In September 2016, I participated in a walking tour workshop [1] in Vancouver’s Chinatown [2]. The workshop, A Grandma’s Eye View of Chinatown, asked participants to consider questions of accessibility and inclusivity for seniors by walking through the neighbourhood – a culturally and historically significant area that is rapidly transforming as a result of gentrification – with Chinese elders and members of the Youth Collaborative for Chinatown (YCC).
The youth group members who initiated the workshop belong to the Youth Collaborative for Chinatown (YCC), a grassroots network of volunteers working together to contribute positively to Vancouver’s Chinatown. They describe their approach as “collaborative, culturally-based, and intergenerational”. The YCC’s activism work has strived to create positive opportunities for collaboration and neighbourhood activity in Chinatown.
…the shops that have recently moved in are out of touch with the daily needs and economic means of residents who do not always have the mobility to go elsewhere for their essentials.
The YCC Collaborative
The YCC collaborative was initiated during the summer of 2015, when members started spending “one evening a month playing mahjong outdoors in the Chinatown Memorial Plaza (Keefer triangle, see photos above), trying to fill the void of the Chinatown Night Market,” which shut down after seventeen years in operation. In the months to follow, the Hot & Noisy Mahjong Social evolved and is still underway. The event takes place indoors and outdoors (depending on the season) on a monthly basis (the beautiful posters for these events can be viewed here). At these events, you’ll find dozens of people playing mah-jong on small tables in public squares (or sometimes in malls or other indoor spaces, in the winter). The workshop leaders explained that mah-jong is most commonly played indoors, so hosting the event in a public space not only brings visibility to a long-running tradition in the Chinese community, but also reinvigorates the neighbourhood’s public spaces.
Walking through Chinatown
The walking tour started out with an introduction to Chinatown and the YCC collaborative. We visited Keefer Triangle, one of the sites of the outdoor mah-jong socials. It quickly became obvious how the neighbourhood is being impacted by development. As we continued, rezoning developments, cranes, and construction materials encroached on traditional architectures, sculptures, and landmarks on almost every block we walked through.
After spending some time with the YCC Collaborative and learning about their unique approach to intergenerational placemaking, we met Mr. Qi and Mrs. Li, who led us on a walking tour through areas of Chinatown that are significant to them.
Together, with translation assistance from other workshop leaders, we visited the the Chinese Cultural Centre, the Carnegie Community Centre, the Chan Association Building, the Sunrise Market, Oppenheimer Park, the Kiu Shun Trading herbal store, and the former Garden Villa and Jade Dynasty restaurants.
We were asked to take notes at each site. Specifically, we were asked to observe aspects of placemaking, mobility, and inclusivity, and cultural appropriateness. We noticed, in some places, that fast intersections, lack of benches, and sloped sidewalks make the built environment difficult to navigate. In other places, we noticed the closer proximity of culturally appropriate shops make it easy for older adults to walk through the neighbourhood to get their groceries.
Mr. Qi and Mrs. Li described the disappearance of stores and restaurants that locals have relied on for decades. Trendy retail shops and expensive cafes have replaced many of the staples of the neighbourhood. Mrs. Li and Mr. Qi explained that it is unrealistic for many seniors in the neighbourhood to purchase a $4-$5 coffee. They reminded us the shops that have recently moved in are out of touch with the daily needs and economic means of residents who do not always have the mobility to go elsewhere for their essentials.
In a December 2016 article from The Globe and Mail, Kevin Huang, the executive director of the Hua Foundation, a non-profit for young Chinese-Canadians, suggests “50 per cent of the area’s green grocers…33 per cent of herbal stores, 60 per cent of fishmongers and 38 per cent of BBQ meats and butcher shops” have closed in the last six years [3]. In another Globe and Mail article, Kerry Gold reports the City’s lack of community engagement with seniors living in Chinatown as revitalization plans have gone forward. Because of the changes in zoning and persistent development, seniors are facing rent increases that could eventually push them out.
