My city's collective I.Q. is higher than yours

With every year that passes I hope to be smarter. I like to read, watch and expose myself to things and experiences that will challenge me to think in a different way. That being said, I was recently thinking about how the city you live affects your intelligence. Basically, how smart is your city?

An interesting concept I think. Some cities just have a pulse of creative and intellectual energy. Universities and other institutions of higher learning everywhere, libraries, theatres, galleries and other outlets that I feel are representative of an "intellectual" city. Judging how smart a city is really consists of developing criteria upon which to judge cities. An interesting task in itself.

Right away some of the indicators I thought of included:
- the # of universities, colleges, post-secondary schools and their enrollment as a % of total population
- the # of citizens with degrees (undergrad, grad, ph.d)
- reading level of local newspapers
- accessibility to arts and cultural institutions

Some things are easy to judge, but I think that there are probably some indicators out there that some of us might not think of. The reading level of the local newspaper was one of those that I thought was a telling indicator. For example, 24 Hours, a local daily newsaper is nothing more than a glorified tabloid, yet given it's focus on commuters has a huge readership. So high, that it took out another younger focused paper that in my opinion had a far more intelligent readership and focus.

200 years ago, the world's most intelligent cities were probably easy to identify. Paris, Rome, Beijing, Istanbul, Moscow, Vienna and the list could probably go on. Now, however with accessiblity to so much information and an exchange of ideas all across the globe it would be interesting to think about where these dens of higher thought are, how to identify them and how to make our own cities look more like them.

Personally, I think N. America probably has a couple of good ones to contribute. Hell Microsoft probably created it's own and Silicon Valley has got to be considered a contender. With consideration of the smartest city, it seems only natural to think "just where is the stupidest city around?".

Things that make you go huuuum.

Globalisation. Don't you just love it? The world continues to get smaller and more similar. What took 3 weeks aboard a trans-atlantic freight-liner takes 5 hours and when you get there you feel as if you haven't left. Comforting or scary?

Believe me, I don't listen to everything I say because there will always be more good out there then bad, and always a good reason to go somewhere different. It is scary all the same just how prevalent N. American culture is all over.

I came across this interesting map a while back showing the number of Starbucks and McDo's worldwide. The maps also include some other interesting facts about both corporations including gross sales as well as the number of different countries that provide beans for that no fat, extra-hot, no whip, tall mocha java you love so much.

The leaves fall

And just like that we run for the living rooms fantacizing about stew and a fireplace, or is that just me? The leaves are definitely starting to change and the morning and evenings are cool. It's actually a perfect temperature and the light has that distinct late September glow to it. What next?

There are tons of great autumnal activities happening right now. I've definitely been trying to get some hiking in before the mountains are covered in snow. Lots of great arts events and theatre happening. All that being said, I am just drawn to hanging indoors listening to music ... eating.

I haven't been as active writing lately, but have been reading some great articles and listening to some great music. Namely, articles from maisonneuve magazine's site and tons o' hip-hop.
Hope to have more inspiration to write lately, will work on that.

Where all the lights are bright.

Good ol' labour day weekend. The unofficial end to summer. Really, I almost expect the weather to turn for the worse tomorrow. The one good thing is that it generally forces you to try and squeeze everything you wanted to do over the summer into one weekend. At least that's the way it makes me feel.

Being a teacher of sorts, labour day weekend represents the new "year" and therefore a time to take stock, set goals, feel shitty about things you haven't done and feel hopeful about the things you want to achieve in the future. This year I got a whole list of things I want to do and I don't really feel that bad about things from the past year. Au contraire. The last 12 months have gone by in a blink of an eye and a good one at that. The kind of blink where you don't miss the one boob shot in a really bad movie that you've stayed awake till like 2 in the morning just to see.

Two days from now will make one whole year on the rain coast and one whole year since I "left" Toronto. Lots of ups and downs since there, but overall I have so many things to be proud and happy about. A lot really has happened in the past year and I've tried to learn from all of it. Really that's the most important thing to me. I mean why bother feel shitty if you aren't going to learn anything from it? My point exactly.

What does all this mean? Take a look around, smile at the good stuff, frown at the not so good stuff and make sure next year at this time you've created more to smile about.

C'est quoi ça?

Depuis le commencement, j'ai voulu ecrire ce bloque en anglais et français. J'étais un peu embarassé d'ecrire parce-que je ne suis pas completement bilingue. Mais, ca ce n'est pas le but de ce projet. Le but est d'amerliorer mes capabilités d'ecrire.

