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A Virtual Walking Tour of Gentrified Neighbourhoods of Vancouver

Claire Brucker, Clinton Benson, Garima Gupta, Hailey Blaskovits and Zach Agar

The University of British Columbia-Okanagan

GEOG 359: Culture, Space and Politics

Dr. Lawrence Berg

9th March, 2022

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A Virtual Walking Tour of Gentrified Neighbourhoods of Vancouver

Introduction

Gentrification, broadly, is defined as the process where low-income and undesirable

neighbourhoods in an urban area are transformed into economic and residential hotspots by
improving property infrastructure and increasing property tax rates to attract wealthy individuals
and increase the overall land value. Consequently, gentrification is responsible for displacing the
original residents of the neighbourhood, who belong to social and economic minorities.
Moreover, while the process gets justified in the name of “urban regeneration,” it causes severe
“income polarisation, localised inequality and social exclusion” (Burnett, 2014). For the
purposes of our research project, we will focus on the histories of gentrified neighbourhoods
located in and around the city of Vancouver which includes, Gastown, Marpole, Chinatown,
Granville-Woodland area, and Fairview Slopes. Through this virtual tour of Vancouver, we will
explore and bring forward the histories of gentrified neighbourhoods in the city of Vancouver
and understand how the residents from marginalised groups cope with the changing
demographics of gentrified neighbourhoods.

Objective

The overarching objective of the virtual walkthrough tour of gentrified neighbourhoods

of Vancouver is to link the concert of society with space and identify how spatial arrangements
reflect and intersect with larger structures such as race, class, ethnicity, and gender.
The project further aims to understand why and how areas/neighbourhoods that were considered
“underdeveloped” or “low-income” residential areas are becoming more popular and the demand
for staying in those areas is increasing rapidly which is evident in the rising rent rates.

Project Format

This project is in the format of a “virtual walkthrough of Vancouver,” using the Prezi
presentation software. Our group will nominate two speakers to present the project to the class
on each team member's research and real-world examples of gentrification in Vancouver. The
presentation aspect of the project will most likely be done online via class zoom as it will be
easier to coordinate the Prezi presentation and team members.

Background
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Downtown Eastside: Gastown

The Downtown Eastside is considered an undesirable, low-income area in Vancouver. In

this article Katherine Burnett explains that upscale, trendy restaurants are contributing to the
gentrification process in this area. Gentrification is associated with displacement of low-income
residents and accompanied with an increase in upscale restaurant locations (Burnett, 2014).
Burnett notes that some restaurants are relatively affordable, or in a sense tailored to this
neighbourhood of Vancouver, however, many of the new restaurants are that of an upscale
cuisine (2014). This “rapid influx” of restaurants has created a “culinary gentrification” process
of the Downtown Eastside and this can have “pronounced effects on the area's social space”
(Burnett, 2014, p.166). In doing this research, Burnett employs a mixed-method approach to
analysing various restaurants over a 10-year study period. Consisting of reviews of
advertisements, magazines, in-person visits, and newspaper articles, Burnett stipulates that the
Downtown Eastside has shifted to serving more affluent consumers, and as a result has forced
marginalised populations in the area further East (2014). Burnett, places emphasis on Gastown,
an area within the Downtown Eastside, as it the oldest neighbourhood in Vancouver, although
home to many trendy restaurants which are contributing to this notion of culinary gentrification
(2014).
A new upscale restaurant called ‘Pidgin’ in the Downtown Eastside is a prime example of
this culinary gentrification process at work. The Pidgin restaurant is located across the street
from Pidgeon Park which is “notorious [for] drug dealing and makeshift home[s] for the area’s
most troublesome residents” (CBC, 2013). Protestors have argued against the restaurant,
claiming it is far too expensive for the residents living in the area, and that the space would be
more suitable for low-income housing (CBC, 2013). The restaurant co-owner Brandon Grossutti
explains that the restaurant wants to be this relay between the west and eastern cultures and grow
the community together (CBC, 2013). Donation programs will be implemented which can then
be used to create food programs for the surrounding area (CBC, 2013). Another example is the
upscale eatery ‘Cuchillo’ that has popped up in the Downtown Eastside. What makes this
example of gentrification so apparent, is the location of the restaurant, as it sits below a single-
room occupancy hotel, where occupants are suffering from food-insecurity and health-related
challenges (The Georgia Straight, 2013).

