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| New condominiums under construction just outside St Petersburg heritage centre |
By The
Early Edition, CBC News Posted: Feb 18, 2016 12:40 PM PT Last
Updated: Feb 19, 2016 6:11 AM PT
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Vancouver
could learn a thing or two from how Russians manage their cities, says
an architect who just returned from speaking at a Moscow conference. Over the
past two years, Michael Geller has been invited to speak at conferences and
jury urban planning design competitions in Russia. He says Russians see
Vancouver as one of the leaders in sustainable planning, along with Copenhagen
and other European cities. But North
American planners should take note of Russian priorities when it comes to
designing cities, he said.
"One
of the things that I discovered was ... there were some very specific rules and
regulations by the government, said Geller, an architect planner and developer
based in Vancouver. Those
rules regulate the distance between a child's kindergarten classroom and their
home, the distance between a dog park and a residential area, how much sunlight
each room in a two-bedroom apartment must get, and even how much sunlight a
three-bedroom apartment must get. "There's
an interest in things that I think perhaps we should pay a bit more attention
to," he said. "We
spend a lot of time wondering about how many parking spaces per unit we have to
have."
Dispelling myths
Several
glass office towers stand tall in Moscow's new financial district. (Michael
Geller)
Geller
says the backers of a new financial district in Moscow want the world's experts
on sustainable development to design it.
"There's a desire from Russia to learn from international experiences."
Many
Russian cities are more cosmopolitan than stereotypes suggest, he said.
In fact,
Geller says he walked past just as many Starbucks shops in Moscow and St.
Petersburg as he does when he's in Vancouver.
"It isn't this big cold place where everybody is still under some kind of government hold. It's an increasingly affluent place." Geller is giving a talk about his experience in Russia on Feb. 18 at SFU Vancouver Harbour Centre at 7 p.m.
To listen
to the full interview, click the link labelled: City
planning lessons for Vancouver from Russia.
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