Vancouver and its Environment

900 Words2 Pages

Introduction

Vancouver is known as a city of booming economy and natural beauty. Both were highlighted by the 2010 Winter Olympic Games: the economy in the ability to host the games and nature in the advertisements for the games. These commercials focused as much on the soaring mountains and lush forests as they did on the city itself. “To the untrained eye, Vancouver is one of those rare cities which seems to have achieved a delicate balance between urban development and scenic preservation.”[2.9] However, this natural beauty can be viewed as causing issues for the development of the city. This essay will delve into how Vancouver has dealt with these problems from its inception until now and what issues still face this city.

Vancouver at the Beginning

Vancouver was initially founded as a fort in the summer and fall of 1827[2.3]. Hudson’s Bay Company built Fort Langley as a trading post on the south side of the Fraser River. The fort was subsequently moved upstream to be closer to its farms in 1839[2.3&6]. The fort was built along the river because the river was an important trade route for both the fort and the natives to the area[1]. This fort, while trading large quantities of merchandise with the local natives, only truly controlled what was within its walls and had very little effect on the native control of the area[2.3].

Land Holdings for the Vancouver Region for 1858-1871 © UBC Press 1992[2.3]

However, this all changed in the 1850’s with the gold rush. More than 20,000 miners inundated the Fraser River in 1858[2.3]. The Vancouver Region turned into a waypoint for these miners on their way to riches. Immediately afterwards, British Columbia was formed[2.3]. New Westminster, “the first high ground on the north side aft...

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...fect balance between a city and nature look like?

Works Cited

[1] Bill Albert. The Turnpike Road System in England, 1663-1840. Cambridge University Press, 1972.
[2] Graeme Wynn and Timothy Oke. Vancouver and Its Region. UBC Press, 1992.
[2.1] Chapter 1
[2.3] Chapter 3
[2.4] Chapter 4
[2.5] Chapter 5
[2.9] Chapter 9
[3] Lena Schaller et al. “Cultivating the climate: socio-economic prospects and consequences of climate-friendly peat land management in Germany.” Hydrobiologia 674 (2011): 91-104
[4] Muni Budhu. Soil Mechanics and Foundations 3rd Edition and Foundations and Earth Retaining Structures (Combined book made for UBC). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2011.
[5] SFU. GEOG 351. Viewed Dec 6, 2013. http://www.sfu.ca/geog/geog351fall07/Group01/03_del/naturereserve.htm#
[6] Wikipedia. “Fort Langley.” Viewed Dec 6, 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Langley

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