Opinion – Claudio Bernardes: Is Vancouverism a model to be copied?

Inspired by the development of the city of Vancouver, Canada, “vancourverism” is a term coined to designate the planning model that took place in that city, based on ways to make densification viable, respecting principles of sustainability, quality of life and, later, resilience. urban.

Vancouver’s city council sought to increase the attractiveness of its downtown area by increasing population density. Urban planning rules and zoning schemes were changed, offering developers the option of building residential condominiums in high-rise buildings.

Large real estate projects were also the subject of public debates, for which exemptions from planning rules would be offered in exchange for the construction of social housing or public facilities. This was, in fact, the inspiration for the interconnected operation implemented in the city of São Paulo and, later, transformed into the onerous grant of the right to build, an urban instrument established in the City Statute in 2001.

“Vancouverism” is based on the permission to build new developments in previously identified and urbanistically functional nuclei, with adequate allocation of parks, schools, health centers, commerce, services, structured paths for walking, community centers, spaces for art, etc. At least 30 hectares of new open spaces, made up of public parks or private green areas, have been created in the downtown area.

In this planning model, the densification nuclei are allied to mixed use, diversity, green buildings, community facilities and alternative mobility, which includes choosing less cars, more walking and cycling, with universal accessibility. Approximately 70% of all trips in downtown Vancouver are non-motorized.

As Larry Beasley, former director of planning for the city of Vancouver, emphasizes, a clear and unbiased exposition to society about the need for densification was necessary.

However, the current shape of downtown Vancouver was no accident. A lot of effort was put into its urban design, with the management of insolation, shading, visual protection of public areas and the definition of new building typologies, with houses (townhouses) on the ground floor of the buildings, especially in places where it was identified that there was no demand for more active facades with commerce and services.

According to Beasley, the idea was to reverse the negative preconceived idea about densification. People needed to understand the need for greater density, but at the same time be aware that the quality of life must be assured.

At the same time, under the lens of equity, a progressive social development strategy should be adopted from the beginning, and basic issues, such as social housing and homeless people, could not be neglected. On the other hand, a broad search for affordable housing, including the middle class, is essential in the process.

But would this be a model to be copied in cities like São Paulo?

The similarity with regard to the importance of raising awareness of the need for densification is evident; but there is also a clear demand for development strategies that guarantee quality of life as a fundamental premise for adopting the model. It even seems to be a pattern to be repeated, as long as the necessary adaptations are made for each specific case.

Density costs and benefits require an understanding of potential direct, indirect and cumulative effects (environmental, economic and social), both on and off site.

The optimization of densities implies the need to identify the conditions that can create the most value for the city, specify the most appropriate places to concentrate future inhabitants and activities, and promote spatial justice.