Des fois je lis un bloque d'une fille quèbecoise, et elle ne gêne pas du tout. Elle ecrit moitié en francais et moitié en anglais. Je suis assez capable faire pareil, et je le ferai!

Alors, depuis maintenant, j'ecrirai quelques postes en français quand l'espirit me tien.

Challenge.

Challenge yourself everyday. Difficult undoubtedly. If you continue to reach for more and more it leaves you open to fail and feel frustrated. The flipside is also true. It prepares you and moves you closer to greatness.

Mandatory

Seriously, does every city HAVE to have a "Hotel Europe" in order to be considered a city? Regardless, it's quite a classic looking institution here in Vancouver.

The whole diversity issue

I might be obsessed with the concept of cultural diversity. As of late, the issue has been plaguing my conciousness. In particular, I am increasingly concerned about the 'Canadian identity' and what that will mean in the future.

Like most of the people I know, I consider Canada to be a multi-cultural country. This is true and not up for debate. Unlike some people however, I fear that Canada's identity is at risk of being replaced by a series of individual cultural identities, rather than a unified multi-cultural identity.

The situation isn't so dire, but at the same time it is something that needs to be addressed. In many communities around Canada, there is extreme ghettoization of certain immigrant groups. Individuals can exist speaking their mother tongue not knowing a word of either official language nor needing to. For individuals who live in these areas, I wonder what the Canadian identity means to them. What does Canada represent to someone who lives a marginally different life than the one they lived in China, India, Iran or Italy?

If Canadian municipalities continue to foster this cultural isolation versus an integrated social fabric, the Canada of years to come will merely be a society of societies each distinct. None the Canada I believe we can be.

Memories of New Westminster

Everyday I travel past the downtown area of New Westminster, the future sight of our condo. There are some beautiful old buildings that make up the downtown area near the river and give an idea of New West's old past. I have wanted to shoot this building for quite some time, but just had not got around to it.

It is to the west end of the downtown and in a bit of a dodgy area. I worry that it is ear-marked for demolition and won't be preserved. It is sheet metal or something of the sort, so unlike the brick and stone buildings popular in the area, this one doesn't real hold much renovation possibilities. The colours are beautiful though, and I love the old writing style along the side of the building.

Everyone has their favourites, this is definitely one of mine.

Torontoist-TTC photos

Anyone who loves cities finds it easy to see beauty in the mundane. Scenes that thousands walk by everyday are beautiful to few. In particular, transit stations and transit hubs are often the most loathed and loved sites in a city. Some stations truly are works of art, and are treated as such.

I received an e-mail the other day from a gentleman in Toronto named David Thompson. He runs a sited called Torontoist. The site is dedicated to everything that is Toronto. One project in particular that he wrote about was a photo project (self-assigned) that he worked on throughout the summer. His task was to photograph one transit station a day.

For anyone familiar with the TTC network, his photographs will surely hold some special place for you, but even those not familiar with the places will enjoy them. Original angles and interesting subjects. Check them out here

A Life Designed

An interesting article on designing one's life. The article discusses how the concepts and principles of design can be used to get more out of life. The idea is that the reason for design is to envision a better way of doing something and then working towards that vision. In the same way, we too can design our lives to derive maximum satisfaction from them. Worth the read, check it out.

Friendly stranger

Being the fool that I am, I rode to the grocery store only to discover upon arrival that I had forgotten my u-lock. In some neighborhoods this might not have meant much, but in Surrey BC that bike would have been stolen before I fondled my first mango in the produce department.

Luckily for me, a very kind women happened to be walking by while I was in the process of "Shit I forgot my lock". She kindly asked if I would be long and then offered to stand guard over my bike as long as I moved it into the shade. Definitely a simple action, but seeing as how I hate the suburbs more and more each day, her simple gesture of generosity renewed my faith.

Pay it forward the next time you see a silly soul sans u-lock, quarter, pen, pocket or button.

The Death and life of ...

For the past two weeks or so I have been reading "The death and life of great American cities" by Jane Jacobs. For those not familiar with the book, it is a jargon free approachable read on what makes cities beautiful places full of life and activity and what makes them sterile and void of life. It is an excellent read and will definitely change the way you look at the built world around you.

In the past chapter, she spoke on properties necessary for diversity within a neighborhood. I especially enjoyed this quote by Paul J. Tillich (some Harvard professor cat), "By its nature, the metropolis provides what otherwise could be given only by travelling; namely, the strange. Since the strange leads to questions and undermines familiar tradition, it serves to elevate reason to ultimate significance ..."

