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