The scene of white-clad lawn bowlers playing amid highrises, long an icon of downtown Victoria, will soon vanish, as the city plans to turn a long-established club's greens into underground parking and a hard-surfaced urban plaza.
"Mayor Alan Lowe said the greens the Canadian Pacific Lawn Bowling Club has leased behind the Crystal Garden for 77 years at $1 a year are 'very valuable to the city.'"
"He wants the area as open space with underground parking for the Victoria Conference Centre across the street, which is expanding into the Crystal Garden, leased by the city from the Provincial Capital Commission."
"Club president Ray Turner is resigned to leaving the greens, but said it's tough. 'You get used to the club and like the area.' If players liked the area, tourists liked the bowlers, frequently stopping to photograph the unexpected activity in the middle of the city."
"Robert Randall, president of the Downtown Residents Association, and an advocate of more development downtown, said he likes having the bowlers in the city's core. 'Here's this kind of crazy random idea of a bunch of old folks rolling a ball along the field. It's not contrived. And it's what we want to see: genuine experiences. If they replace one vibrant green space with a dead green space, what are we accomplishing here except to evict people with a healthy pastime?'"
FULL STORY: Game over: Lawn bowlers told to leave 'valuable' spot
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie