Click here to read an article about a survey conducted by The Economist Group that proclaims that of the 127 major cities in the survey Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is the most "desirable place to live" in the whole world. It is always a bit odd to read something like this when you are from the place they are talking about. But, I have to admit to being a total "homer." I believe most of my friends would attest to hearing me rave once or twice about the place (and I trust will permit me yet one more rant). But I also recognize that in this respect I won the lottery. How did I end up a Vancouverite? My father grew up in New Westminster and having spent a decade in the east at graduate school and beginning his career throughout his late 20s and early 30s he elected lifestyle over careerism and chose to move to the much sleepier climate and take advantage of the family proximity of Victoria. His forethought, my lottery. I grew up in Victoria and only became a "Vancouverite" in earnest when I went to The University of British Columbia in 1990. Being a formative time in my life, I fell in love with the place and I haven't ever really lost the passion for it. It is my place and I am very comfortable about that.
I think the thing that strikes me most about Vancouver these days is that I realise now more than ever that it has yet to fully define itself. Its character is in flux. And while you live there you are a part of defining that character by what you do and your values and the choices you make in your life. Having lived in places like London and Madrid recently, I recognize that Vancouver "is not" but "will be" what it is... The vast majority of the character of the place has yet to be etched in stone. There just hasn't been enough time yet. It is cool to be part of that defining process rather than inheriting it. Of course, much will be derived from the local surroundings. The presence of the ocean and the mountains and the trees is a constant reminder that the place was built on the backs of "pioneers" from elsewhere in the western developed world who gave little attention to the local colour at the time of their arrival. Nonetheless, I think that this sense of pioneerism is still very much a part of the culture there. New things do well in Vancouver. There is a spirit of openness and honest opportunity that is greater than elsewhere I think!
For me, Vancouver also personifies the movement towards a kind of cultural fusion. As such it is a city of people who are best when embracing the best of multitudes of cultures and trying something new. That's why there is such a diverse range of people and their food, there is comparatively broad opportunities and a lack of discrimination, and a sense of a growing vibrant place. This vibrancy is one of the things I really noticed having been away for a few years. Something that you don't necessarily catch while you're living there day to day. By way of comparison Spain is incredibly rich culturally, but you don't get the sense that much is evolving. Spaniards are pretty happy with the status quo. London is also a very engraciating culturally mixed place, but it gives you the impression of a place that the cultural mix is being "enforced" in a way. The fall out of a empire that once reached around the globe. In Vancouver, fusion is the only way there has ever been.
Anyway, a feather in the cap. Here's hoping that the rain keeps all the baddies away!
No comments:
Post a Comment