Mike Harcourt

The Trouble with Paradise
Charles Campbell covers the September 7th lecture with Mike Harcourt, Ken Cameron and Sean Rossiter that I attended as well as their book City Making in Paradise, which I just finished reading.
Audio of City Making in Paradise with Ken Cameron and Mike Harcourt
Also includes audio of the respondents Ting Pan, Lainya Rowett, and André Vallillee.

City Making in Paradise at Simon Fraser University's Harbour Centre with Mike Harcourt and Ken Cameron

Mike Harcourt at City Making in Paradise

On Thursday night, Karen and I attended City Making in Paradise, a panel session at Simon Fraser University's Harbour Centre, which featured an introduction of the book of the same name by former British Columbia premier Mike Harcourt and former GVRD planner Ken Cameron. Subtitled "Nine Decisions That Saved Greater Vancouver's Livability", the book, due in September, lays out the case that Vancouver and surrounding area since 1948 could have gone in many directions but instead chose a relatively enlightened one. Stephen Rees has the definitive notes, and I took a few <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sillygwailo/sets/72157600369864728/"">my photos of Harcourt, Cameron, and the other panelists.

City Making in Paradise cover at Amazon.com

Stephen's notes reflect the amount of discussion paid to the Olympics, a decision that no doubt shapes the next 30 years for the city. Only at the end were the Games and their effect on British Columbia and its major cities. For the record, I opposed the Olympics, but not on economic or environmental grounds, but rather moral grounds. It's a done deal—a phrase to describe both the proposed freeway through Strathcona, the opposition to which is fairly mythologized in this city, and the Gateway Project (the subject of some inspired blogging at Urban Vancouver), which Harcourt argues should go ahead, but done right.

The night featured a heckle from the back, the heckler's wife Adriane Carr (yes, the Adriane Carr) writing about it at some length, David Eaves has a recap and thoughts of the evening.

Mike Harcourt at City Making in Paradise

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Flickr icon for Beth77
Submitted by Beth77 on Sun 2010-09-05 21:50 #

I used this photo in my very boring blog posting on Mike Harcourt (http://www.nottobetrustedwithknives.com/2010/09/05/mike-harcourt/). Thanks for sharing it with a Creative Commons license - nice to have a photo to liven up my posting!

The above comments will not display in the recently updated section because they are syndicated directly from the Flickr photo.

Stephen Rees has extensive notes of last night&#039;s City Making in Paradise panel discussion
The evening was a preview of Mike Harcourt's and Ken Cameron's book, which is subtitled "Nine Decisions that Saved Vancouver". I have some photographs of the session forthcoming.