Vancouver BC vs. Seattle: Urban Debate

[shootingstar]

I don't know Seattle very well, but I know that you basically can't exist without a car. The highway system there is incredible. A bit of an eye-sore, but you can certainly get from one place to another fairly quickly barring the heavy traffic.

Vancouver's streets were never designed to accommodate the number of cars we see now, so it doesn't really matter what time of day you travel, it's pretty congested. The government is trying various initiatives to try to get people to use cars less, but it's still difficult when you need to go outside of Vancouver itself.

I personally can't wait to move out of the city. It's lovely, but I've been here since 1986 and it's changed a lot since then. I'm a country girl at heart.

Based on only cycling around in Seattle during a total of 3 separate different trips, including 1 trip where we did cycle from Port Angeles, into Marysville, Everett, Seattle (over 120+ kms.?) last year, by trying to cycle as much as possible to interconnected bike routes, it would seem (to me) that provided one had strong cycling legs/lungs to deal with long hills (like City of North Vancouver ), lived in certain neighbourhoods not far from services, stores, used the local transit system wisely, living car-free in Seattle would be possible. Seattle's transit system seems ok..we've used it too plus taking the commuter train out to Tacoma (to see the Glass Museum) with our bikes.

Highway by Seattle's waterfront truly is an awful eyesore. Good idea they created the outdoor sculpture garden as a distraction when walking around in addition to other city sights. Vancouver stopped efforts to build an expressway by its downtown waterfront several decades ago. Badger, City of Vancouver has statistical data which shows daily volume of car traffic going INTO downtown Vancouver, has actually decreased. It's the outbound traffic to the suburbs or traffic within the suburbs, that is increasing.

Toronto at this time, is dismantling, the Gardiner Expressway, a major highway that runs from suburbs directly into downtown by its lake Ontario waterfront. http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/644680 Still debate, for more dismantling.

Seattle's downtown district has alot more taller, older brick highrise buildings than Vancouver. However its newer mixed multi-level, highrise condo areas do remind me of similar areas here in downtown Vancouver.

Crazycanuck, Grog led you by bike near the Science World, etc., towards Stanley Park, which is the area that illustrates 'Vancouverism' where architects and developers visit the area, from other countries to see urban design configurations of mixed multi-level housing not far from services, stores cafes, green space, multi-use paths are designed for walkability, etc.