Downtown Vancouver

Downtown Vancouver is the term used to describe the southeastern portion of the peninsula in the north-central part of Vancouver proper. It is the business, commercial, cultural, financial, government, and entertainment centre of the city and the Metro Vancouver lower mainland region.

Geography

The downtown area is generally considered to be bounded by Burrard Inlet to the north, Stanley Park and the West End to the west, False Creek to the south, and the Downtown Eastside to the east. Most sources include the full downtown peninsula (adding the West End neighbourhood and Stanley Park) as downtown Vancouver, but the City of Vancouver defines them as separate neighbourhoods.

Besides the readily identifiable office towers of the financial and central business districts, Downtown Vancouver also includes residential neighbourhoods in the form of high-rise apartment and condominiums, in Yaletown and Coal Harbour. Other downtown neighbourhoods include the Granville Mall and Entertainment District, Downtown's South, Gastown, Japantown, and Chinatown.

Transportation

The presence of water on three sides limits access to downtown Vancouver. There are four major bridges: the Lions Gate Bridge, connecting to the North Shore municipalities and the Trans Canada Highway, the Burrard Street Bridge, Cambie Street Bridge, and Granville Street Bridge provides access to the commercial and residential areas south of False Creek.

The historic Waterfront Station is a major transit hub for the downtown core. There are six rapid transit subway stations in downtown Vancouver. The stations are found on three SkyTrain lines, Expo Line, Millennium Line, and Canada Line. The Expo and Millenium lines travel from the historic Waterfront Station at the foot of the central harbour, through the old Dunsmuir Tunnel to the east. Canada Line travels from Waterfront Station and tunnels south under Granville Street and Davie Street, linking downtown to central Richmond and Vancouver International Airport. SeaBus is a passenger-only ferry that connects to the North Shore in 10–12 minutes. West Coast Express commuter rail system that travels to the eastern suburbs and exurbs. Near Waterfront Station, terminals are available for float planes and helicopters.

Most north-south Vancouver bus routes serve the area, in addition to suburban routes from the North Shore, Burnaby, the Tri-Cities, Richmond, Delta, and South Surrey.

The bus rapid transit line 98 B-Line had eight stops in the downtown core, primarily along Seymour Street and Burrard Street. This service was replaced on August 17, 2009 by SkyTrain's Canada Line.

There are two private passenger water taxi operators (False Creek Ferries and The Aquabus), providing service between several downtown neighbourhoods, False Creek, and Granville Island.

The city is planning to extend the downtown streetcar from its current route of Granville Island to the Main Street SkyTrain station, with future plans extending it to Chinatown and then to Stanley Park.

Professional sports

There are two major sporting facilities in the downtown core, Rogers Arena and BC Place Stadium. The NHL's Vancouver Canucks play at Rogers Arena (formerly GM Place), while the CFL's BC Lions use the neighbouring BC Place Stadium. The Vancouver Whitecaps FC will also play at BC Place stadium beginning in October 2011, when completion of BC Place Stadium. SkyTrain Stadium-Chinatown station provides easy rapid transit access to the district.

Major renovations to BC Place Stadium are currently underway and are expected to be completed by the summer of 2011. Renovations include a new retractable roof and fan friendly amenities. As BC Place Stadium undergoes renovation, the BC Lions and Vancouver Whitecaps FC are using the temporary Empire Field in east Vancouver for the 2010-2011 season.

External links

• City of Vancouver Community Profiles: Downtown