Strathcona (Vancouver)

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Location of Strathcona in Vancouver.

Strathcona is the oldest residential neighbourhood in Vancouver, British Columbia and is bordered by Chinatown to the West, Clark Drive to the East, Hastings Street on the North, and CPR railyards to the South.

Over 8,000 people now live in Strathcona, which grew during the city's boom years between the city's founding in 1886 and 1920 due in large part to the choice of early Vancouver as a railway terminus. It emerged from the original settlement that grew around Hasting's Mill. It has always been a working class neighborhood and is comprised of many cultural groups. It is the only neighbourhood where English is not the most commonly spoken language, with 61% of residents reporting Chinese as their mother tongue, followed by English at 24%.^[1]

The neighbourhood was earmarked for demolition in the 1950s as part of an urban renewal program. City planners proposed putting a freeway along the waterfront where the seawall is now, which would have destroyed Chinatown and Gastown, while much of Strathcona would have been transformed into "block upon block of identical apartments buildings and townhouses" for social housing. This plan was partly completed, with the construction of the Georgia Viaduct and the McLean Park housing development at the expense of 15 blocks that did not survive, including Hogan's Alley, the only area with a concentration of blacks in Vancouver.^[2] Development was stopped due to opposition from the community, led by residents such as Mary Lee Chan who banded together to form the Strathcona Property Owners and Tenants Association (SPOTA). Important municipal figures such as mayor Mike Harcourt and the COPE party emerged from this movement. In recent years, Strathcona has been subjected to a significant gentrification process, reinforcing the economic disparity of the area. The late 19th and early 20th century architecture is a relative rarity in Vancouver and many houses in Strathcona are designated heritage houses. This housing stock in particular is being renovated, thus raising property values and attracting wealthier home owners to the area.