Gordon Price, a former councillor of Vancouver, will be speaking at Auckland Conversations next Tuesday 9th of October at 5pm. Gordon runs the popular and influential blog Pricetags which is regularly referenced on this site. Gordon will be speaking on a variety of topics related to the Vancouver experience with particular emphasis on the role of public transportation. Unlike many other politicos Gordon is is not afraid to raise provocative subjects such as generational equity and resource limitations. For the regular readers of this site, this is an event not to be missed.
The event is free, but please RSVP (see flyer) so the event planners have an idea of how many people to expect.
Vancouver is about the size now that Auckland is likely to be in 30 years and has achieved many of the transport and planning goals Auckland seems to aspire to. Certainly a great place to learn from and I’m looking forward to lapping up what wisdom I can from someone who is obviously a big part of what’s made Vancouver so successful.
For (probably) contrasting views that nevertheless profess to have the same goals in mind, you could make a day of it and go to this: http://www.creative.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/future-proof I haven’t been able to attend any yet, but I get the strong impression that these more locally sourced perspectives are not as enthusiastic about compact and dense ‘old-world’ city form. The locus of change for many (not all) of these seems to be the ‘green’ building, not the city form – what might be called the Grand Designs solution to environmental catastrophe, not one I’m entirely convinced by, I have to say.
He should be speaking to the full Auckland council as well.