Connecting Past and Present
June 13, 2025 By: Bryce Feltrin
Reclaiming Streets: Gastown’s Car-Free Summer Echoes Global Urban Trends
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/gastown-car-free-summer-events
The article highlights a growing global movement seen in cities like San Francisco and Paris, where roadways are being transformed into pedestrian-friendly spaces. This trend aligns closely with urbanization and the ongoing tension between development and sustainability. The pivot away from car-dominated city planning toward people and nature centered design challenges the long-held belief that progress demands more pavement and traffic. It also reminds the legacy of early urban reformers who sought to soften the impacts of industrialization through the creation of parks. Reminding us that today’s urban innovations are often rooted in historic efforts to create healthier, more livable cities
Fairy Creek and the Ongoing Struggle Over Old-Growth Forests
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/fairy-creek-defer-old-growth-logging-extension-2025-1.7445346
This article on the B.C. government’s decision to extend the deferral of old-growth logging in the Fairy Creek area until 2025. Despite the deferral, the piece highlights the continued fragility of ancient forests and the uneasy balance between policy promises and on the ground realities. It recalls early 20th-century conservation approaches that regulated rather than prohibited resource extraction, raising important questions about what conservation truly means today and whether it signals sustainable harvesting or complete ecological protection. Showing how present-day conservation efforts are deeply entwined with Indigenous sovereignty and government delay, illustrating that protecting land is not just a scientific or environmental issue, but a political and moral one.
Your articles both capture the intersection of urban devolpment and environmental stewardship, reflecting a shift toward more sustainable path. Gastown’s car-free initiative mirrors global efforts to prioritize people over vehicles, and also addressing modern climate and livability concerns. The Fairy Creek deferral reveals the complexities of conservation, policies, ecological concerns and Indigenous rights. Both of the articles you shared really reveal the need for a shift in thinking and planning when it comes to our cities and forests. Both very though provoking articles, thank you for sharing.