Marpole

Marpole is a mostly residential area located on the southern edge of Vancouver. Although
it is comprised of mostly households and home dwellings, Marpole has a couple of large streets
running throughout such as Granville Street and Oak Street (VanCity Gentrified, 2021). It, like
most parts of Vancouver, has changed and is still changing to have newer, more modern
buildings and restaurants. Citizens of this area are concerned that it will lose all of its history and
culture as it continues to become modernised (Todd, 2020). One resident describes that if the
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citizens want to preserve their town, they must move quickly, and they must be willing to put
lots of money into the preservation, which is not possible for many people (Todd, 2020).
Kern (2015) writes that the process of gentrification of cities can be exclusionary and
marginalising. As cities and towns endure gentrification, the spaces that are created typically
become more expensive, increasing the value of the surrounding area (Kern, 2015). This can
make it hard for those who used to live there to continue to live there as the prices are raised,
thus creating an exclusionary environment.
Marpole does have some community initiatives to try to keep the heritage alive, although
they are quite minimal and are still pushing towards the development of the area. One part of the
community plan is to “enhance culture, heritage, and creativity within the city” which they will
do by retaining public and private spaces that are used for cultural and social activities, as well as
“ensuring [that the] spaces for cultural and social activity reflect the character” of the area (City
of Vancouver, 2020).

Chinatown

Chinatowns, in the North American context, have existed as an integral part of the urban
landscape. While the Chinatowns emerged several decades after the arrival of Chinese in North
America, they were not created voluntarily but out of need and as a response to the rampant
racism that was experienced by the Chinese in North America. Vancouver’s Chinatown, which is
located near the “edge of the downtown core area” shares a similar history. It was established in
the 19th century and has expanded in size since then and is home to the famous Chinatown Night
Market, and upscale restaurants and boutiques, and, today, is characterised by its “tightly packed
crowds, loud music, Chinese dim sum and vendors selling pop culture goods” like Hello Kitty
merchandise (Pottie-Sherman, 2013). However, the connotations associated with Chinatown
were drastically different in the 19th and the early 20th century as people of Chinese descent
were seen as “ radically inferior, hygienically unhealthy and morally questionable” (Li & Li,
2011). While the entire neighbourhood that was known as Chinatown was viewed as a ghetto;
the city officials of the city of Vancouver viewed the Chinatown as a “menace that needed to be
condemned and contained” (2011).
After the 1960s, when Canada adopted a universal points system for assessing the intake
of immigrants in the country, the town grew tremendously due to the new wave of Chinese
immigrants (2011) which allowed “the growth of the Chinese community and the expansion of a
new Chinese middle class” (2011). However, this growth expanded and the area soon started
becoming a commercial hub that attracted tourists as it was home to traditional Chinese cuisine,
culture and goods. This sudden change in narrative of Chinatown, from an undesirable
neighbourhood to a desirable neighbourhood, occurred because it was subjected to the white
gaze and the town was exoticised as a palace to experience the “Other” culture. Moreover, today
the majority of the residents in Chinatown do not identify as Chinese, and as far as numbers are
concerned only 1.2 percent of Chinese people resided in the area, while the majority now live in
Richmond (2011).
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Fairview Slopes

