The Overspecified Generic

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In her critique of urban renewal policies in the US of the 1960s, Jane Jacobs praised the use of these generic outdoor spaces (balconies, steps, patio gardens) as spatial tools in support of vibrant, dense, mixed-use neighbourhoods. In response to her claims, it should be noted that in the context of contemporary Vancouver, Jacobs’ claims are impractical and do not reflect the reality of urban politics. Another criticism is that Jacobs’ approach leads to gentrification: an observed urban social process whereby urban economic development leads to old neighbourhoods becoming too expensive for the original population once “renewed.” The previous inhabitants are replaced by yuppies who enjoy the semi-bohemian life that results. In many cases, the reality of this pseudo-bohemian lifestyle reveals itself in the need to sacrifice other aspects of life in order to cover the mortgage/rent: decent food, adequate furnishings, enjoying pastimes, travel, etc. The new social realities are inconsistent with the market imagined not only by Jacobs, but by developers and the City of Vancouver itself.

An argument can be made that these generic spaces are not doing enough to bring vibrancy to the urban realm. Although residents who buy into new condos are occasionally given the power to choose: granite vs. butcher block countertops, the cappuccino machine nook, stainless steel appliances, the faux fireplace, these options do very little in bringing identity to the lives of the residents and absolutely nothing to the character of the building they actually dwell within. These cues prevent people from appropriating spaces in a meaningful way. Real-estate developers have become increasingly adept at marketing these pseudo-spatial implications that are convincing buyers that they actually have an identity in the cityscape of Vancouver. When in reality, there are no spatial implications being addressed in the consumer being given the choice of an electric fireplace or nook for the coffee maker they might not even have. This phenomenon has also fuelled the high degree of speculative investment in Vancouver. Resale to the unknown buyer is of the utmost importance and prevents any real appropriation of spaces or buildings to take place. It has come to the point where ultimately, if a prospective buyer can’t see the fireplace, they won’t know where to put the couch.

A certain image is maintained on the exterior of these new condos and townhouses that tells very little about the activities of the interior. This discrete image is only one layer in a series of layers that buyers in the urban Vancouver real estate market and speculative investors have become extremely receptive to. Notions of privacy are now being developed through the increasing ubiquity found in the realm of downtown. The degree to which City Hall and the Planning department have honed their craft at dictating a ‘desirable’ character for downtown Vancouver has generated an overly specific framework that leaves precious little to be interpreted or subverted. Successful developers in the Vancouver context have become exceedingly efficient at presenting proposals that fit exactly into the overly-prescriptive “guidelines” set up by City Hall which has resulted in an exceedingly replicable building typology found throughout downtown Vancouver.