Heather Travis, with files from Emily Chung
Sun
VANCOUVER – The city’s newly appointed director of city planning, Brent Toderian, says planning for the Olympics looms prominently in his future. But first, he will be attending to the city’s more immediate problems of homelessness and affordable housing.
Toderian, whose appointment was announced Thursday, said he had no specific plans to deal with those issues, but wants to talk with city residents and city council before formulating them.
“I suppose I would worry about anyone coming from outside of Vancouver suggesting they already know the answers,” he said in an interview. “To me, I’m really more interested in a really creative and open-minded dialogue before we come to any conclusions.”
Toderian, 37, has been a city planner for Calgary since 2001, and will begin his work in Vancouver on Sept. 14.
“I am really excited to come to Vancouver,” said Toderian. “I’ll be moving to an urban mindset that more matches my ethic.”
Toderian said he is inheriting a strong planning team that is capable of making the mayor’s vision of Vancouver a reality. He said his first job will be to listen to Vancouver residents and city council to find out the city’s priorities.
“I think focusing on the issues that are important to Vancouverites now is going to be job No. 1,” he said.
In Calgary, Toderian said he made a name for himself by making suburbs more “urban” — encouraging services and small businesses in neighbourhoods so residents wouldn’t have to travel downtown for all their needs. He also pushed for higher density and more walking, cycling and public transit use.
In the downtown core, Toderian said he used a holistic approach to ensure social health by including enough social housing and elements that make a place fun to live in, such as parks, community pools, well-designed streets, community centres and schools.
He said a holistic planning approach to the city’s architecture encourages the growth of arts and culture through the creation of more public squares, more festivals, and ensuring public infrastructure such as bridges, lamp posts and benches are themselves works of art.
“Calgary is at a very interesting point in its history where it can move rapidly towards greatness or rapidly in the other direction,” he said. “It has been really exciting being here right now, helping tip it in the right direction.”
Larry Beasley, one of the city planners Toderian will succeed, said: “He is an excellent candidate.
“He is a very sophisticated urbanist … [and] is very committed to public consultation.”
Beasley has co-chaired city planning with Ann MacAfee for 12 years, bringing many changes to Vancouver’s inner city.
Beasley said Toderian’s most difficult challenge will be implementing Mayor Sam Sullivan’s eco-density plan to develop Vancouver, without encroaching on the natural environment.
Beasley said Toderian will also have to adjust to the geographical and social differences between Calgary and Vancouver.
“This city has a very different attitude about its neighbourhoods and downtown,” he said.
Gordon Price, director of the city program at Simon Fraser University, said the new city planner needs to have an understanding of the Greater Vancouver area, not just Vancouver proper.
He said Toderian has completed SFU’s urban design certificate program and is well experienced in suburb development.
Sullivan said Toderian’s qualifications, as well as his youth make him a welcome addition to the city.
“[Toderian] recognizes how powerful planning can be in making high-quality communities,” said Sullivan. “He is just the person we need to move Vancouver into its next stage of development.”
© The Vancouver Sun 2006