During our visit to the Sunrise Market, a 60+ year old grocer in the heart of Chinatown, Mrs. Li explained how much she loves being able to see the produce before she buys it and emphasized how important it is to be able to buy food that she knows how to cook with. As a group, we discussed the importance of having accessible (within walking distance) grocers that carry culturally appropriate food. Additionally, Mrs. Li knows the shopkeepers and feels comfortable interacting in the space. As these familiar places become sparse, older residents are losing their connections to the neighbourhood and the social network it hosts.
We also stopped in front of once-popular restaurants that have closed down recently. Mrs. Li and Mr. Qi explained the significance of restaurants for their community.
Families tend to think of restaurants as their living rooms. They are public-private places in which they can gather, celebrate, and spend time with one another. Again, the disappearance of these restaurants means elders are losing their connection to place, to family, and to tradition.
High end retails shops are able to pay rent, while traditional restaurants are closing downs. Others have commented that this transformation is creating “zones of exclusion.” The Carnegie Community Action Project recently published Retail Gentrification Mapping Report describes zones of exclusion as “are spaces where people are unable to enter because they lack the necessary economic means for participation. Zones of exclusion are also sites marked by increased surveillance and policing. Only those with status, privilege and wealth can enter; all others are carefully watched, interrogated, and criminalized.”
Families tend to think of restaurants as their living rooms. They are public-private places in which they can gather, celebrate, and spend time with one another…the disappearance of these restaurants means elders are losing their connection to place, to family, and to tradition.
We also stopped in front of once-popular restaurants that have closed down recently. Mrs. Li and Mr. Qi explained the significance of restaurants for their community. Families tend to think of restaurants as their living rooms. They are public-private places in which they can gather, celebrate, and spend time with one another. Again, the disappearance of these restaurants means elders are losing their connection to place, to family, and to tradition. High end retails shops are able to pay rent, while traditional restaurants are closing downs. Others have commented that this transformation is creating “zones of exclusion.” The Carnegie Community Action Project recently published Retail Gentrification Mapping Report describes zones of exclusion as “are spaces where people are unable to enter because they lack the necessary economic means for participation. Zones of exclusion are also sites marked by increased surveillance and policing. Only those with status, privilege and wealth can enter; all others are carefully watched, interrogated, and criminalized.”
The tour provided us with only a glimpse into the changes that have taken place in Chinatown in recent years. Many of the workshop participants (including myself) do not live in Vancouver and were experiencing the tour as visitors. The objective of this tour was to bring awareness to a neighbourhood that is disappearing in front its residents’ eyes. Its disappearance (and transformation) will have severe implications for most of those people – many of whom are older and of low income. The tour demonstrated how important it is to consider mobility, inclusivity, and cultural appropriateness in placemaking and how, in reality, residents’ connection to place will be completely erased if those elements are not considered.
Note: The workshop organizers recently published a report from the workshop that combines our observations and the conversations we had once we finished the walking tour. They’ve organized these ideas into a set of recommendations for municipal planners and developers. The full report can be found here.
Footnotes:
[1] The workshop was part of the Pro Walk, Pro Bike, Pro Place conference in Vancouver, BC. Tricia Toso and I submitted a presentation called, “Sexy Streets and Pretty Places, Who Has Access to Montreal’s Public Spaces?” Full description here.
[2] The tour, called ‘A Grandma’s Eye View of Vancouver’s Chinatown’, was organized by the Youth Collaborative for Chinatown, through Kathryn Lennon, June Chow, and Doris Chow. Beverly Ho and Chanel Ly from Youth for Chinese Seniors and local seniors, Mr. Ng, Mr. Qi, Mrs. Kong, Ms. Ma, and Mrs. Li also provided support. The workshop itself was developed and executed by Eliana Chang (Fraser Basin Council), Sophie Fung (SFU Urban Studies Program), Aaron Lao (City of Vancouver), and Ignatius But (UBC School of Community and Regional Planning), in collaboration with Mr. Qi, Mrs. Li, and several other older Chinese residents. Full report here.
