by Lance Berelowitz (Douglas & McIntyre, 2005)

Lance Berelowitz performs what he calls an act of ￜurban archaeologyￜ as he traces Vancouverￜs history of growth and its innovative urban planning. Although he writes with great affection about his city and its aspirations (he was, after all, the editor in chief of the cityￜs Olympic winter games ￜBid Bookￜ), he understands that archaeology often uncovers tough truths, and his exploration of the cityￜs role in setting a global standard for urban planning goes beyond merely touting its many successes.

He takes a critical look at the myths the city has built around itself to give us a balanced picture of Vancouverￜs model for sustainability: ￜVancouverￜs public space has been increasingly appropriated by commercial and promotional interests, often at the expense of truly ethnic-based, community-based, or class-based activities. Manipulation and dispersal are creating a paradigm that is increasingly hostile to traditional public space. In Vancouver, this paradigm is couched in the seductive terms of ￜnaturalￜ leisure, making it extremely difficult to express the inherent threat to a populace in danger of pleasuring itself into civic marginalia.ￜ