How Vancouver's Waterfront Became so Boring 

How did I know it was you before I actually saw you?

@@mynameisChesto you know me too well ;)

Release more stuff, this was great. Vancouverites are so reluctant to talk poorly about their city. Cover the homelessness/drug crisis please.

Second this!

music for the wiiii

That sounds delightful in a way.

This could summarize most of Greater Vancouver's problems.

Ding ding ding. This is the true answer. Like basically everything wrong in the world today, the problem with the waterfront in Vancouver is rich people.

The rich get what they want. Where is it different ? btw : Terry Hui , Mr Concord-Pacific, owns the penthouse in that (to me) unattractive , stunted "tower featured mid-screen @ 08.49 minutes. Just another Erickson blunder . So accustomed to getting-what-he-wants his fellow owners had to sue for access to the common amenities in their own building. Of course we shouldn't forget that by far largest share of (metro) Vancouver land is still zoned single-family. On any given "pleasant weather" weekend the seawall, like it or not, is flooded with folk who decidedly are not westenders. Nearby residents are more prominently noticeable when inclement weather keeps the three zoners home so let's cut that "backyard-owners" NIMBY claim. Vancouver "hiding" from its raison d'etre : We live in a port city.

I don't understand why the "rich" spend thousands of dollars to visit overseas destinations to experience these lively, cultural places while at the same time fighting against having anything like that in their city. No to mention, vacancy tax nonwithstanding, I rarely see lights on in these bottom-floor waterfront residences anyway.

Exactly. The Halifax waterfront is actually a walking path. The difference is that you can stop for beer every 50 feet.

I can see the developers want to gentrify the waterfront in Vancouver to bring up the price of condos but they totally missed the point and the place doesn't look vibrant and luxurious at all. I've been to a waterfront in Hong Kong called Gold Coast and they have a Mediterranean style plaza with luxury diners, arts & craft market and a luxury hotel. The plaza always hold free cultural events to ensure both tourists and the local community can enjoy the waterfront. And the condos do give out the sense of luxury by itself as a prestigious private school is located nearby as well.

Pretty much. If there were any businesses or private homes which could transition into running a business those property values would climb to the moon almost instantly. The opposite is true for luxury condos. And it's not exclusive to condos, pretty much every location with more wealth than the medium is like this. What I find particularly annoying is that this come at the expense of vast majority of tax payers within the city as it is extremely rare for an entire city or town to be a home for only the rich. Vancouver could expand it's local economy through more small businesses and things to do in general to generate more wealth for the average resident OR they could bend over to the few millionaires and corporations who pay close to nothing(if at all) in taxes anyway.

But then it would not be quite or peaceful.

There _is_ a mix of homes, shops, restaurants, businesses, concert venues, etc. - this fellow misrepresents the situation. Look at the segment in Coal Harbour, and then in English Bay, and then in Yaletown (all around), then in Olympic Village, and around Granville Island, There are Restaurants, Brew Pubs, Theatres all along the way...

Oh- I'm from Hawaii as well Oahu. I actually commented that this Vancouver waterfront sounds great to me. Hilo is far more relaxed than Oahu (I actually grew up in Hilo before moving for job). Like I just despise Waikiki although I really enjoy Ala Moana beach park. If the bayfront could be built up to be like Ala Moana beach park I think that would be great. But some of that restraint on building actual infostructure in the bayfront area is probably because of the history of the place getting leveled by Tsunami and more recently flood damage as the soccer fields become lakes.

I agree, when visiting Hilo, I could not believe how boring it was, even compared to Kona. Your weather is far worse so you need it even more! (Yes, I know a Tsunami destroyed the waterfront but still).

Parks? Nah man, the only parks we allow are car parks -Park Board

Wait until they decide to put railings along all the seawalls 'for safety reasons'. Visit Nanaimo's Newcastle Island park to see how much nicer Stanley Park would be without the shoreline destorying seawall.

the members of the park board are all car brains

They didn’t ban cycling in Stanley, they’re going to remove the dedicated bike lane (which, in my opinion only made cycling dangerous as people disregard signs and ride wrong direction). We will continue riding there and hopefully the police do their job and enforce the speed limit which the majority of the drivers don’t respect

