On June 11th, we gathered at the Reliance Theatre at Emily Carr University for the UEA Public Symposium — a day built around a single, resonant theme: Culture in Place. To our speakers, our members, and everyone who joined us in the room — thank you. You made Culture in Place more than a theme. You made it real.

Chief Ian Campbell, Cory Douglas, and Ginger Gosnell-Myers introduce The Cultural Ribbon—a visionary policy advancing reconciliation and urban design in Vancouver.

“At our next project in the Tsawwassen Southlands, we get the ability to be the focal point, the anchor to this community but be so connected to the farming and agriculture that is just at our doorstep”

Dropping a brewery into an old post office in a sleepy part of a remote town with less than 14,000 residents might look like dropping a plastic kiddie pool on a patio and hoping for a water park turnout, but that would be underestimating the power of craft beer and community.

Neighbourhoods, and the architecture behind them, are constantly changing. Modern architecture and urban planning make a consistent effort to understand the question: what is the core identity of a city? The answer, like every city, is complex and ever-evolving.

How my experiences as a tech startup entrepreneur have influenced our approach to the traditional world of real estate development and city building.

When it comes to keeping great local restaurants, cafés, bars, and retail shops in our most cherished neighbourhoods, we stand at an uneasy cultural crossroads.