Heritage BC hosting an open house, looking for help defining 'intangibles' that make Chinatown special

Some worry Vancouver's Chinatown neighbourhood is losing too much of its character

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – It is one of Vancouver’s most iconic neighbourhoods, but some worry Chinatown is losing much of its character to development pressures and rapid growth.

An event this week lets you weigh in on how you feel about this vital part of our city.

Heritage BC is hosting an open house at the Chinese Cultural Centre on East Pender Thursday afternoon, looking for your input on behalf of the provincial Ministry of International Trade.

The group needs help defining certain “intangibles” that make Chinatown so special.

“This can talk about the events that they associate with Chinatown, memories, traditions, even things like cuisine,” explains Karen Dearlove, capacity planner with Heritage BC.

“So, more of the things that are more difficult to define [than] in terms of architecture and physical aspects.”

The feedback will be compiled into a final report to be submitted to the ministry next month.

“We want to make sure whatever happens to Chinatown going forward… those intangible values remain, no matter what happens in terms of municipal planning and development. So, it’s important to understand what is valuable first.”

If you can’t make the open house, you can also weigh in on the Heritage BC website until August 28th.