Okay Vancouver folks. Like it or not, tourism to Vancouver generates annually $7.2 billion. You cannot ignore this. I happen to be a tourist coach / bus driver and we give tours throughout Vancouver and Stanley park. It’s next to impossible to drive a bus and navigate along the tree line there, with the cycle path pylons in the middle of the road. We need a little more space in turns. We drive slower than bicycle speeds, thus bicycles passing us, which is fine. Most cyclists use the seawall lane anyway, over the Stanley designated lanes. It will make much more sense to co-exist on the road. We are safe / professional drivers. We want to represent Vancouver the best as we can to the international community. So, please have patience with us drivers as we turn and navigate 50 ft. of glass & steel through tight corners. ✌🏼😘

Lol. Funny seeing all these urbanist youtube channels comment on each others videos. Good community.

Yup that's Vancouver. Build lots of condos but sell them all to foreigners and speculators. Drive up the price for locals. And bring in more immigrants for cheap labour and create even more demand for housing and services but invest in nothing to handle it. Good job Canadian elites. You got rich but downgraded the standard of living for all us working schmucks.

Yep Canada being auctioned off to the highest bidders and Vancouver condos are at the forefront.

Yeah, the rich Chinese buy condos to park their cash safely. Good move as China and its real estate are crashing.

Its because they don't want anyone down there. The cops come down every day at 11 and drive up and down the beach with their lights on and kick everyone out because the beach "closes" how can you close a beach.

@@samwalsh205 That's weird and dumb. Toronto on the other hand has restaurants and bars by the beach. I guess Vancouver really does live up to its name as being the "no fun city"

Toronto is redeveloping its waterfront since I lived there in the 90-s. It seems to be a forever process :)

Too bad they leased some of our waterfront to a private company for 95 years

Vancouver sounds like a boring place for people who made thier money elsewhere. You probably have to be a sucker to work there for minimum wage. The cost of living is so high your basically a legalized form of a slave working for slave masters who throw you some shelter and food.

NEFC was intended to fix some of these issues, but the demolition of the Viaducts looks like it’s in jeapordy, and the entire plan will have to be scrapped and redone due to cost constraints. Coal Harbour has some inter-connectivity with community services and restaurants with its seawall, but still pretty limited-especially since 2 lots designated for restaurants are so restrictive that no one wants to build on them. Olympic Village is better too, though it’s still designed to get people deeper into the village than having outside frontage onto the seawall. South False Creek was scrapped because basically none of the residents wanted to lose their suburban homes next to the Waterfront. Basically, you can see a trend in earlier developments being more ‘boring’, and later ones being more ‘commercial’. This problem is being solved, slowly. Though, Vancouver still has the problem of having too many useless small parks in its developments, rather than a few bigger parks that can become hubs for communities.

I say we fix the past and build the freeway. That'll teach them! Let a city be a city.

You have been banned from the waterfront and you probably need to own a condo just to use it fuck man what a craphole I lived in northvan for 8 months I loved it but 750 000 for 1970 townhouse but the rest of van sucks

@@professordogwood8985 no

@@AlCatSplat Whad'ya mean no? This is exactly what the city needs! Freeway access!

we just need to combine vancouver's transit with halifax's waterfront and old row housing to make the ultimate perfect canadian city.

They are currently reconstructing the cogs well interchange and planning new water street bike/bus infrastructure ! To make it more pedestrian friendly as well

The Dartmouth side harbour walk is even more unused than Vancouver's though.

"Meet the love of your life!' All cities should be designed around that mission.🥰🥰😃🥰

Where are you from that you thought Canada was a better place to go? (Not disrespect but genuinely curious)

@@Apollo55_ Most native born people are looking to leave, we are priced out of the housing market, high cost of living makes most people live a little above the poverty line at best.

@@libertyoverbondage So basically anywhere is better is what I'm picking up? How do people make money to survive? I know there has to be some absolutely horrible jobs some have to do just to scrape by. Edit (Just read your username, are you talking about Canada? If so forget about the last part with the jobs lol)

@@Apollo55_There are not many countries that you can immigrate to with knowing only English, so yeah. Is Canada worse than US/UK right now though? That’s cool to have a Canadian Passport that allows you to go back to your country anytime you want. Most immigrants are going slowly but steadily to their final goal. Staying in different places that might be better than the other ones for that particular time won’t get them a New passport. I’ve been to Flemish part of the Belgium for 3 month, everyone knows English very good, but almost every job require Dutch, you get what I’m saying?

