A 1970's triumph, can Granville Island do it again?

by innes | March 30, 2008 at 10:42 am

1020 views | 2 Recommendations | 12 comments

Trevor Boddy gives an update on the status of Vancouver's Granville Island (can you say macramé?), and Vancouver's current timid architectural ethos.

Think of Granville Island as downtown Vancouver in miniature. Likethe place across False Creek we now have come to call "the downtownpeninsula," Granville Island was once truly an island - a sand bar,truth be known.

The 20th century saw bridges connect the area that had become amaritime industrial zone to the rest of the city. Like downtown,Granville Island was pretty scruffy looking until Liberal federalgovernments of the 1970s invested $20-million to improve infrastructureand streetscapes.

We all know Granville Island's resulting urban argot: wooden docksalive with cadging seagulls; seagoing-grade bollards, posts, sign-pipesand street lighting done up in the bright primary colours of lightindustrial drag; sidewalks banned in the name of egalitarian hippieanarchy, with cars, pedestrians, and buskers all passing within inchesof each other.

It worked.

But the Island's significance for locals peaked in the 1980s, andhas been in decline ever since, largely due to the benign neglect ofits unfocused land-lord, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.Granville Island is now, in my opinion, our city's most over-ratedurban zone, filled with stale crafts (can you say macramé?), timid artsgroups, second-rate restaurants and way too many tourists trying tofind the Aquabus.

The Island's architecture, streets, businesses, programming andbroad identity have lost connection with the surrounding workaday city,focusing instead on the needs of high-end gourmands and weekendvisitors from Washington state.

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cynthia yoo

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 14:31 on March 30th, 2008

innes, great post on a local institution! For future posts, I wonder if you could use our highlight tool when using excerpts from another article. Thanks again.

CraigZone

at 16:12 on March 30th, 2008

What a great hat shop!

CraigZone has contributed a photo to this story.

kswift56

at 16:35 on March 30th, 2008

I was out on a journey in the summer of 2007 to make a photographic tour of the City of Vancouver to share with friends. This photo was one of many taken from the Burrard Street Bridge - looking at Granville Island - it is amazing to see how much activity is going on in just this one photograph - what an amazing City!!!!

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carolbrowne

at 18:02 on March 30th, 2008

I had no idea how Granville Island was created. I still love Granville Island as much as I did the first time I visited as a tourist about 20 years ago. Very informative article!

Luis Reyes

at 21:11 on March 30th, 2008

I go to Granville Island all the time as my daughter(s) go/used to go to Arts Umbrella for their dance classes. I have wandered from end to end and along the seawall and I have yet to see all of it. I love doing photography here due to the variety of subjects. I agree the food/produce are expensive but there are still some that are OK.

Ravennn

at 21:21 on March 30th, 2008

I don't quite agree with the article, while Granville island feels kinda "disconnected" from most of downtown, it's a good place to go to, both for tourists and random walkers (and for lunch if you work nearbye I guess). From my friends' impressions, the art shop there is very good, as for me, public market with variety of food is great for lunch, bird watching/feeding is also great, haven't seen so many in other places. Not sure about the theaters, toy market and art shops - not my kind of stuff :)
It could probably use some investment and cleanup, but I wouldn't want to see it turn into a typical walking street full of expensive restaurants, clothes shops and nightclubs...

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Mag_pie

at 21:21 on March 30th, 2008

Granville Island is not only worth a visit during the day but also in the calm late hours of the evening where an eclectic night life thrives and has picturesque views to boot.

Maggie Krol-Journalist/Photographer

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RoninKengo

at 05:58 on March 31st, 2008

Beautiful weather in Vancouver even in February

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fotofaux

at 15:38 on March 31st, 2008

This is from a trip to Granville Island in Vangroovy. A cool little outdoor/ indoor market that has grown into an artists island. Full of theatre, great food, and fantastic views of the waterfront, it's not to be missed, even if you're trolling the alleys like me. It just has fantastic randomness.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fotofaux/2344941824/

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Soupdog

at 18:48 on March 31st, 2008

I stumbled onto this article a few days ago. I found it informative yet somewhat annoying. A quick google search of Mr. Boddy provided the following succinct critique from

http://pricetags.wordpress.com/about/

"Good cities need good critics. And Trevor Boddy, a regular contributor to the Globe and Mail, could be that critic if he could dampen down the self-promotion. It gets in the way. Sometimes his opposition seems gratuitous, taken not on the merits of the case but because it goes against received opinion. He believes it to be his job to puncture the overinflated balloon of Vancouver self-regard. But too often the jibes are overstated or personally targeted, and the sneers detract from the legitimate criticisms he can so cleverly craft."

Well said Mr. Price

Gillan Walker

at 20:10 on March 31st, 2008

granville island is a very cute place. definitely tons off local talent - artists and chefs. if i lived in Vancouver i'd go a few times a year, i don't think it's just for tourists - although it's a great destination if you are one!

Gillan Walker has contributed a photo to this story.