nearby rapid-transit line are prime candidates as both would cause huge loss of life if they were damaged. Everywhere else seems at least open to change. We need to know the area’s geology. Previously a highly productive tidal flat that was filled-in in the 1910s and developed, much of False Creek would likely liquefy if an earthquake hit, given its loose soil base. The waterfront would probably fall back into the sea and return to a flood plain form. This could be a huge boon for local ecosystems and allow us to create a distinctly local flood plain environment, where before there was mostly grass. Thus the ground beneath the skyscrapers and transit lines must be able to withstand liquefaction while the waterfront and other non-vital areas could be allowed to change. We maintain what is vital while allowing for the possibility of a more productive and unique waterfront. Clearly this is a simplified conclusion and there are many other factors to consider before redesigning this area for adaptability. But this example provides an initial set of questions for those who want to create adaptable areas. Adaptable to what? What is vital to the area and can’t change? What does the place’s geology tell us? Through these questions we can frame our approach to adaption, decide where adaptation can occur, and how we can design adaptable and resistant spaces. Although answering these questions can quickly become complicated as we begin to add other factors such as changing demographics, we must start somewhere. Geology is the base condition. With these questions we can begin to build cities that can shift with, instead of against, their shifting geologies. c
photos courtesy of City of Vancouver Archives. right, from the top: AM54-S4-3-: PAN N86 (Taken by W.J. Moore), AM1376-: CVA 1376-355, AM54-S4-: IN N12-, above, from the top: AM54-S4-: VLP 57.3, AM54-S4-: In P1.2, COV-S511-: CVA 780-505, AM54-S4-: Air P26 (Royal Canadian Air Force), AM54-S4-3-: PAN N86 (WJ Moore), Ryan Coghlan
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this page: East False Creek in Vancouver, late 1800s to to the present
1 Kirk Williams. (Mar. 17, 2011). ‘8,000 Vancouver buildings vulnerable to quakes’. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/ story/2011/03/17/bc-vancouver-buildings-seismic.html 2 see: Klaske Havik, Véronique Patteeuw, and Hans Teerds, editors. OASE: Journal for Architecture – Productive Uncertainty (Issue 85). Nai Publishers : Rotterdam, 2011
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