The planning and negotiation process : its contribution to Concord Pacific Place

• Main Author: Chau, Mai-Mai
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2008
• Subjects: Planning; Negotiation; Urban development
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/2281

This thesis studies the planning and negotiation process engaged in the conceptualization and initial stages of Vancouver's waterfront urban renewal project Concord Pacific Place at the False Creek North waterfront, Vancouver. Numerous articles have devoted attention to the physical form of this urban renewal development. However current discourse on Concord Pacific Place overlooks the planning and negotiation process, which has been integral to its urban renewal success. It is for this reason that my thesis sets out to study the planning and negotiation process in an effort to offer a new perspective on Concord Pacific. To contextualize the development of Concord Pacific Place over the two decades between 1987 and 2007, this thesis surveys the introduction of high-rises in the city of Vancouver, looking at the city's apartment typology prior to the redevelopment of False Creek North, a brief history of Expo 86 and the planning and negotiation process behind B.C. Place, as well as the planning and negotiation process that has transformed the former Expo land into the master-planned urban neighbourhood at Concord Pacific Place. This thesis also identifies the results of the planning and negotiation process that have contributed to the False Creek North development. The material gathered includes a collection of historical and background information on the transformation of the City of Vancouver in general and in particular the False Creek North site found in published accounts, consultation of the archives of Concord Pacific, and interviews with key players involved with the development of Concord Pacific Place. City planning officials were also consulted on issues pertaining to the basic planning principles of the City of Vancouver as well as the decision-making process involving City planners and developers. This research highlights the importance of the relationship between the City planners and the developer as well as participation from the public throughout the planning and development stages of the Concord Pacific Place development. It points out specific initiatives that were established as a result of this megaproject, the main challenges and limitation encountered with the process. It also identifies lessons learned at the end of the journey.