Fairview Slopes is a neighbourhood in Vancouver located across False Creek and

opposite the downtown core. For decades Fairview Slopes has been undergoing social and
physical landscape changes. In her article, Catherine A. Mills explores how the neighbourhood
went from being a deteriorating industrial sector with some low-density industrial zoning to a
desirable and fashionable upper-middle class district. The residents of this neighbourhood
wanted to keep the historic low density residential properties but as the businesses saw the
potential of the area, they then began to lobby for high density residential and commercial zoning
(Mills, 1991). Fairview Slopes presents a slightly different take on gentrification as many old
buildings were not repurposed, which is what usually is associated with gentrification, but
instead were torn down. Many new buildings started to replace older ones and as development
increased so did rental prices and this effectively priced out the elder residents and minorities
making room for younger up and coming members of the middle class which were effectively
the new class of the neighbourhood (Mills, 1991).
After the first wave of gentrifiers in the 1970s, a new wave began to emerge in
Vancouver. This new 90s approach to housing involves letting the market run the show which
does not allow for government intervention to promote diversity (Bula, 1998). As the middle-
class searches for more areas to gentrify, low-income and marginalised groups will be pushed
further out of the core and into less desirable neighbourhoods. Unlike the first wave of
gentrifiers, the new waves have paid higher prices for their investments, oftentimes buying
previously gentrified properties for even further development. It is because of this that new
buyers are more focused on protecting their properties and want increased development to aid
their investment financially (Bula, 1998). In Fairview Slopes and False Creek, rows of
townhouses are prevalent but more recently high-rise condos are breaking new ground and
further altering not only the physical landscape but the social landscaped as inhabitants with
careers such as “...computer programmers, sales managers, lawyers, accountants, office
administrators, and business owners…” move to central neighbourhoods and price out groups
including minorities and artists (Bula, 1998).

Grandview Woodland

Grandview–Woodland is one of Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhoods. Grandview–

Woodland is east of the downtown area of Vancouver. It has one of the highest concentrations of
urban Indigenous peoples, and its most famous attraction is the commercial drive. Gentrification
is the displacement of impoverished people from their urban communities by wealthier people
when they move into these communities and directly causes the cost of living to rise.
Grandview Woodland is currently experiencing many of the signs of gentrification, broadly as
“trendy” condos built, attention from the real-estate press, and artists moving to the area
(Kasman, 2015).
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The trendy condos built in Grandview–Woodland are a 66 unit condo called Boheme and
a 38 unit condo called the oxford.The new high-rise condos are usually expensive and
unaffordable for the low-income residents in these communities. The real estate press has also
begun to take notice of the changes in Grandview Woodland, with the Canadian Real Estate
Magazine including the area in its top 100 neighbourhoods in which to invest in Canada
(Kasman, 2015).
The Globe and Mail and The Vancouver Sun have taken notice of Grandview Woodland’s arts
community through the annual Eastside Culture Crawl festival (Keillor, 2014; Van Evra, 2014).
Kaman Paul argues that the presence of these artists in the Grandview-Woodland area is an
indicator of gentrification (Kasman, 2015).
Gentrification in Grandview Woodland has been an enduring subject of discussion. A
2008 article indicates that residential gentrification was taking place around Commercial Drive,
but that the area’s homeless problem, aggressive panhandling, and criminal element was
enduring and could continue despite gentrification (Kasman, 2015)
Evidence of gentrification in Grandview Woodland is the shift of the census of the population
from 2006 to 2011. According to the census data by researchers Helene Belanger and Michelle
Boyd, the residents of Grandview Woodland became more educated, had fewer children and the
average household income increased by 29.9 percent in those five years. (Belanger, 2012, p.37)
and (Boyd, 2008)
All these changes from 2006 to 2011 are massive indicators of gentrification that occurred in
Grandview Woodland during that time.

Research Questions

Innumerable influences have shaped the overall landscape of Vancouver but the impact
of gentrification within the city should not be understated. This process has altered a variety of
aspects of the city as a whole including the economic situation and social dynamics. This
presentation will address the change in these factors from gentrification as well as analysing
specific neighbourhoods and the effect gentrification has had on them. Next, it will explore the
role of the government and how their actions have both facilitated and counteracted
gentrification. Lastly, it will oversee what is being done to prevent gentrification in the future.

