INDUSTRIAL TOWNSCAPES

JMB:Steve and I headed to Inglewood, searching for visuals of interest that would make for good sketching as well as good topics of urban design. That industrial edge in Inglewood certainly makes for a good topic. The industrial jumble, with layers of historical precedents is a delight to draw, yet planning for the interface with other land uses is at the heart of urban design between transportation corridors, industrial sites and the city landscape in the background. Celebrating the economic vitality with this exuberance of lines, perspectives, objects, spaces and places brings us a lot closer to the identity of our urban landscape, closer still than other attempts at beautification in the residential or commercial realm. Residential and Commercial developments are more likely to borrow from elsewhere, while industrial sites are designed rationally for local conditions.



SS:Exploring the industrial back-alleys of Inglewood, urban wastelands or contributors to the “messy vitality” of urban places? The handsome, brick smokestack recalls a time when industrial installations were designed by architects for factory owners with visions of grandeur. Here, it is juxtaposed with an “erecta-set” structure, clad in utilitarian corrugated metal. What was the thought process? It backs onto a rail spur so we don’t have to care about how it looks. The grove of trees is a fanciful addition and conjures visions of a more humane working environment. Think about it, the working stiff spends most of his waking hours in this type of de-humanizing setting.


SS:Brightly-coloured cargo containers add vibrancy to the prevailing grays of the district. They are enclosed by a "hedgerow" of hydro poles and lines. Weeds and stubble compete for space along the margins. No bird song breaks the stillness. Even the magpies avoid this place.










SS:Rail Spur Alley on Granville Island plays upon the robust, industrial aesthetic in a very pleasing manner, turning it into a tourist attraction, replete with market, theatres, restaurants and gorgeous viewpoints like this one that looks out over False Creek towards the Cambie Street Bridge. What if we were to keep some of these design principles in mind when developing employment districts? Wouldn’t everyday quality of life improve and with it job satisfaction and productivity?