VISION for VICTORIA: How can we build better for a thriving city

Why we picked it

Victoria has a lovely location with its sparkling ocean and lofty mountains surrounding a temperate peninsula. What could be better? A lot of things. Victoria is in the process of "Vancouverization." We do have an interesting harbour area with its post-colonial decadence. Outside of it? It's worse than bad. It is simply mediocre. A pastiche of space over place besieged by fugly apartment towers and fast food outlets. Think of Paris. It is sited in a shallow valley and coursing through it a slow meandering river. Yet it is beautiful. A centre of culture and the arts. Open vistas, charming walk ways dottted with trees, streets wide festooned with artists, intellectuals and colorful history. The Louvre! The Arc de Triumph! The Eiffel Tower! Here we have Victoria. Bad planning, zero vision and no insight nor energy for authentic innovation. We take years and tens of millions of $$$$s to build a bridge shaped like a toilet lid cover. Or how about the weekly comedy of the Colwood Crawl? An