大象传媒

Surrey has been a rapidly-expanding 鈥榰p-and-comer鈥� in Metro Vancouver for quite some time 鈥� and former city planner Bob Williams claims the future of our province lies south of the Fraser

Williams is the recipient of a  鈥� Doctor of Laws, honoris causa  鈥� conferred by the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Environment.

In his upcoming talk at 大象传媒, Williams will explain 鈥�Why Surrey is the Future of BC,鈥� this Wednesday, October 4. All are welcome to join this free public discussion on the incredible potential of the region, and the opportunities and challenges it faces. Find event details here.

In an interview with 大象传媒鈥檚 Vancity Office of Community Engagement, Williams called out the urban elitism that has painted Surrey as a lesser suburb, arguing that the area has been historically under-rated.

鈥淪urrey has always been kind of looked down on by some of us urban snobs here in Vancouver, and it鈥檚 filled a gap for us in the region in countless ways,鈥� said Williams.

SURREY: THE HISTORICAL ANSWER TO VANCOUVER鈥橲 PROBLEMS

Williams pointed to past instances where the area and its surrounding suburbs have provided much needed solutions to urgent social crises, such as a lack of housing and employment for the returning veterans of WWII.

The east side of Vancouver 鈥� where Williams grew up 鈥� was quickly developed with wartime housing, yet when his father returned from the war, there was a shortage of housing for veterans. 鈥淚t was a housing crisis, not unlike the one we have right now,鈥� he added.

鈥淲e are in a new crisis now, and we haven鈥檛 yet proved that we can solve it. So the neat question is then, what is the capacity in Surrey to solve this problem?鈥�

Citing the Veterans鈥� Land Act of 1942, Williams explained how 鈥渁 range of opportunities and new legislation were built up for the demobilized 鈥榤ilitary folks.鈥欌�� The Act provided veterans with a choice that pushed many outwards into Vancouver鈥檚 suburbs.

鈥淵ou could have a cow and a chicken and almost survive on some small acreage in North Burnaby, what they then called Lulu Island 鈥� Richmond 鈥� and North Surrey, and North Delta, and Burquitlam, and Coquitlam.鈥�

鈥淲e showed that we had the capacity to manage the housing question on a grand scale, and we did it. And so some of that resulted in the suburbs being the pattern that they are.鈥�

The other option for veterans was to attend university. 鈥淭he working class had never readily had ease of access to the universities, but the veterans were able to get credit to go to university. So it was the biggest surge in working class evolution into the upper middle class in modern history.鈥�

BRINGING EDUCATIONAL AND ECONOMIC GROWTH TO NORTH SURREY

So, how has Surrey come to be the contradictorily vast, but densified city we know today?

Part of Bob Williams鈥� long resume of urban planning and social development work includes his participation in municipal and provincial levels government, as a former Vancouver city councillor and provincial MLA and cabinet minister under Premier Dave Barrett.

鈥淭he last NDP government in the province, that I worked with, decided that Surrey deserved a central business district, and the city had wanted one for a long time. So, were were bold and foolish enough to say okay, we鈥檒l help you.鈥� At the time, Williams was the chair of ICBC and spearheaded the project to build City Central and what became the 大象传媒 Surrey campus.

Williams spoke to 大象传媒鈥檚 role in changing the narrative around North Surrey. The university鈥檚 presence has contributed to developments like Innovation Boulevard and the federal funding that has been committed to a new energy systems engineering facility.

鈥淲e鈥檝e proven that these interventions can been dramatic and effective,鈥� Williams continued, 鈥淪o, the question is what are the new interventions and can they be effective?鈥�

MOVING FORWARD: WHAT鈥橲 IN STORE FOR SURREY?

Surrey intends on expanding its transit system with the addition of light rail. Williams felt Surrey made a smart decision to have three skytrain stations within their so-called downtown, a space that is equivalent to the distance between Main Street and Stanley Park. 鈥淚f they go with light rail, there鈥檚 that chance of new density and new wealth distribution as well,鈥� said Williams.

鈥淭here are a lot of choices and a lot of empty spaces in Surrey, and I don鈥檛 think [the City has] figured out yet how to make it more coherent.鈥�

Aside from transportation infrastructure, there is another missing component that Williams says is key to building a Surrey where people will want to live, work, and play 鈥� that is a lack of social and recreational hubs.

鈥淐ould Surrey, which is now developing a downtown, also develop a recreational fringe on the waterfront?鈥�

Williams offered the example of White Rock鈥檚 waterfront area as a draw for social life in Surrey and speculated on the possibility of something similar for North Surrey鈥檚 riverside spaces, without the limitations that the railway poses to accessing and developing both spaces.

鈥淚鈥檓 intrigued by Surrey partly because they鈥檝e been looser about their thinking about who they are.鈥�

There are a lot of great creative opportunities in Surrey that Williams says 鈥渟mart people can have fun with.鈥�

Williams has turned his gaze to some of the undeveloped spaces around Surrey鈥檚 City Central neighbourhood, noting that Surrey has been reluctant to provide vital social services in the area.

He expressed interest in seeing a social innovation centre similar to , one of his current projects, emerging in the area. Williams sits on the management committee for 312 Main in his capacity as chair of the Jim Green Foundation.

Addressing the difficulty of building inclusivity and equality into the plans for a highly-densified area, Williams asserts that, 鈥淪urrey, and all of these communities, have to work to make land available to more people.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 a real dilemma. That whole one mile around [Surrey鈥檚] central business district has the poorest people in the region. It鈥檚 a strange irony of deep poverty and extreme wealth, and they鈥檙e sitting on the same piece of land.鈥�

Williams posed the question, 鈥淗ow can there be a better distribution of that wealth, so that it鈥檚 a win-win situation, rather than a winner-take-all situation?鈥�

Join us on October 4th as he discusses these questions in-depth and the trick to 鈥渂uilding and designing a city that is dynamite.鈥�

Co-presented by 大象传媒鈥檚 Vancity Office of Community Engagement, 大象传媒 Urban Studies, and 大象传媒 City Program.

*UPDATE: Below is the full video of Bob Williams鈥� talk on October 4th.