Vancouver, Canada—This is a great city. The downtown core is alive, beautiful, global and growing.
The photo above shows a pedestrian walkway at Burrard Inlet adjacent to downtown. Towers like those in the photo dot the edges of downtown; tall, skinny, angled, and set back these towers are designed to let sunlight flow around them and keep view corridors open.
Construction cranes dot the skyline here in Vancouver. They are everywhere. Decisions about urban growth have been made in favor of clustering density—at least in the downtown core—in these towers. Open space, pocket parks, and pedestrian walkways are key features linking the tower clusters.
Back home in Seattle we face similar decisions over the next few months. How best to allow for urban growth while protecting the character of our neighborhoods, creating affordable workforce housing, remaining sensitive to environmental stewardship concerns, and making sure the city remains a wonderful place to live. The City Council will make decisions over the next year that could result in Vancouver-like density towers in South Lake Union, Northgate, SoDo, and perhaps even at light rail and transit stations, although probably much shorter at these latter locations.
A key factor when reaching decisions about density is how best to create public places. A great organization with excellent resources, guides, and ideas is the Project for Public Places.