Methodology

To find our data, each group member began by choosing part of the Greater Vancouver
area that we wanted to research, then began looking for articles that related to each area. We
searched for these articles mainly through the UBCO online library. Our group chose both peer-
reviewed articles as well as more contemporary pieces such as articles from news sites. The
reason we decided to look for both types of articles is because they can both be helpful to our
research. Peer-reviewed articles can be relevant to our research topic because they can give an
educated and very well-researched perspective on the topic of gentrification, specifically in the
Greater Vancouver area. The reason that more contemporary pieces are useful and relevant to
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our research is because they can give an up-close perspective of how the people within the city
have been impacted by the effects of the gentrification process. As well, they could give a more
honest and candid view of how gentrification has impacted their lives while living in that space.
The information that we will be looking at and the research we will be conducting is mostly
qualitative because we are dealing with words and their meanings. We may do a small amount of
quantitative research by looking at percentages and statistics of the gentrification within the city
and comparing those throughout the area.

Limits

The purpose of the virtual tour of the gentrified areas of Vancouver is to understand how
and why gentrification of the spatial landscape impacts society, however, this tour has certain
limitations which need to be addressed. Firstly, given the limited timeframe and scope of this
assignment, we were only able to address 5 major areas that witnessed gentrification and its
impacts. Thus, the tour provides very specific yet detailed examples of gentrified areas in the
greater city of Vancouver. Furthermore, the sources used for supporting our arguments vary
include a mix of peer-reviewed journal articles and contemporary articles such as blogs, online
news articles and op-eds.

Timeline

Feb. Week 3 Feb. Week 4 Mar. Week 1 Mar. Week 2

Research Phase Research Phase Research Finalization & Proposal is Finalized

proposal work starts
Each team member Areas/buildings are Introduction to Prezi
deciding on an finalized per each Division of Labor - and configuring
area/building in team member deciding who is presentation design
Vancouver for their presenting/coordinating
research Prezi

Mar. Week 3 Mar. Week 4 April. Week 1 April. Week 2

Prezi presentation Prezi presentation Coordination w/ Group Prezi

work work presenters & presentation on
practising the gentrification in
Collaborative process Collaborative process presentation Vancouver

Implementing Implementing Final tweaks/editing Presentation taking

Research into Prezi Research into Prezi to Prezi presentation place via class online
zoom
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Division of Labour

Division of Labour [Proposal and Project]:

Group Members Proposal Project

Claire Brucker Methodology and Review Research, Prezi Design

Garima Gupta Introduction/Objective, Parameters Research, Presenter, Prezi

and Presentation Technical aspects

Zach Agar Timeline, Rubic, and Project Format Research, Prezi Design

Clinton Benson Conclusion and Division of labour Research , Prezi Design

Hailey Blaskovits Research Question and Presentation Research, Presenter

Division of Labour [Literature Review and Citations]:

Group Members Neighbourhood Citations

Claire Brucker Marpole VanCity Gentrified. (2021),

Todd, D. (2020), City of
Vancouver. (2020), and Kern,
L. (2016).

Garima Gupta Chinatown Pottie-Sherman, (2013), and Li

& Li, (2011)

Zach Agar Downtown Eastside: Gastown Burnett, K. (2014), (The

Georgia Straight, 2013), and
CBC. (2013, February 18).

Clinton Benson Grandview-Woodland Kasman, P. (2015), Boyd, M.

(2008) and Belanger, (2012)

Hailey Blaskovits Fairview Slopes Mills, C.A. (1991), and Bula, F.

(1998, )

Rubric for Assessment

Criteria Poor Good Excellent

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Introduction - Thesis does - Thesis is generally - Thesis is

/Thesis not correlate to correlated to correlated well
project content project with project
- Introduction is - Introduction - Introduction
insufficient at provides viewers provides viewers
providing key with some key with the projects
details to information/details background and
viewers on with the projects purpose
what the background and - Introduction
project is purpose captures viewers
about attention and
curiosity in
project

Content - Minimal - Satisfactory - Great amounts of

content amount of content information that
- Does not - Does provide is relevant to
provide content in a clear project
content clearly manner - Content includes
and is hard to - Easy to follow real-world
follow and along and content examples of
make is relevant gentrification
connections - Content is easy to
follow along

Organizatio - Project is not - Project is - Project organizes

n/Division of well organized organized information and
Labor - Division of - Division of labor content in clear
labor is not is somewhat manner
equally equally distributed - Project is free of
distributed among team errors in content
among team members and information
members - Minor errors in provided on
- Major errors in content and powerpoint slides
content and information - Division of labor
information is equally
distributed among
team members