Changing face

The east end of downtown Vancouver is one of the most beautiful parts of the city. A good deal of the heritage buildings are found here, and it is arguably one of the most walkable parts of the city. There are a number of tourists because of Gastown, which makes up a sizable portion of the east end and is the cobblestoned area near the waterfront. The area gets it's name from an old time saloon owner who apparently had an issue with flatulence. Besides the tourist shops, there is a great deal that this area has to offer any interested "flaneur".

This past Friday I spend the better part of the evening roaming through the small streets that make up this area. There is some spectacuar shopping to be had in some of the small boutiques that line the streets around W. Cordova and cambie, as well as around Abbott and Water St. Tons of unique clothes, furniture and interesting odds and ends. Some seriously expensive shit as well, including jeans worth more than my kidneys and couches that require a mortgage.

This all makes for interesting walking, but to me the highlight of the area is it's buildings. I love the old brick and stone buildings that are hard to find in other parts of the city. They really add a lot of charm to the area and make for captivating street corners. One building in particular that is worth seeing is this swanky clothing shop along Water St. that is made entirely of glass and has no side walls. The glass front butts up against the two buildings on either side of it, so that the walls are the adjacent buildings. It has a soaring ceiling and receives wonderful lighting. You'd think I would have taken a photo, wrong. Either way, it's worth checking out, as is the rest of the area.

The area isn't all glamour though, as a few streets in the "wrong" direction and you are faced with the all too familiar dark side of Vancouver. Numerous junkies down alleys and a huge homelessness problem. The extent to which these are a problem is really hard to imagine, and if for nothing else the trip down here is worth it to gain a better understanding on just what life is like off Robson St. With all the change in the area, the city will have to provide some real solutions for the people in this area.

Ain't it grand

Quick make a list of 5 things you love. Pretty easy huh? There is a great deal to be upset about, disturbed by and downright angry about. Open a newspaper if you can't think of shitty things. Somehow though, there are always little things that just make us smile and hopefully that's what most of us can remember and focus on the most. That and trying to do something about all that shitty stuff.

Bring your own ...

A while back I came across a posting on a website from a gentleman in Toronto who was interested in reducing the number of disposable chopsticks that get used in Chinese, Japanese, Korean and other asian restaurants. I thought it was a great idea, but didn't give it much thought after that. Just today though, I came across this article about a movement in China and Japan towards reducing the number of disposable chopsticks used in the respective countries. It would make sense that these countries would lead the transition away from disposable, but I would suspect a sustainability loving city like Vancouver won't be too far behind.

Check out the article here

Think Globally, eat locally

Though I don't always do it, eating locally grown produce is something I strive to do. With stats showing that our average meal travels on average 2000 plus kilometres to get to our plate we need to be making an effort.

The benefits are many faceted. Fresher, tastier food, better local economy and reduced GHG emissions from transport mileage.

Check out this articleto read a bit more on the subject.

Bilingual signage in Downtown Chinatown

Just read an interesting article in the Vancouver Sun regarding the Downtown Chinatown Merchant's association decision to make signage bilingual. This is something I've definitely felt passionate about and feel is a great move for generating a more culturally integrated city. Many of the reasons cited in the article were to reach out to the english speaking population and international tourists. Both key groups.

In Quebec where the issue is French and English signage, I think the insistence on French signage being more prominent is a good idea. Language is a hugely important cultural factor (especially in Quebec), and ties us all together. Speaking the same language and doing business in the same language, at least part of the time, can only help us exist as a more unified culture. Now we just need to work on getting more French signage available. Small steps I suppose.

Shiny and in white!
Very excited. My new shiny, pretty laptop arrived chez moi this weekend and I've just started to monkey around with it. I haven't fully thrown myself into it, but am very jazzed about it, in a broadway sort of way. I am really hopeing it will help me write and organise my information a bit better.

The big smoke.
My visit to Toronto was excellent. It reminded me about all the reasons and I love and hate the city. It is a traffic nightmare, the weather can be a bit trying at times, but damn is it a great place. I've heard more than one source say that Toronto is the most diverse city on earth with residents from over 100 different countries. More diverse than New York or London.

I hadn't realised how important the diversity is to me. I really do miss the myriad of faces on the subway, and the true diversity that exists in the city. There are people from everywhere!

It was really great to walk around and soak in the ambiance of the downtown core. I checked out most of the buildings I had wanted to and even a few others including the Bio-medical science building at the University of Toronto. Had the chance to eat at a few excellent restaurants as part of the cities "Summerlicious" festival that offers diners a set menu at a great price at a number of restaurants around town.

It was awesome to see a number of my friends and spend some much needed time with them. While I love it here in Vancouver, I really do miss the people I grew up with and the city I love. It was nice to feel that love again for it even if it was temporary.