Exploring Vancouver's Urban Design with Alexandra Steed

Tune into the first exciting episode of the Constructive Voices’ City Correspondents initiative with an enlightening discussion featuring Alexandra Steed. A seasoned landscape architect, author and urban designer, Alexandra shares her insights from her dual practices in London, UK, and Vancouver, Canada. The conversation delves into the unique urban design strengths of Vancouver, the challenges of densification, and the city’s need to address climate resilience through green and blue infrastructure. “Vancouver has always been one of the most livable cities in the world, placed within an absolutely spectacular setting, and its forefathers safeguarded green areas like Stanley Park right from the beginning.” – Alexandra Steed Key Highlights: Vancouver’s Urban Legacy: Alexandra applauds Vancouver’s foresight in establishing green spaces like Stanley Park and integrating street trees, green roofs, and pedestrian-friendly streetscapes into its urban design. Densification Challenges: As the city grows, Alexandra raises concerns about the lack of robust green infrastructure to handle increased stormwater and protect biodiversity. Lessons from London: Comparing Vancouver’s relative youth to London’s layered historical infrastructure, Alexandra emphasises the opportunities for proactive planning in Vancouver. Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG): Alexandra discusses the absence of legislation akin to BNG in Vancouver and advocates for the adoption of nature-...

Om Podcasten

The Constructive Voices Podcast is all about inspiring change within the construction industry. Television builder, Peter Finn, is our man on the ground who injects his decades of construction experience with his unique sense of humour into the topics he covers. Then we have the gritty, investigative journalist, Henry McDonald, who spent over 25 years writing for The Guardian Newspaper in the UK. These days he does podcasts for us and the Sunday Times and is a freelance journalist for a number of top publications. Behind the scenes, we have Jackie De Burca, who is a creative director, author, media consultant, podcast creator and presenter. We focus on finding great stories within the construction industry about organisations and people who are doing something constructive. Topics include but are not limited to inclusivity, mental and physical health, investigating organisations that are ahead of the pack when it comes to sustainability, collaboration and team building, and initiatives that do social good. We also have our eyes and ears alert for cutting edge technologies and new updates on the industry’s economy and outlook.