Powerpoint - No pictures - Provides some - Provides many

& images and/or video, pictures and/or images and/or
and/or video thus this video to support videos and thus
project does information and presents a
not signify a claims “virtual”
“virtual” - Powerpoint is in a walkthrough
walkthrough clear order and through
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through provides some Vancouver

Vancouver fluent transitions - Powerpoint is in a
- Powerpoint between each team clear order and
sequencing is members research incorporates
not in clear fluent transitions
order between each
team members
research

Citations & - No citations - Meets the required - Meets/exceeds the

Sources and/or amount sources required amount
minimal - Cites sources of sources
citations (not correctly, meeting - Sources are cited
meeting 10 the APA standards correctly, meeting
sources) with the APA
- Sources are minimal/minor standards and free
not cited errors of errors
correctly or - Some peer - Most sources are
meeting APA reviewed sources peer reviewed
standards

Conclusion

Gentrification is an ongoing phenomenon emerging in different neighbourhoods of

Vancouver, especially in the inner cities and urban areas. There are multiple causes of
gentrification in Vancouver. Some of them are government policies, migration of wealthy
individuals into poorer communities, and the Construction of unaffordable housing and
amenities. The causes of gentrification are usually linked and intertwined with each other.
There are good and bad effects of gentrification. The low-income residents bear the heaviest
burden of the negative effects of when a neighbourhood becomes gentrified as they may suffer
long-lasting health defects and homelessness. "Studies indicate that vulnerable populations
typically have shorter life expectancy; higher cancer rates; more birth defects; greater infant
mortality; and higher incidence of asthma, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease." CDC –
National Centre for Health Statistics (2009). One way to combat the negative effects of
gentrification is through favourable government policies that encourage residents to remain in
the community and the development of affordable housing in the gentrified neighbourhoods.
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References
Bélanger, H. (2012). The meaning of the built environment during gentrification in

Canada. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 27(1), 31–47.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901-011-9248-3

Boyd, M. (2008). Defensive development: The role of racial conflict in gentrification.

Urban Affairs Review, 43(6), 751-776.

Bula, F. (1998, ). Gentrifying for better or worse: First came hippies who bought cheaply and

renovated with sweat equity. Then came professionals in search of attractive real estate

investments. Now it's a large development corporation. In the process, Vancouver's core

is turning into an exclusively executive city: Final edition. The Vancouver Sun (1998)

Burnett, K. (2014). Commodifying poverty: Gentrification and consumption in

Vancouver's downtown Eastside. Urban Geography, 35(2), 157-176.

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CBC. (2013, February 18). Pidgin owner defends controversial new Vancouver

restaurant.https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/pidgin-owner-defends-

controversial-new-vancouver-restaurant-1.1411431

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%20or%20large%20scale.

Fujii, G. T. (1981). The revitalization of the inner city : a case study of the Fairview

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Kasman, P. (2015). Public Policy and Gentrification in the Grandview Woodland

Neighbourhood of Vancouver, B.C.

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happening neighbourhood. Cultural Geographies, 23(3), 441–457.

https://doi.org/10.1177/1474474015591489

Li, E. X., & Li, P. S. (2011). Vancouver chinatown in transition. Journal of Chinese

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Pottie-Sherman, Y. (2013). Vancouver's chinatown night market: Gentrification and the

perception of chinatown as a form of revitalization. Built Environment (London. 1978),

39(2), 172-189. https://doi.org/10.2148/benv.39.2.172

Singh Hundal, J., & Wang, C. (2020, March 23). Marpole. VanCity Gentrified. Retrieved

March 8, 2022, from https://vancitygentrified.wordpress.com/marpole

The Georgia Straight. (2013, July 5). Protestors target Cuchillo as another symbol of

gentrification in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

https://www.straight.com/news/398401/protesters-target-cuchillo-another-symbol-

gentrification-vancouvers-downtown-eastside

Todd, D. (2020, November 7). Author sees vintage vancouver disappearing before our eyes. The

Vancouver Sun.
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