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
Thom, Brian, and Laura Cameron. 2005 "Changing Land Use in SolhTemexw (Our Land): Population, Transportation, Ecology and Heritage". In You are Asked to Witness: The Sto:lo in Canada's Pacific Coast History, ed. Keith Thor Carlson, pp. 163-180. Chilliwack: Sto:lo Heritage Trust.
Mr Robson played a large role in our local history and was the ninth Premier of British Columbia amongst other roles. Beginning as a merchant in Upper Canada, the aspiring gold miner moved West to The Colony of British Columbia in 1859 after hearing news of the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush. Although his prospecting was unsuccessful, he became known in the town of New Westminster, the colony’s capital. Soon after arriving in the unfamiliar colony, Robson was hired in 1861 as an editor for “The British Columbian,” mainland BC’s
Forsythe, Mark. The Trail of 1858 : British Columbia’s gold rush past. Canada: Harbour Publishing Co. Ltd., 2007.
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By the 1860s when news of the discovery of gold in Eastern Washington had reached the distant shores of China, the Chinese were suffering from severe civil unrest and even famine. However, it was the heavy tolls of unproductive harvests at home, and heavy recruitment by railroad and logging firms abroad, that attracted most of the Chinese to Washington. By the 1870s, Chinese men were already at work prospecting along the Columbia River in Eastern Washington, working in Black Diamond, ...
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Chua, Ian Y. H. Civil and Structural Engineering Resource Web. 29 Jan. 2000. 2 Mar.