Under the bridge and dreaming : subtitle one solution for a derelict place in the city

• Main Author: Luke, Karen E. A.
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2002
• Subjects: First Nations
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/13036

To many the presence of vacant derelict space in the city is problematic. However, these sites can be places of both freedom and exposed history. To find them in a city is a gift. They can be places of opportunities, renewed plant growth and change. They are often created when infrastructure is put in place and later abandoned. This thesis explores the opportunities and program possibilities of one derelict site in Vancouver, B.C. under the Burrard Street Bridge. Once home to a First Nations village and reserve, the site now stands vacant but for a few left over rail tracks and homeless people camping. But the site has a powerful spirit, one that calls up the events of building, industrial activity and abandonment. This thesis proposes a park for the site. But this is a different type of park. One that encourages people to explore the possibilities of the bridge structure through various programs. The design moves and interventions made in the park are not of an obvious nature, they strive to reveal, acknowledge and celebrate the site's unique character, while preserving its inherent essence. Applied Science, Faculty of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), School of Graduate