I got stuck on this image this monring (origin unknown). It reminded me of an old friend’s far away apartment in a repurposed church, in what used to be a rather modest nave. It made me think of the mixed use nature of Vancouverism, which has become the envy of an aging urban world (the Most Liveable Cities In The World index, etc). One of the consequences of all that foreign applause remains the continued ascendancy of shoebox living high in skies largely defined by granite counter-tops, built-in wine racks and laminate floors. Few of my generation can afford to buy into that lifestyle, and some abhor it like slow death. Equally sad is the fact that values such as character and history don’t figure in it at all. That absence, I suppose, is the faultless hand dealt unto us by geography and time (our 7-2 off-suit versus, say, Prague’s pocket aces), but when I look at this picture, that doesn’t make it any less unfortunate. Don’t get me wrong – the newness of Vancouver is amazing to behold in most lights, and I know that little aesthetic good can come from the latter day re-invention of old styles, but wouldn’t it just be swell to see a few more vaulted ceilings and one of a kind windows standing out among all the concrete, steel and glass?

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