Old & New: A Tour of New West Waterfront with Visiting Delegation

In July 2016, the SFU Urban Studies Program was pleased to welcome a delegation of students from the University of Groningen.

The 25 Dutch honours students are part of a multidisciplinary course. Their North American field trip focused on issues of human geography in urban settings. Individually, their programs of study in Groningen range from law and psychology to computer programming, engineering and mechatronics. The trip brought them together to investigate urban issues in Vancouver such as homelessness and ease of mobility for aging citizens.

Aging in a Gentrifying Place: A Tour of Vancouver’s Chinatown

On July 18, 2016, Sophie Fung led a group from SFU’s Urban Studies program on a walking tour of Vancouver’s Chinatown. The tour allowed Fung to share her observations of some significant changes taking place in Chinatown.

The tour group walked along streets where some of the traditional businesses now stand alongside stores catering to a new type of consumer. Such changes are not atypical in a swiftly-gentrifying Vancouver. However, as in other regions facing the pressures of redevelopment, one has to ask: who do these changes serve?