Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside: Timeline & Food for Thought
- Queenie Ha
- 10 hours ago
- 2 min read
Vancouver’s infamous Downtown Eastside (DTES), before it became “infamous,” was famous for its prosperity. First established in the late 1800s, the area was once Vancouver’s city centre and well known for its transportation hub. Once prosperous, the high rates of traffic the neighbourhood would see would eventually lead to Gastown finding business through its debut as an entertainment center. Vancouver’s downtown Eastside began to see change when the Great Depression struck, leading to the relocation of city hall to its present location on Broadway. As a result of this relocation, there was a gradual decline in commercial traffic in the DTES.
From the late 1900s to the present day, the DTES has been the target of gentrification projects, effectively diminishing affordable housing in the area. Alongside the growing housing crisis in the region, the community has also seen a higher dependency on the use of substances. These combined factors, followed by the closures of numerous businesses in the DTES, meant alarming drops in foot traffic as many people from other cities stopped visiting the community.
For many, the Vancouver Downtown Eastside has been a place of discomfort; however, this discomfort comes with much-needed reflection. To effectively address and pinpoint the intersectionality of the unique range of issues and circumstances each person living in the DTES faces, there needs to be a call for community action. If what the DTES currently lacks is order, then may we, as students, be the order that restores it to its prime through community resilience and empathy. To commit to creating a safe and inclusive community where stigma surrounding the Vancouver Downtown Eastside can be combated, a few things can be done.
Education
Read more about the Downtown Eastside; this should be relatively easy, as the area has been the subject of many research studies. The Vancouver Public Library (VPL) has a public research access portal for curious minds to dive deeper into the circumstances of the DTES. Education is crucial for warding off stigma; therefore, it is necessary to take advantage of public resources to better understand the DTES.
Empathy
We must remember that the DTES is a community that requires understanding and compassion. The challenges surrounding the DTES are complex and, as mentioned before, unique for each individual. Not to mention, the adverse experiences of battling addiction and the housing crisis further create difficulties for the less privileged. The people of the DTES do not need to be patronized; however, empathy should be practiced more to gain understanding that anyone could end up in the very shoes that they spoke ill of.
It is through education and unlearning harmful narratives, all the while practicing empathy, that we can foster stronger community action. This way, we can better understand the intersectional challenges those in the DTES face.
By unlearning harmful narratives and practicing empathy as a community, we can bridge divides and help those battling addictions and adverse circumstances to achieve the guidance they need.
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