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It’s a new super-tall Metrotown development at Beresford and McKay, very near the SkyTrain station.
This is what it used to be in 2014:
And this is still what it’s like north of the SkyTrain line on Central:
Rather than like this, south of the line:
It’s worth noting the sidewalk design, since it looks to be a requirement for every redeveloped block along the greenway.
That’s not just a greenway requirement. It’s Burnaby’s town centre sidewalk standard, complete with separated off-street cycle path. See here: https://tinyurl.com/ycy7lb5z
This has been rolling out for several years now. I had some hesitation because it makes our ridiculously wide roads wider still: but after seeing what an improvement it has made for Lougheed in front of Solo, I’m sold (I’m not so keen on the bleak stretch of Solo on Willingdon though). People really do sit on those benches, by the way, even with all the traffic (the SkyTrain guideway helps by making Lougheed feel half as wide as it really is). There’s a segment on Central at Metrotown with beautiful feathery grasses that’s really well used.
The bike path looks ideal for electric scooters too. With some decent regulation (don’t litter them around!), I think this can make a real difference to mobility in our town centres.
Indeed. Context makes a real difference. Lougheed is a massive river of moving steel, but I agree that it is somewhat softened by these sidewalk cutouts and the landscaped median partition under the SkyTrain guideway. Some of the streets around Metrotown (by all means not the majority) offer a relatively quiet respite, and the cutouts are a welcome relief.
Some of these cutouts are advertised as devices for stormwater infiltration and biofiltration. In reality, their actual performance is token at best. They suffer from sedimentation, erosion of soil during high rainfall, the intrusion of invasive plant species and as litter collectors. I suggest their benefits are primarily of an aesthetic appeal rather than environmental, and they really do require adequate maintenance.
Stormwater management is best managed as complete systems and not from small footprints within projects that assist the purposes of marketing more than anything else. But when one is taking a break on a bench and enjoying the lush planting, one may not be thinking of such technicalities.