From Frances Bula’s latest writeup on the issues facing Chinatown,

As Vancouver busily transforms itself into a bland anime city, there’s another momentum as well. It feels as though unreconstructed Chinatown is more cherished every year by people looking for a different quality of urbanism. “I arrive at work as the Chinese grocers are setting up for the day,” says Monte Paulsen, an editor at the online Tyee, which recently moved into the Golden Crown building at Main and Georgia. (That tenancy is one of the green shoots tended by David Wong, who is working with the owner of the architecturally unremarkable building to transform it into a grass-roofed, green enclave that houses a collection of media, arts, and culture types.). “It’s the most enjoyable office I’ve ever worked out of because the street experience is so good. I walk through the smells of fish and strange-smelling herbs. I listen to the call-and-response of the mostly Chinese workers unloading trucks full of vegetables. And on the sidewalks, I stroll past elderly Chinese residents, young Chinese professionals, younger hipsters, and a smattering of addicts and the mentally ill. For that 10 minutes, it feels like an actual world city, instead of some shiny ‘world-class city’ that consists of little more than Starbucks and yuppie grocery stores.”