IN THIS CHAPTER
- Granville Island
- False Creek history
- Granville Slopes
- Granville Bridge
- Urban Planning
False Creek is the jewel of Vancouver; an overwhelming success story of modern urban planning. One can’t help but be impressed when walking through the area, enjoying the public spaces, strolling the seawall or gazing up at the highrise residential towers. It became the template of what Vancouver has become.
The springboard to all of this, and indeed Vancouver’s complete transformation, was the World Exposition of 1986 (Expo 86) - one of the most successful world’s fairs ever. Legacy projects such as Canada Place, Science World, the Plaza of Nations as well as the SkyTrain elevated transit system have all proven to be great assets to the city. Once the fair was over, it was decided to design a new community on the site in an effort to attract more residents to the downtown peninsula.
From a design standpoint, it may be argued that the new buildings and towers of False Creek are too homogeneous. Perhaps this is inevitable, considering the whole area was constructed by a single developer within a short timeframe. But despite the apparent lack of architectural diversity within False Creek, the area works well. Individuality gives way to consistency and whatever criticisms there may be, one has to admit that the development has achieved its goal of being a complete community with ample public access and amenities.
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