At its first quarterly open meeting of 2010, the Vancouver Downtown Association hosted an informative talk by Michele Reeves, well known for development work for Mississippi and Alberta Streets in Portland, among others.

Reeves complimented the “amazing bones” in downtown Vancouver and discussed strategies to bring retail to the core of downtown. The most telling and needed item in downtown she spoke about was the importance of connectivity.

For all its wonderful glory, Esther Short Park attracted minumal retail, and it’s somewhat on an island. Walk one block from the park in any direction, and you’ll find empty buildings and empty spaces. Uptown Village is a worthy hub of foot traffic on most days, but walk a block south on Evergreen, and you’ve entered basically a deadzone until you cross Mill Plain. Developers will soon break ground on the daunted Waterfront Project. Will it be the same old story? Let’s build on a vacant piece of land but completely ignore the bordering blocks?

The most blatant example of foregoing the importance of connectivity is East Vancouver, where lots continue to leapfrog each other without social or commercial hubs of any kind.

Of course, we must give praise where it’s deserved. Downtown Camas, despite taking on more empty spaces in the recent economy, is a compact center of several blocks with a string of locally-owned retail. It sets an example for the rest of the county when it comes to downtown development.

Just how the Heart of Vancouver undergoes filling the gaps is a difficult task, one the VDA is taking on in the form of the Downtown Retail Strategy Team. With a double dip recession for commercial business likely, it will take creative solutions to keep the Heart of Vancouver afloat?