​@@libertyoverbondage few are leaving Canada. If you mean leaving the bugman zone please don't. Bugmen are not welcomed in the country side.

Gotta say that Victoria has fantastic trails. World class in fact. We spent 3 winter months in 2019 and 2020 as Snowbirds. Our main form of entertainment was going for long walks. So enjoyable. Never boring. I miss u Victoria.

Nanaimo, Penticton, and plenty of other cities in BC have done a much better job. Its a shame Vancouver is so boring in comparison.

@@alexflavoie not sure it's a good comparison. Vancouver's narco population is larger than those cities

I think Victoria's waterfront has swung too far to the opposite side of the pendulum and is a little too commercialized/touristy for my liking. It would be nice if there were restaurants etc down there that charged normal prices, not just what they think Americans will pay :P

Victoria has no congruent seawall, and this is largely thanks to wealthy people building houses directly next to the coast.

I lived in SF, Hawaii, and now Phuket; every waterfront is different but all ended up with the same desire---MONEY. Waterfront and everywhere except slums belong to the rich. Hawaii is not much of westerners area. It remains and belongs to the local, not white supremacy.

I agree. I like the nice and quiet waterfront in Vancouver

LOL !!! A park is a park, not a 24 hours casino, okay ??? May the love and the peace of Jesus be with us.

​@@jwu1950lmao

Good luck with that. Our democratic governments, (despite what they proclaim), have always catered to the wealthy. They probably always will too.

Interesting take. So it's alcohol versus cannabis?

This whole video could be literally boiled down to ''Extroverts hate that there's a city brimming with introverts and architecture that is building for them, instead for the raging party goers.". An oversimplification for sure, but it gets the gist of it. Similarly how there's tons of articles and guides like ''Ten tips to be less introverted and open up" while there are none being tilted "Ten ways you can shut the f*ck up for once".

@@MrMrtvozornik 👏👏👏

Yes I find the quiet space precious and a luxury as a city dweller.

Exactly. Vancouver parks are polluted with the smell of weed. Fortunately, there are better getaways like casinos where smoking is banned. May the love and the peace of Jesus be with us.

I've lived in Seattle and Vancouver, In Seattle it's nothing for a stranger to walk up start a conversation and the both of you grab a coffee. In Vancouver it's nothing to think you're going to go out on a pleasant walk with your kid and have several bicyclist A-holes shout obsenities because you're not walking in a designated lane. And o yea, forget about any strangers starting a conversation or grabbing a coffee for that matter. Seattle has many problems but socialization isn't one of them. (No, Canadian's aren't nice or friendly.)

@@averychilco you get it, most don't. congratulations! I don't have a prize, but it's nice to hear someone who has a normal opinion.

a public green waterfront is appreciated and not being filled with privatization is a good problem to have . how to make it friendlier for social interaction is a good problem to have . Maybe the bigger issue is the neighborhoods around the parks being nothing but multi millionaires real estate investors and no regular families able to live there ? The areas I have been to that had cafes and restaurants businesses close the park like waterfront trail seemed nice 👍 .

@Khameleon I notice Canadians do not have a limit on how far they will dive into your personal business, but the conversation runs cold when you asked them (a Canadian) the most basic thing. Perhaps a bunch of self righteous know it alls.

@KhameleonYou're right! I attracted you didn't I.🤣

It's only "surprising" because Canadians look down on Maritimers.

@@fraslex I'm from Halifax and have been living in Vancouver for the last 10 years. I've literally heard nothing but positive comments about the maritimes from other Canadians.

I've lived in both cities as well. I don't really like Halifax's waterfront tho and I found many locals don't particularly like it much either. Its out of the way, with little (and pricy) parking and bad transit, its very touristy, pricey, little in public services like washrooms or rest areas, especially when its busy. It can smell bad and has a knack for being cold and windy even when its nice in other parts of town. Its also an island from other destinations around the city being surrounded by mostly office buildings and a uphill walk. Outside of taking the ferry or living/working down there, few locals visit the waterfront much at all in my experience. The exception being special events like Buskers and Jazzfest which can being entertaining and fun enough to draw people down there.

@@ieatstheinternet I grew up in Halifax, and people loved it down there, including the locals. One of the most popular bars in town is down there. And it's 10 times better now than it ever was. I'm not sure who you were talking to, but it certainly wasn't my experience in my first 30 years of life.

