Pubdate: Fri, 01 Oct 2004 Source: National Post (Canada) Copyright: 2004 Southam Inc. Contact: http://www.nationalpost.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286 Author: Susan Martinuk, National Post THE EASTSIDE IS CHANGING VANCOUVER - John F. Kennedy never solved the poverty problem. He believed, "Man holds in his hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty," but apparently even his hands weren't powerful enough to accomplish the task. Still, his words are worth noting as Vancouver takes a significant step toward the cultural revival of its notorious downtown Eastside. The community is known worldwide as the home to drug addicts, prostitutes, vagrants and criminals. Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson and the ever-present John Ralston Saul visited the area last week. Despite attempts to script her movements and sanitize the streets prior to the royal tour, she still found herself standing over a passed out body on the sidewalk. Such is life in the downtown Eastside. But Vancouver is now willing to throw a lifeline to this land of misery. After years of debate, it finally approved the redevelopment of the abandoned Woodwards building that stands at the heart of the community. It will be transformed into a $149-million residential/commercial complex by an architect who is renowned for creating social housing projects that benefit the entire community. The design includes diverse plans for daycare, senior citizens, an aboriginal healing centre, medical resources and small business. A 34-storey residential tower will provide at least 100 units for social housing. It promises to give community members educational opportunities, a diverse cultural experience and an open food market. The building process itself will be used to provide skills education and job experience to those in the neighbourhood. In the best-case scenario, this complex will become a critical commercial and social anchor for the community. The Woodwards building has been abandoned for the past decade and its demise likely accelerated the area's economic and cultural decline. Restoring its past glory is an important symbol of physical, economic and cultural regeneration that will likely induce a sense of pride in community members. A restored landmark also reminds us that the Eastside is more than drug addicts, criminals and street people. It's also a neighbourhood of loving families, legitimate businesses and working individuals. To them, this project represents a monetary commitment to their community that has both a positive focus and outcome; it's a vast difference from the usual government commitments to funnel funds into money-pit programs directed at rehabilitating drug users. Until now, the idea of investing money to create a lively, economically prosperous neighbourhood in which businesses, families and individuals can all thrive has taken a backseat. But (and you had to know one was coming) beyond the symbolism of renewal, there exists a harsh reality. This "designer building" is situated in the poorest neighbourhood in Canada; one that is rife with social breakdown, homelessness, drug addicts and drug sellers. Some sociologists believe that poverty-stricken communities exist as part of a "seamless web" that interconnects crime, commerce, social housing, drugs, street violence, gangs and diminished opportunities in education and sport. No link is independent of the others; all elements of a society are interconnected. Practically speaking, this translates to the following: Providing educational facilities and housing will have limited impact if the surroundings remain a criminal and social mess. Drugs and violence will eventually render the benefits from this project to be short-lived. America provided social housing to its inner-cities without addressing the surrounding social quagmire; walls were soon covered with graffiti and criminal gangs overtook buildings. Apathy and fatalism overcame the initial pride in having a home. The inner-city underclass was essentially entrenched by what was meant to save them. Obviously, this is the worst-case scenario. But it underscores an important point -- buildings alone don't cure social ills. For 10 years, The Broken Window Theory has proven to be critical to neighbourhood renewal. A Harvard criminologist noted that if a broken window in a building went unrepaired, all other windows were soon broken. The unfixed window sent the message that no one cared enough to fix it and vandalism would go unpunished. Leaving graffiti on walls evoked the same response. If there was no response to the most petty of crimes, vandals took over buildings and laid waste to neighbourhoods. Creating a successful landmark goes hand in hand with being tough on crime, prostitution, drug sales and other factors that contribute to social decline in the area. This has yet to happen in the Eastside, but it remains key to reclaiming the neighbourhood for commercial investment and family living. Vancouver councillors have six months to finalize project details. But quibbling over minute design details is time ill-spent. Rather, this time should be used to create a comprehensive community strategy to address the social problems that will ultimately contribute to -- or minimize -- the success of this community project. - --- MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager