The role of policy learning in urban mobility adaptation: exploring Vancouver’s plan to remove the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts

ABSTRACT

In 2015, Vancouver’s City Council approved a plan for removing the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts and replacing 2.6 km of vestigial expressway infrastructure with a surface boulevard, parks, public space, and housing. This article explores whether policy learning from other cities influenced Vancouver’s decision. Using the Dolowitz-Marsh framework, we found evidence that planners,politicians, and the public introduced examples of expressway removal and infrastructure adaptation during Vancouver’s policymaking process and that lesson drawing influenced the outcome. The policy learning revealed here shows how North American cities can advance a more equal redistribution of urban space by removing expressway infrastructure.

KEYWORDS:

• Infrastructure
• expressways
• urban
• planning
• policy

Disclosure statement

Anthony Perl is a member of the Vancouver City Planning Commission. The commission advises City Council on planning and development issues in the City, and may report to Council on any proposal likely to have a significant effect on the future of the City.

Notes

1. Observations involved content analysis from planning documents and other records describing the decision-making process for the G&D viaducts removal.

2. The first mention of possible adaptation was in May 2007, and the final decision to remove occurred in October 2015.

3. There was no lesson drawing about or from infrastructure redesign to accommodate another mobility mode – e.g. redesigning a railway right of way for bus rapid transit.

4. Mr. Alexander spoke to the Council again about the Embarcadero removal at the June 2013 Council meeting and hearing.