@@ieatstheinternet I don't agree with that assessment at all. Hard to classify the waterfront as out of the way when it is the number one destination in Halifax. Everything not on or near the waterfront it out of the way. It rarely smells and and certainly smells less often than other downtowns. The downtown and the waterfront are thriving entertainment districts. There are nearby office towers but they are a backdrop compared to the bustling entertainment areas. The only people who don't like the waterfront are people who prefer to stay on their sofas or in their cars.

Vancouver is paradise on earth. There is no point turning paradise into a ghetto. May the love and the peace of Jesus be with us.

@@jwu1950 Vancouver has devoted itself entirely toward greed, envy, and pride… among other sins. You might as well be thanking Satan for what Vancouver has become. Hair Baphomet! Hail Lucifer! Hail Beelzebub!

There are some facilities especially on the N side of False Creek for commercial activities that are empty. However they fail because of cost, red tape and lack of diversity. Why start a business there when you face a very good chance of not making it

@@jimness5902 Exactly. No one wants a ghetto in paradise. May the love and the peace of Jesus be with us

@@jwu1950 and hail Satan!

lol it was probably another Asian. There are a few around hongcouver. Disclaimer: Lets see how many woke nimbys this post attracts that claim one thing yet vote another way. nothing worse than fake hypocrites

His videos are nice but he's no celebrity 😂

Absolutely!! The seawall in Stanley Park should of course remain a place to connect with nature, but those lo-o-o-ng stretches of grubby grass and nothing else *aren't "nature"*, by any meaningful definition. This is public space; it belongs to all of us. Let's get some life and community happening.

I have only visited Vancouver as a tourist, however isn't the seawall exactly that already? If parts of the seawall are too peaceful and "dead" for your liking, just walk or ride your bike a few more minutes and you'll have some cafe or whatever. There's literally Granville island along the seawall, also Stanley Park/surrounding area has everything this video is advocating for and more. Building out a random cafe, restaurant, shop, or whatever every square meter of the seawall would ruin it. Sure there's a few spots where some smart additions could be made, but perhaps it's pretty darn good the way it is?

The Sea Wall is facing an enormous challenge as it in need of serious and expensive rehabilitation right now est. are are 100 plus million maybe 200

I feel the same way. Living in the City without having to always be around people... It's beautiful.

100% agree. This video is just weird cherry picking and exaggeration. I understand *some* spaces could have additions like a restaurant or cafe that are being stopped by NIMBYs, however the sea wall literally has restaurants, cafes, shops, etc... already along it. If you're unhappy with a beautiful bide ride path/walk path not having a place to stop and chill, just ride or walk a few more minutes and you'll encounter one. There's literally Granville island along the path, that alone is huge, also Stanley Park/surrounding area has all that and more as well. Building out every square meter of the seawall would turn it into a strip mall, and I would argue would ruin a lot of the natural beauty and peacefulness to it.

@@cinemapigeon4898 It doesn't look like a hussle and bussle seawall though. But yeah keeping some park sections would be nice so you get a balance.

@@Mgameing123 During peak summer, it can certainly get busy. I visited July 2022, will visit again this July. Between the warm weather bringing people out and tourists, the seawall was packed (but still enjoyable). Beaches were full of people, there were little concerts or some sort of event by English Bay beach, and overall just lots of activity.

This whole video could be literally boiled down to ''Extroverts hate that there's a city brimming with introverts and architecture that is building for them, instead for the raging party goers.". An oversimplification for sure, but it gets the gist of it. Similarly how there's tons of articles and guides like ''Ten tips to be less introverted and open up" while there are none being tilted "Ten ways you can shut the f*ck up for once".

Halifax waterfront is sooooo great compared to Vancouver. Love it there!

I actually love the water front in the winter for that very reason but man is the board walk ever slippery.

Agreed. That's what makes Central Park in NYC so cool. The contrast

Totally agree, if Granville wasn't a disaster and instead were cleaned up with pedestrian only streets and public seating throughout, you'd have the bustling community life some folks are looking for.

no, the problem is the failure of bringing exciting places along the entire length of the seawall. talk about completely missing the point of the video!

