Mall Podcast #6: Central City
The year was 1999, and the city of Surrey and the B.C. government were making a big bet on the centre of the province’s second largest municipality.
The province would create a brand new technical university. ICBC would build a brand new office tower. And linking the two would be a dramatic transformation of a decaying suburban mall, designed by the region’s newest star architect, Bing Thom.
“If I’m successful, you will no longer think this is a shopping mall,” he said on the day of the announcement.
“This is going to be the Robson Street of Surrey.”
A generation later, did Thom’s dreams come true? Or was it another example of 1990s utopia turning to 21st century stagnation?
(Episode Guest: Vancouver comedian Colin Sharp)
(To read our essay and review of Central City, click here)
(To subscribe to the podcast, click here)
Theme music composed by Tom Whalen, www.echomenace.com