My presentation to the Urbanarium Debate on why we need to rethink the DTES Plan - March 28, 2023

On March 28, I participated in a debate organized by the Urbanarium Society, on whether it was time to rethink the Downtown Eastside Local Area Plan approved by Vancouver City Council in 2014. I was joined by former city councillor Suzanne Anton. While I could not understand why anyone would believe the plan is working and need not be rethought, Nathan Edelson and Tanya Fader argued the plan need not be rethought. Some of their reasoning can be found here. http://gellersworldtravel.blogspot.com/2023/04/opinion-its-time-to-rethink-dtes-local.html

The following is the slide deck I presented in my opening arguments. I hope this presentation will help us continue this conversation. The plan is not working. It's evident to anyone who walks around the community. What is needed is a much more diverse population that will 'normalize', yes 'normalize' the Downtown Eastside Oppenheimer District so that it can remain a low-income community, but a more attractive community with new buildings and residents, but without all the vacant, boarded up storefronts and overall sense of despair.