A city could either bring businesses, nightlife, food, music to a place people are already walking and biking and sitting - or bring walking and cycling and seating areas to a street that already has food, music and nightlife. It's an interesting idea, either way would work but in Vancouver while there is only a 5% chance of bringing more fun, food, festivals to our waterfront there is a 0% chance they'd ever close a street like Davie to car traffic and make it exclusively pedestrian.

But nobody is "getting away" because it is so boring.

@@areguapiri Exactly. Boring compared to spending days and nights in 24 hours casinos. May the love and the peace of Jesus be with us.

@@areguapiri No it's not, it is perfect.

It doesn’t look like much of a nature getaway when most of it seems to be ugly grass lawns

@@CampingforCool41 You can get a plastic green and beautiful lawn, but that's not natural. Nature is ugly sometimes, naturally. May the love and the peace of Jesus be with us.

@aggregatejeff I live here and run and ride my bike regularly on the sea wall so I can confidently say this is just another misleading, agenda driven video by this guy. Walk a minute east of this highlighted area and you have Athletes Village with restaurants, cafes, retail, entertainers and space for events like Vancouver’s Dragon Boat Festival, and walk two minutes west and you’ll find Granville Island with a market,theatres, restaurants, buskers, and retail (exactly like he showed in other cities like Halifax but conveniently left out) and in between just out of frame you’ll find more restaurants, along with parks. Oh green space, oh no let’s fill that to make it more exciting for this guy. What he doesn’t mention is that the pathway narrows at points and filling it with buskers and smaller food carts is actually problematic when you have people, biking, and on all sorts of of forms of transportation going both ways. This is just another video from this guy creating a false narrative, where he picks and chooses parts of the truth to fit his message driven agenda. If that critique feels unfair then appreciate that if you leave out important facts you are deliberately spreading misinformation, a lie, false narrative and then sharing it with the world. Fortunately there are some common sense comments here acknowledging that having some green space, quiet spots, where you can enjoy the space and the skyline is actually a good thing. What’s worse though with this video, and I’ve seen it with his other videos, is that this guy deliberately turns property owners into the enemy - how dare they stop us from having food carts, buskers, and circus side shows on the edge of their waterfront properties - those entitled jerks don’t they know that I can’t stand being bored? Truth is he has an agenda - let’s rezone, let’s redevelop because that serves our purpose. What’s curious as well is the poor level of research in this video as London was in fact one of the first modern cities to develop green spaces and parks, influencing other cities around the world including Barcelona and New York. Anyone who lives in Vancouver knows that these green spaces are regularly used in spring and summer months for music festivals, protests, annual fundraising walks and runs, and yes even outdoor yoga. Just another weak video from this guy meant to serve an agenda and create division.

canada is also obsessed with having very strict control of businesses of any kind. anything that sets up can't just do it willy nilly like in mexico (I assume mexico has rules about it but they have to be less strict), like a food stand needs a business license, a permanent location to produce food, and tons of stuff that makes where they can be and how expensive they are to set up a huge issue.

@@tezpokemonmaster true, we need a minimum set of rules but Canada is going way too far on many aspects. That kills entrepreneurship

You're right, more selfish people, they don't want to mix a lot. I left and live in Germany where they mix it up more.

Unfortunately one can only agree with the sentiment, selfish posessiveness is far too abundant.

american here, we thought you well.

A "boring" part of the city.

@@areguapiri listen, if you like spending all day on your computer or inside shopping that's fine, but not everyone wants to be a consumerist slave. some of us haven't ruined our brains attentions spans such that we can still enjoy things which are proven to give large mental health benefits, namely, nature.

@@areguapiri listen, if you like spending all day on your computer or inside shopping that's fine, but not everyone wants to be a consumerist slave. some of us haven't ruined our brains attentions spans such that we can still enjoy things which are proven to give large mental health benefits, namely, nature.

@@TheInfectous but people aren't enjoying it. The Vancouver population loves going outside they love nature! look at the beaches on a sunny day or any hike during the weekend its downright crowded. These spaces don't attract people simple enough while other spaces like trails and beaches are overcrowded they should be revamped to be made better use of.

​@@TheInfectoushow do you enjoy nature in such an unnatural environment? And why you gotta be a condescending arse

Disagree. Maybe one or two of those restaurants are for everyone. But most of them are overpriced or barrier to entries for most people who live in Vancouver. That does not seem very fair at all. Plus those places to be honest are near areas of busyness….Coal Harbour, Yaletown, Olympic village. What about every other spot along the sea wall?

go through fish creek at night in the summer on your bike, watch rabbits part like the red sea. no joke its crazy. thats about the most interesting thing that I have ever experienced in fish creek. kind of a boring walk zone otherwise.

