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East Hastings (Near Insite, Safe Injection Site)
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West Hastings
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Some streets are household names--Broadway, Madison, Michigan, Santa Monica, Sunset--in British Columbia, there is one street that everyone recognizes (even outside of Vancouverites): East Hastings. Well before the Olympics, BCers have lived with the reputation of this street. Not the fame of it, but the infamy. For many years this street has been the heart of "Canada's poorest postal code," the Downtown Eastside. And even if this moniker is likely deceiving, ( http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/parenting/archive/2010/02/10/downtown-eastside-poorest-postcal-code.aspx ) in terms of placemaking, East Hastings has everything that tourism associations fear. When people hear where I'm from (usually something like "near Vancouver"), every so often this street comes up, often in this context: "We were walking around the beautiful downtown, we turned a corner, and BOOM, heroin!, EVERYWHERE!" Whenever I hear this sort of hyperbole, I know that's exactly what it is; nevertheless, the Downtown Eastside does present an interesting situation to consider: what's the right path for this neighbourhood? Is it an old-fashioned inner city slum? Or is it the last bastion of affordability in a city getting more expensive by the hour? Is there a middle road approach?
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