About Side Street
Homes, neighbourhood shops, better streets and the decisions behind them.
Side Street is an independent Vancouver publication about everyday city life. It’s for people who notice a new application sign, wonder why a bike route stops, or think a corner store would make their neighbourhood better.
Mostly I follow what’s being built and what’s being decided at City Hall. The small things count too: a shop opening on a corner, a bike route that gives up at the hard part. It all ends up in The Sunday Walk, my weekly newsletter.
Who writes Side Street
I grew up in Vancouver. Living in Montréal and Toronto, and travelling around the world, got me interested in urbanism: how the places we build shape our daily lives.
Since moving back to Vancouver, I’ve spent the past eight years living mostly car-free. I get around on foot, by bike, on the bus and on SkyTrain. That’s the perspective I’m bringing to Side Street.
I live in Kitsilano with my partner, our dog and our cat. A lot of what I notice starts on an ordinary walk around the neighbourhood: which shops are open, where the sidewalk gets tight, what has gone up on a corner since last month.
More people should be able to find a home here. I’d take mid-rise buildings with shops underneath over another tower ringed by parking. Corner stores you can reach in a five-minute walk. Protected bike lanes that don’t hand you back to traffic at the intersection. Raised crossings, where the driver is the one who slows down. None of this is exotic. Plenty of cities already build it.
This is a personal project. I’m trying to understand the changes happening here and write down what I find. Some stories will start with an application or a Council decision. Others might start with a question from someone reading.
Where I’m coming from
So yes, I have a view. Vancouver should make room for more people, and ordinary trips should be easy without a car. I’d rather say that up front than pretend to arrive at every story empty-handed.
It doesn’t mean every project is good. A six-storey building can still meet the sidewalk with a blank wall. A bike lane can still be routed down the wrong street. A rezoning can still push out the people already living there. When that’s what the drawings show, I’ll say so, and supporting more housing doesn’t buy anyone an exemption.
You should be able to tell what the records establish and what I think about them. I’ll link the sources, credit other reporters and correct mistakes.
A little closer, every week
The Sunday Walk is my newsletter: one story worth your time and a few things to read over the weekend. You can sign up now.
Read Standards & Corrections for how I research stories and fix mistakes.
Get in touch
Write to hello@sidestreetvancouver.ca with a question, a correction or something you think deserves a closer look. If you have a story lead from your own block, email tips@sidestreetvancouver.ca or use the tip page.