Prince's island park has a few cafes and the enmax stage which are really nice additions. Hopefully eau claire market is redeveloped into something that has a community focus in mind.

@@carbonblack6880 It’s true, we’ve got a few cool things downtown! Really hopeful about the Eau Claire changes. I’m also interested in how we might liven up the pathways throughout the rest of the city.

@@nao_chan_ We had sooooo many rabbits last year 😂

Hopefully things will open up in Eau Claire when the Green Line goes through. I find it can be pretty busy downtown though. It's nice

exactly - not sure why it has to be so black and white in the public discourse

The struggle is always that no one want to agree to have “their” part commercialized. Personally I like living right across from a coffee shop and with lots of restaurants around, the foot traffic makes me feel safer being out at night. Yet if I want to be out when it’s quiet usually all that takes is being out before ~11 on a weekend (easy with a dog getting you up anyway). But clearly the people in those condos (or at least the loud ones) don’t think that way.

I agree I don’t want invasive commercialism but more of both is def lacking. It’s not the 1900’s anymore and the city is rapidly growing. Nobody is saying to destroy the escape just more balance for the sake of culture and vibrance. Nature will never be too far away in this town.

Except NOBODY is running on it.

There’s not much nature there, just grass. At least plant some flowers or something

Agreed. It's already very crowded at times.

I guess nature means something completely different to city people. It is a thin strip of grass. You have actual nature all around your city. Just poke your head out and you will see it. Actually leave the city and experience real nature.

Café McBarge

Would be lovely indeed ! Enlever le stationnement derrière le quai de l'horloge et avoir des commerces et plus d'activités la bas serait aussi un gros plus !

Sucre lantic is my favourite part of the waterfront

Lovely to not have to buy something from businesses by the water to be able to enjoy the sea wall. One can bring a picnic.

The parks could be a lot better though. Even just having more trees and some public art/sculptures would drastically improve the space

Parks in Vancouver only exist so developers can buy land and get away with paying zero taxes until such time as they decide to replace it with a condo.

Heat Island? Vancouver BC? Ahahahahahahaha. What will we do if it gets over 80 degrees? We will melt!

Strong agree. I think it's important to not confuse a "place" like Granville Island, or the Olympic Village with an "artery" like the seawall walk/bike/roll path. I have a lot of use for both things. I can't run all the time. When I stop it's nice to sit down and have a bite or something to drink, but when I want to move, I don't really enjoy running through a restaurant patio!

@@nickgoodall578 "when I want to move, I don't really enjoy running through a restaurant patio!" Great way of putting this aspect of your point!

It's REALLY easy to create that sense of quiet space - just don't have a road or parking nearby. Most people will not walk more than 50 feet from their car. Even now all along the Seawall you have busy spots and super quiet spots but this could be way better curated by drawing people into hot spots where there are food trucks and cafes and seating and then quiet zones with no amenities and no parking, just trees and shoreline.

​@@fallenshallrise For sure! That's kind of what I was going for. Chicago does a pretty good job of this and it definitely has some longer stretches without amenities that I valued as a distance longboarder when I used to live there. It also has big clusters of lakefront that have almost nonstop amenities, particularly places like Montrose Beach and Grant Park. I think the level of granularity between amenity and less-amenity zones should probably scale inversely with the population density.

I agree a mix is important. And you're right in chicago you can find parts of the lake front to be alone in if you want. Or be surrounded be tons of people. It's all about where you want to go.

Agreed

I think most users local or travellers will enjoy the so called ‘boring’ seawall

The North Van (and even the west Van to av extent) waterfronts do indeed have areas that are more vibrant than the CoV.

I live here in Vancouver and I've never heard of that "trail". Last time I tried to ride over there it was mostly painted bike lanes on main roads with a ton of traffic with some detours on multi-use paths. Most of that coast line is blocked by private owners, business and industry so I don't think a seawall is ever going to be possible over there. Maybe I should give it another shot.

