ABSTRACT
Since its establishment, the city of Vancouver has had the benefit of Stanley Park. It is even said that ‘Vancouver is Stanley Park and Stanley Park is Vancouver’ (Paterson 1995: 73). 1 Stanley Park is closer than any park in this study to fulfilling the common perception of urban parks being ‘trapped wilderness’. And although it occupies the end of the downtown peninsula, its character derives more from its protection from development than from a comprehensive design. Its designation as a public park was the first resolution made by the first meeting of the newly formed Vancouver City Council in May 1886 – a remarkable decision given that the population of Vancouver at that time was less than 3,000. It seems, however, that its designation had as much to do with real estate speculation as with the desire to create a major public park.
