flock to the limited choice locations scattered around the city, willing to stand in line for over an hour in order to secure a small spot of real estate with a glint of sun.

Unfortunately the City is notoriously strict when it comes to regulating outdoor café space, to say nothing of the challenge should you want to serve alcohol on said patio.  Most proprietors would have better luck renaming Vancouver “Paris Deux” then accessing one of the coveted Vancouver liquor licenses.

Which makes for some grumpy Vancouverites.

Travelling in Europe confirms my long-held suspicion that this is ridiculous.

From Paris to Madrid to Rome, cafés sprawl over the smallest of sidewalks, creating wonderful outdoor environments where people casually sip their alcoholic drinks with little risk to public health and safety.  And they’ve been doing it for years.

In fact, filling the sidewalks with small tables and chairs creates wonderful street environments, promotes pedestrian-oriented culture, and increases potential for gossip and therefore happiness.  It’s a simple formula really: cafés = happiness.

Enjoying a patio in Paris with Ms. Sunderland

Of course a Mediterranean climate makes outdoor patios a little easier, but that doesn’t stop Oslo, Copenhagen or Amsterdam from maintaining vibrant café cultures throughout the year.

So what’s the problem back in North America?  Vancouver is one of the few cities in Canada that is capable of maintaining outdoor patios all year-long (with the help of a few climate-friendly heaters)!

So please Vancouver, a small request to make my North American transition a little easier – let’s get creative with patio spaces around the city so that I can have a small piece of Paris when I return.

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