I agree, I like the idea of having a quiet place to walk and bike by the water, especially in the heart of the city and at night. And I generally have very progressive views regarding urbanism, walkability, and public transit. Perhaps the best solution would be to open up some parts of the seawall to commercial development, while still preserving the majority of the path for public parks.

I understand some spaces could have additions like a restaurant or cafe that are being stopped by NIMBYs, however the sea wall literally has restaurants, cafes, shops, etc... already along it. If parts of the seawall are too peaceful for your liking, just walk or ride your bike a few more minutes and you'll have some cafe or whatever. There's literally Granville island along the seawall, also Stanley Park/surrounding area has everything this video is advocating for and more. Building out every square meter of the seawall would ruin it.

​@@jjsvideos715Except NOBODY is walking, running, or biking on it.

@@areguapiri Man, there are literally thousands of people walking, running and biking on it on any given day during the warmer months.

it is a good point, but i do not think it is a show stopper reason. There are 20km plus coastline, we can for sure find space for a street of restaurants and courts. It just needs to be planed/regioned well. But I agree, if too many restaurants along the coast, it becomes a problem.

Ya. I actually agree. Vollyball courts on spanish banks means that noone else can use that part of the beach when the organized vollyball tournaments take over in the summer. Also commercializing stuff where there is businesses everywhere and economic activity is tiresome. The whole point is to excape that stuff. I mean, granville island vibe could be expanded farther east into false creek and I would have no problems. But theparts that are west of the burrard st. bridge I think are fine actually.

Totally agree, as a runner I like paths that aren’t too overcrowded. Plus if they do have activities then make them wide enough for everyone.

I think it's amazing that dt vancouver is residential and not destroyed like dt Toronto

Yup, I spend a fair amount of time on the seawall, dressed not unlike Uytae (black tights though) and I love to make the rich look at my jiggly bum! Sorry to all my fellow plebs that have to look at it as well, but I try to keep moving, so it doesn't last too long!

You are letting them off too easy. the seawall is to their private park, the should to have a veto.

yes, this! i live in Toronto, and i appreciate that long stretches of the waterfront trails are for either jogging and recreational cycling, and others for slow walking and gazing at plants and the lake. but i do agree with the core point of the video; without knowing about much of the context he covered in the video, i have often wondered why certain sections so half-assedly commercialized; like you’ll find a one-off pizza chain and then desert for quite a bit. the dream to me is to have a true corniche, wide and busy but people can still jog and stretch, and to have commercial spots dotted here and there, and in some occasion connected to, but not along the waterfront itself. Toronto kinda has that in some spots and i think there is still a lot of potential as the footprint for roads is reduced a bit over the next couple decades. Unfortunately though, some residential towers are still built very close to the waterfront without any commercial use at street level. Very troubling phenomenon.

@@johnnysecular is true but you also forget the apartment building in Toronto that is near the waterfront is part of the waterfront trail which the apartment is now part of it cause there is an walkway for it on and off. That only on the west side.

@@paulmcewen7384 other than the cyclists and joggers and maybe around Yaletown, I don't the rich really make use of the seawall much. It really is a tourist and working/middle class holiday in the city. Let the rich go to Whistler.

Agreed! More development isn't the answer. The Seawall is there to walk and see the sea, and not look at more building and stuff in shops and see more people.

Also Granville Island. I’ll add that Steveston has a nice waterfront that’s not quite Halifax’s but much closer ;-)

@@nancyneyedly4587 The seawall itself was 'more development', and it was a choice to make it the personal backyard of the rich folks living along the water. If 95% of it is boring, why not let 5% of it be less boring?

@@ScottRycroft I wouldn't say it's anyone's personal backyard as everyone can use the seawall. There are places where "the rich" have co-opted the shoreline and you cannot walk on the beach near those homes. You are saying that it would be better to have it be the "personal backyard" for "cafes and shops" instead of everyone like it is now. It isn't "boring" it is calm, it's an escape from all the shops, cafes and business in the downtown. I know extroverts think everything should be a big social fest, with people noise and activity constantly, but everyone needs a respite from the insanity of constant busy activity. "You know the downtown is so busy with cafes and businesses and traffic and people so lets go to the seawall for more cafes and business and people. " Brilliant idea, NOT!

​@@nancyneyedly4587 If the super rich who live right by the water control what goes there, then it's their private backyard. There's plenty of peaceful parks out there. 95% of the seawall is peaceful nothingness, why not take 5% more for some activity?