Vancouver high school students weigh in as consultations begin for ambitious citywide plan
Credit to Author: Cheryl Chan| Date: Fri, 15 Nov 2019 01:01:16 +0000
Affordability, climate change, diversity and representation are some of the pressing issues raised by Vancouver high school students during a discussion with a city councillor during the City of Vancouver’s kickoff of its ambitious citywide planning process.
On Thursday, Mayor Kennedy Stewart and 10 councillors fanned out across the city to talk to various community groups, including seniors, high school students, businesses in Mount Pleasant, families in the River District, artists in Yaletown, and organizations like the Carnegie Community Centre in the Downtown Eastside and the Immigrant Services Society.
Coun. Rebecca Bligh met with eight Grade 11 and 12 students at Vancouver Technical Secondary to get their views to help formulate the Vancouver Plan, which chief planner Gil Kelley described as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” for the city to articulate a strategy about the kind of city expected in 2050 and beyond.
“It’s the city you will all live in,” Bligh told the students in her introduction to the planning process.
In a wide-ranging discussion of their hopes, fears, challenges and aspirations, the students talked about their connections to the city and the broader community. One student said she valued access to nature while living in a bustling city, while another praised the vibrancy provided by mom-and-pop stores along Commercial Drive.
A few students talked about the challenges they experience as minorities, and stressed how important it was to have a space for their community.
When asked about what they envision for their future, many cited financial stability as their top concern, indicating that they’re well-aware of the city’s affordability challenges.
Grade 12 student Gabriela Dodge, who wants to be a doctor or psychotherapist, said she would like to stay in Vancouver but may be unable to because of how expensive it is — a sentiment that triggered nods around the table.
When Bligh asked Dodge how important space was to her, Dodge said she is used to living in a small apartment, and may not need a huge amount of space, unless she has a big family. She also stressed the importance of being able to have a community outside of her home.
Heulwen Hainsworth, a Grade 11 student, said she is aware there are trade-offs between “how to live sustainability” and affordability or “being able to actually live,” but said the climate crisis remains a crucial issue. “It affects every single person regardless of circumstance,” she said.
In an interview, Bligh said she found the students’ feedback “deeply inspiring.”
The issues the youths had spoken about — equity, representation, climate change, affordability — will likely persist as they get older, she said. “Our opportunity is to look and see how this citywide plan can help solve those concerns these 16- and 17-year-olds have right now.”
Dodge, who helped organize the student participants, said she hopes to live in Vancouver for a long time.
“Having that input and influence on our future is really important to me and my peers,” she said of the consultation process. “It would be really great to see that improvement as I go along.”
Vancouver hasn’t had a citywide plan since 1928. The plan, which starts off with a six-month listening phase, is expected to cost $18 million over three years.