City in Motion: Anchoring Vancouver’s Active Transit Network

Abstract

This thesis examines Vancouver’s transportation networks and their impact on city-building to inform the design of an active mobility trailhead at the False Creek Flats. The proposal argues the social benefits of intersecting sustainable transit systems with public space to create accessible, healthy and pleasurable places for people to participate in vibrant city life. Through analysis of urban planning principles, theories, and precedents, this thesis seeks new ways to experience moving through the city by testing a series of architectural interventions that reconnect Pacific Central Station and Thornton Park to Vancouver’s urban fabric.