Christmas in Vancouver could be so much more, says Brent Toderian

Christmas is in the air in Vancouver, but according to On The Coast urban planning columnist and former Vancouver city planner Brent Toderian, the city and private businesses could be doing a lot more to get in the spirit.

He said Christmastime calls for a "transformation" that brings a "new kind of energy."

"Yes, it's light, but it should also be things like music, and smells and sounds. It just creates a whole different kind of feel," he told On The Coast guest host Gloria Macarenko.

He said special events like the Christmas Market or the Christmas Train in Stanley Park are very nice, but they're "almost private" and "commercialized" because to get in, you need to pay a fee and be cut off from the rest of the city by a gate or fence.

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"What I wish is that on top of these things, we had some civic offerings … where you can just be a citizen at Christmas," he said. "I'd like to see less gates, and more openness and integration into the city."

"One of the best things is great public squares in European cities … They're a great place to wander through, whether you want to buy something or not, take your kids through. They're part of the public realm, part of the public life."

On the other hand, Toderian says New York gets it right by putting up beautiful window displays in shops. He says that's another way to get the "transformative" feel.

He says that if Vancouver is able to get a free, public Christmas market running by next year, that would be a big first step to improving the city.

To hear the full story, click the audio labelled: Is Vancouver 'bah, humbug' when it comes to Christmas?